New York Jets Flight Crew : Denise

Denise Garvey has thrived for years as both a performer and a teacher. Now as the first choreographer of the New York Jets Flight Crew, she is more than prepared to lead the inaugural group of 10 during the 2007 season.

“I feel like I have been working quite a long time for what I have right now,” said Garvey, a native of Merrick, N.Y. “This isn’t just something that I thought a year ago would be kind of cool. This is something that has been on my mind and on my plate for years. I feel like the time has come and I’m ready to step up to the plate. I am prepared every day to come in here and give 150 percent. I will give nothing less because this is a dream of mine come true.”

This is not Garvey’s first go-round in the National Football League. She was a cheerleader for the Dallas Cowboys from 2000-01. A member of their Show Group, she was one of 12 women selected to travel worldwide to represent the Cowboys organization, the USO (United States Overseas) and the NFL. She performed all over the globe, including on a tour with then-Secretary of Defense William Cohen to visit service men and women overseas.

“I was lucky enough, as a rookie, to get many, many opportunities that rookies don’t usually get, including being part of the Show Group and traveling all over the world on their tours, as well us USO tours and Secretary of Defense tours,” she said. “I really felt lucky that I got the opportunity to do so many different appearances and events in the short time I was there.”

That memorable stint in Dallas was sandwiched between a season with the New Jersey Nets’ dance team (1999-2000), then a return to New York as a Knicks City Dancer from 2001-05.

“I did the professional sports dancing for six years and that’s a long shelf life,” she said. “I would say the average shelf life for a cheerleader or a dancer for a professional sports team is two to three years. It is not a full-time job and it is very time consuming. It’s a lot on the body. I think I had a nice long run, longer than I’d say 90 percent of the people who do this.”

A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, Garvey is the choreographer of the theater department at Hicksville High School. The school produces three main shows annually and she’s responsible for publicity, casting, fundraising, costumes, lights, sound, set, construction, stage managing, tickets sales and all aspects of production.

“My students know what I've done and they know what I love to do. I think they will be excited to say the least," she said, about her new job with the Green & White. “It’s nice when you're a teacher who is still involved. I am not just a teacher but I also currently work in this.”

Along with her big league pursuits, Denise made her mark at Holy Trinity Diocesan High School in Hicksville. She implemented a dance team program and was the team’s director for three years. She also was a director in the Summer Theatre Program for 10 years from 1994-2004.

Year one of the Jets Flight Crew begins with Denise at the helm. Her brothers and fiancée are devoted fans of New York’s AFC representative and they, along with the 75,000 or so folks who pack the Meadowlands for home games, are ready to have their gameday experience enhanced even more.

“We have come up with this really unique idea of having a flag crew that not only participates in the entertainment aspect of gameday at the Jets home games but also enables the girls to participate in the gameday excitement,” she said. “They are not only entertainers but they are very involved in the game. They are part of that excitement.”