MEET MARIA CLARIZIO - NEW JERSEY NETS CHEERLEADER MARIA CLARIZIO TALKS ABOUT HOW SHE GOT ACCEPTED INTO A NBA CHEERLEADING SQUAD AND WHAT IT WAS LIKE BEING UP-AND-CLOSE TO PRO BASKETBALL PLAYERS AND GAMES.

 By: Niko Karamanol

Maria Clarizio reflects back upon her cheerleading career for the Nets pro-basketball team, while they were still based in the state of New Jersey. She became interested in cheerleading at a young age and cheered from third grade up until senior year. After graduating high school, the college she attended had no sports, so she decided to try out for the New Jersey Nets cheerleading squad. She managed to receive a callback from the team and got accepted! It certainly was not easy being a cheerleader at such a high caliber. Clarizio was the team captain, having to run practice three days a week, stay in really good shape, and during all of that, she still had to juggle being a college student with a surplus of homework. Clarizio says, “I really had to work on my time management skills having to juggle both college and cheer.” Although it was not easy, it was definitely worth the hard work. Some benefits of cheering for such a notable team is that she got two tickets for every home game, it kept her in shape, she made new friends, and she and her parents loved basketball.  She got to meet many famous NBA players including star athlete Larry Bird. Clarizio says, “I tried so hard to meet Larry Bird, and one day the Celtic’s trainer asked who I was waiting to see in the team, and I said Larry Bird, so he arranged for me to meet him!” She really appreciates the time she spent cheering for the Nets, and luckily thanks to social media, she is still able to communicate with all of the fellow cheerleaders with whom she spent so much time practicing.