Norwalk woman flies high as member of New York Jets Flight Crew

Stamford native soars with Jets Flight Crew
By Kate King, Correspondent
Stamford Advocate
08/29/2009

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — There is no chanting or giggling at this cheerleading practice.

The only sound heard on the field Monday evening was the steady rustling of green and white pompoms as the New York Jets Flight Crew practiced its routines. For certain dances, the women counted up to eight as their feet moved in unison.

“It’s tough,” said Samantha Longo, 23. “It’s a lot of work. We run, we dance the whole time. It’s really demanding on our bodies.”

Longo, who grew up in Stamford and Greenwich and now lives in Norwalk, is in her rookie season as a New York Jets cheerleader. While many people associate cheerleading with back flips and human pyramids, cheering in the NFL is nothing like that, she said.

“Really, we’re a dance team,” Longo said.

Dancing wasn’t Longo’s strength when she auditioned for the Flight Crew, said its director Denise Garvey. Longo, who cheered for three years with the Spirit All-Stars gym in Hamden, had more of a background in competition cheerleading than dancing. She stood out to Garvey, however, by demonstrating a strong work ethic and burning desire to dance for the New York Jets.

“I could sense that she was passionate about making the team,” said Garvey, a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. “That type of spirit I definitely sensed at her audition.” Longo was one of 30 women selected from a pool of over 200 for this year’s crew, Garvey said. After she made the team, Longo said she immediately got to work learning the library of over 30 one-minute dances the cheerleaders perform at home games.

“There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t practice,” she said. “Every night I review my dances.” The team is now undergoing training camp, which lasts from June 1 through opening day on Sept. 20. Even after they make the team, cheerleaders are under constant pressure. There is no guarantee that each woman will perform in every game, Garvey said. Any lapse in concentration or effort can land them on the sidelines.

“I don’t believe in saving your energy or only going full-out at the game,” Garvey said. “Every day is full-out. Life is full-out.”

Women who audition for the Flight Crew must be at least 18 and high school graduates, Garvey said. This year, members are 19 to 29 years old. Garvey said she looks for women who are attractive, skilled dancers and “good people” when putting together her team.

“Being a member of the Flight Crew, or being a professional cheerleader, really is a lifestyle,” she said. “It means being a lady. It means being well mannered. It means conducting yourself in a manner to be proud of.”

Longo said she is working hard to insure she cheers at the Jets’ Thursday preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

“I knew it was going to be tough,” she said. “But it’s constant pressure. Yeah, you’re on the team, but you don’t know if you’ll be out there.” Longo danced in the Jets’ first preseason game on Aug. 14 against the St. Louis Rams. It was her first real taste of NFL cheerleading. The Jets’ first regular season home game is Sept. 20 against the New England Patriots.

“The stands were half-full,” Longo said. “On opening day, everything will be packed.” The Norwalk resident puts in a lot of time, and a lot of driving, in order to cheer for the Jets. The Flight Crew practices three hours a day, three times a week as well as three hours on game days.

“We always say it’s like part-time work but full-time commitment,” Garvey said.

Two practices a week are held at the New York Sports Club in Manhattan, but every Monday the cheerleaders meet at the Jets Facility in Florham Park, N.J., to rehearse.

Longo’s drive to New Jersey is an hour and a half each way, and she usually gives herself an extra 45 minutes in case she hits traffic. She shares the driving, and gas costs, with the only other team member from Connecticut, Ridgefield resident Lauren Zavarella.

“This is a really long commute but it’s definitely worth it,” Zavarella, 24, said.

In addition to keeping each other company during the long car rides, Longo and Zavarella have also supported each other throughout the start of their first year as NFL cheerleaders.

“We were experiencing this new thing together,” Zavarella said. “It was really nice to have someone there, going through that with you.” Both women hope they will return next year as Flight Crew members but know there are no guarantees.

Veteran cheerleaders are required to audition for the team each year and are not necessarily invited back, Garvey said. Last year, 19 of the crew’s 22 members re-auditioned and 15 were selected to return.

Longo said she hopes to cheer with the Jets again as an experienced team member. She said that as a veteran, there would be less pressure to learn the steps and more opportunity to enjoy the dancing.

Longo’s mother, Stephanie DiGiovanni, knows her daughter has what it takes.

“She’s always been one of the top cheerleaders on any of the squads she’s ever been on,” DiGiovanni said. “I think she likes to entertain crowds. I think my daughter likes to be a star.”