11/03 – Hey, Jets fans! It’s Laura V. and I am delighted to take this opportunity to tell you a little about myself and how I got started working as a New York Jets Flight Crew cheerleader. Having a background in dance, I joined the junior varsity kickline team in my freshman year at Holy Trinity High School. In my sophomore year, I met Denise Garvey. Denise walked into our kickline auditions and introduced herself as our new kickline coach. We bonded instantly. She took our team to a new, high-energy, exciting level that the school had not seen before! The team got so much attention within the school community that even the varsity girls wanted to be a part of our squad. That summer, I assisted Denise in a kickline camp that she founded. During this time, I continued to learn and grow by having the opportunity to assist her in teaching children from the ages of 10-14 years to dance and helped to build their self-confidence. After graduating from Holy Trinity, I began attending college at C.W. Post. Sadly, Denise and I went in different directions. Along with studying business management and working part time, I continued to dance in college. In February of 2007, after not speaking to Denise in years, she called to invite me to a closed audition to be a member of the first ever New York Jets cheerleading squad. That telephone call from Denise changed my life. While auditioning, I maintained the professionalism that Denise instilled in me and I danced my heart out for her. As a result, I was chosen as one of the 10 lucky young women to be a part of the inaugural team. This is my third year as a Flight Crew member and my gratitude is endless. Many doors have opened for me in business as well as entertainment because of Denise Garvey’s guidance. Having a business degree, I appreciate being a part of a first-class organization such as the New York Jets. This is the most exciting time of my life and I am TRULY LIVING THE DREAM!!

LAURA V.: A Reunion That Changed My Life

11/05 – Hello, all of you Jets fans! It’s Jessica M., one of your 2009-2010 Flight Crew Cheerleaders! I am so excited to be a part of the best football team in the NFL and to be representing my hometown, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Ever since I was a little girl I dreamed of becoming a professional dancer, and for a small-town girl it seemed like a dream far from reach. I remember my mom and dad always telling me that the sky was the limit and that I can become anything I wanted. Well, I wanted to be a professional dancer and this is how I reached my goal. While in New Mexico I danced for my high school team and for the University of New Mexico, and I felt like I was at the top of the world running out on the field in front of 40,000 diehard Lobos fans. The rush of cheering on your college team is an exhilarating and thrilling experience at such a young age. Although I was a part of an incredible team, I was still looking for something more for myself that seemed beyond my reach. I ultimately decided to move out to New York City to study musical theatre at Pace University, yet another step in becoming a professional performer, and in doing so I quickly discovered the New York Jets! I learned from Jets fans just how important the team is to this area. The Jets are not just a team but also a way of life! I immediately fell in love with the team and the legacy, and not only is this team so inspirational but it had cheerleaders as well! The Flight Crew was the newest addition to the Jets family and I knew I had to be a part of this team. After months of training, I auditioned and made the squad! I remember not knowing anyone there and I was definitely the only girl from New Mexico, but since I have been on the team, I have had an experience of a lifetime going to charity events and even being featured in the Flight Crew cheerleaders' first-ever swimsuit calendar. Now when I am standing in the tunnel waiting for our pregame music to start, I take a deep breath in and marvel at the 80,000 fans around me. We are halfway through the season and I still get tingles in my stomach. I am now dancing in front of one of the largest crowds I have ever seen and I cannot believe I have made it this far. I know it’s a blessing and a dream come true to be a part of the New York Jets Flight Crew, and now I can say in the pregame huddle before every game, “1, 2 Flight Crew!” See you at the game! Jessica M.

JESSICA M: Big Dreams in a Small Town

09/10 – The Jets Flight Crew, Manhattan and the fans came together for a big little affair earlier this week. The occasion was the unveiling of the Crew's first swimsuit calendar in front of Jets Shop in midtown. Director Denise Garvey marveled at the scene, and at the tall order of getting to "here" from "there," back before the photo shoots took place in May. "This was something we talked about but didn't actually know if it was going to happen," Garvey said as she stood behind the 13 Crew members featured in the calendar, signing their "months" for the fans who came to get their autographs. "When we got the go-ahead, everything happened so fast. "Now to be here with the girls in Manhattan, in front of the Jets Shop, signing autographs — we've come a long way in a very short amount of time and it's something that we appreciate." Christie A. from Fair Lawn, N.J., called the experience "definitely humbling." "I'm always excited to meet our fans," she said, "and when they know you personally, they associate your name with your face, and now you're in a calendar, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." That is the larger story to this calendar: the acceptance the Jets' cheerleaders are getting in the New York/New Jersey/Connecticut area. One who appreciates that was also in the crowd on this night: Jets owner Woody Johnson. "The Flight Crew is an important part of the organization," Johnson said. "The fans love them, and they're amazing in terms of getting the crowd going. They're incredible. They're great ambassadors for us." So in that way the calendar is an ambassadorial tool for elevating the Jets' and the Flight Crew's brands around the area. And in that sense, it helps that the calendar, everyone in attendance agreed, is such a beautiful production. "My month is April, and I think the calendar came out awesome," said Jessica S. of Iselin, N.J. "I've never looked so beautiful before." "I love my month," added Christie. "And I'm very thrilled with my picture." Calendar cover model Linda agreed. "Everything looks great," she said. "Everything is perfect." Steve Vaccariello was also pleased with the product, and that counts for a lot — he was the project's photographer who has shot calendars for NFL and NBA teams. "I've done a lot of exotic locations, like Cozumel, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic," Vaccariello said. "This one was cool because we kept it local. We shot it all right here in New York and New Jersey, which I thought was kind of neat for the Jets' first calendar. And it made a good splash, I think." "What I'm most excited about," said Chris Pierce, the Jets' senior director of merchandising, "is that we tapped into something that our fans really want. One was the idea of the Flight Crew and having cheerleaders, embracing that concept. Then in our third year we're able to bring a swimsuit calendar out there that has been really well-received by the fans. "The Flight Crew members themselves are really proud and happy with the effort, and what it's done is generated a lot of excitement." And the excitement for the 2009 New York Jets Flight Crew, just as it does for the 2009 New York Jets, makes a major leap beginning Sunday at Houston and then the following Sunday for the home opener against the Patriots. And once next year arrives, the planning begins again, and for 2010, maybe one of those exotic locations will be in the mix. "The water, the weather, Honolulu," Jessica mused. "I've always wanted to go to Hawaii."

Calendar Event Is a Sign of the Crew's Growth