And the Spirit Stick goes to... EMBER!

February is the month for love, and who better to give the Spirit Stick award to than one of the Cheerleaders we love very much? Ember D. won the Spirit Stick back in February and with her love of cheerleading and the team, she very much deserves this award. Ember has been a member of the team for two years and is one of the best flier's in the whole state of New York and we couldn't be more proud to have her on the team. She attends almost every event and is never afraid to try new stunts and is able to get them down instantly, even when she is being flung upside down or sideways.

Ember is very passionate about cheerleading and Cheer New York and says that she loves getting to tell her friends and family about Cheer New York, what we do and about the charities we sponsor. 

She even made the Spirit Stick a new bag! 

We love Ember's enthusiasm for the team and the talent she brings to the squad, which is exactly why she won the Spirit Stick award!

And the Spirit Stick Goes to...

It is a new year and time to announce our first Spirit Stick winner for 2009!! January's winner just joined Cheer NY this past summer but has already made himself a special place in everyone's hearts.

He is kind, thoughtful, helpful, spirited, talented and has a killer smile. If you looked the words "Spirit Stick" up in the dictionary, you might just find a picture of his beaming face. So who is this wonderful person? The Spirit Stick winner for January 2009 is.........Nicholas P!!!

Read below for more (quite interesting) information about Nicholas P.

Name/Nicknames: Nicholas P, Nickie

Hometown: New Orleans, LA

Occupation: Senior Production Accountant for Wicked, the Musical
When did you join CNY: July '08
Previous cheer experience: 3 years in High School
Favorite stunt: Liberty
Favorite CNY moment: Receiving the spirit stick!!! It makes me feel like I have accomplished part of what I wanted to bring to CNY - my positive attitude and spirit. I love CNY!!!

Interesting fact about you: In 1998, I won the NGA (National Grocers Association) Best Bagger competition in Las Vegas. For the entire year, I was honored as the nation's Best Grocery Bagger. It was amazing!!!!

Congratulations Nicholas!!! You deserve it!

(Above: Nicholas at the CNY Bingo Fundraiser, On Right: Ali and Nicholas at the CNY Anniversary Dinner)

And the Spirit Stick Goes to.....

It is the beginning of the 2008-2009 season for Cheer NY and during practice the captains announced September recipient of the Spirit Stick! It was only too fitting that the first winner for the new season is one of the team's newest members. Who is this impressive new addition to the team? None other than......Chip!!
In the short month that Chip has been on the team he has shown incredible motivation, an outstanding positive attitude and even took it upon himself to organize a Spirit Night in Queens. Read on to find out some interesting tidbits about September's golden boy.

Name/Nicknames: Chip (obviously), Chipper, Chippy, Chips A Hoy
Hometown: McDonough, GA
Occupation: Advertising Sales
When did you join CNY: 2008
Previous cheer experience: none
Favorite stunt: Cart Wheel!
Favorite CNY moment: Performing before the Sea Tea this year! Being in front of a crowd for the first time was so electrifying.

Interesting fact about you: My grandmother and father are both award winning cooks (yet I don't know how to work the oven!)

Congratulations Chip!!

And the Spirit Stick Goes to.....

June has always been a special month for Cheer New York. Though the team performs at events ranging from the AIDS Walk to providing entertainment for a Glamour magazine party, its roots will always lie in LGTB events. So the recipient of the June Spirit Stick has to really work hard to represent the team during Pride month.

And the winner of the June Spirit Stick is.........Kelsey M (pictured between captains Tonika and & Manny)! Kelsey has been a part of CNY for almost four years. She was Cheerleader of the Year in 2005 and captain for the 2006-07 season. After Manny and Tonika announced the winner, Kelsey replied "It is such a joy to be a part of this team. You all are my family."

Congratulations Kelsey! Now give us the dirt.

Name/Nicknames: Kelsey, Kelseytrain (because I'm part train), Kels & Kelsaur (because I'm part dinosaur)
Hometown: Durango, Colorado
Occupation: Media Planner for Wal-Mart
When did you join CNY: November 2004
Previous cheer experience: Cheered for 4 years in high school, coached for one year and have been on CNY for approaching 4 years (!!!!).
Favorite stunt: As a base: basket tosses, as a flyer: Scorpion
Favorite CNY moment: Opening ceremonies at Gay Games 2006. I was standing on Soldier Field in Chicago with hundreds of fellow PCA (Pride Cheerleading Association) teams dressed in white from head to toe. We finished our dance routine, looked around at each other and just began to yell and hug and cry and....rejoice the amazing event we were all so lucky to be a part of. I get chills just thinking about it.
Interesting fact about you: Usually being 25 and still a cheerleader is my interesting fact but in this case I guess my interesting fact is......I once jello wrestled to raise money for my high school wrestling team. Go Demons!

And the Spirit Stick Goes to.....

Our wonderful Raymund! And boy was he shocked to find out he won the Spirit Stick for the month of April!!

Raymund is one of Cheer New York's newest member yet has already become a irreplaceable part of the team. Even the day after he won the spirit stick he admitted, "I tell you. It was so hard to sleep last night. I was all kinds of excited!"

Interested in finding out more about why Raymund is such a cheer-winner? Insider tips below....

Name/Nicknames: Ray Ray, R-Lee (or Harley), o Raimunda (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_NODJbKyZ4)
Hometown: West Orange, N.J.
Occupation: Journalist
When did you join CNY: January 2008
Previous cheer experience: None
Favorite stunt: Hitch mounts!
Favorite CNY moment: When CNY cheered and performed at halftime at the Ramblers Indoor Classic soccer tournament in March (my soccer mates loved it! and they're still talking about it!)
Interesting fact about you: Volunteer helpline counselor for The Trevor Project, the only 24-hour nationwide crisis and suicide prevention helpline for gay and questioning youth (www.thetrevorproject.org)

Congratulations Raymund, we are so happy to have you as a part of CNY!

And the Spirit Stick Goes to.....

For those of you who may not be "down with the cheer lingo" or for the very few people out there that haven't seen Bring It On, the Spirit Stick is sacred to cheer.

On Cheer NY the Spirit Stick is given out each month by our two captains. I know what you are wondering..."How does one win such a coveted cheer prize?" Well, it's not easy; the winner of the Spirit Stick eximplifies everything that Cheer NY strives to be. They are spirited, outgoing, positive, giving, kind, always willing to help others and so on. Really the list is endless.

And who won this month's highest honor? The lovely Iliana F (shown here with Dan V, all dolled up for the CNY awards dinner)!!

Below is some information I managed to get out of her during her demanding schedule of being fabulous.

Nicknames: Ilz, Ilz got da skilzzz, Margarita
Hometown: Longmeadow, MA
Occupation: Nickelodeon drudge
When did you join CNY: 2005
Previous cheer experience: Cheered in highschool and college
Favorite stunt: Hmmm good question..there are a lot of fancy stunts but there's nothing like a super high basket toss to take your breath away
Which do you prefer basing or flying?: I love basing but at the moment I'm really digging flying because it's a new challenge to me.
Favorite CNY moment: Performing at the 2006 Gay Games

What can we say....."She's sexy, she's cute, she's popular to boot!" (sorry, had to throw in another Bring It On reference) Congrats Ilz!