Long Island City High School Gymnastics Team Alumni & Friends

Bulldog Pride - Why donate? Simple -

It's your way of saying "Thank You" to those who came before you and helped you at practice.

It's your way of saying "Thank You" to the program that kept you in school and out of trouble.

It's your way of saying how proud you are to have been a member of the Gymnastics Team at Long Island City High School.

Being on the Gymnastics Team was a big deal when you were a student at Long Island City High School. Win or lose, you had the respect of everyone in the school. And we did everything we could to make your experience the best it could possibly be. We bought the best and the newest equipment. We added training days beyond those of everybody else. We worked hard to create the opportunity for you to perform in front of all your friends during the day so they could see how great you were and how high you could fly.

Some years we were City Champions, some years we weren't. But we were never losers. It was always our goal to make everyone on the team feel accepted, valuable, and important to the effort. When we could, we brought Olympians to our gym for clinics. When we worked out, everyone had to set up, everyone had to break down, star athlete, captain, or rookie. And at the end of your career, you could be proud of your time spent in the gym and the lifelong friends you made both at LIC and the schools we competed against.

Now it's time to give back. You know how expensive this sport is. No student is turned away, we always need grips, some need two different pairs, and the mats need to be replaced. Last year we replaced the foam strip with a new and bouncier spring strip, it's time to update part of the uniform, and the pommel horse leather has been worn through with 15 years of single leg circles and scissors.

When you were on the team, no student had to worry they couldn't afford handgrips or that they didn't have the money for a uniform and wouldn't be able to compete. When you were on the team, we never sold chocolate or teddy bears or anything else except perhaps tickets to the Invitational to build a crowd. And what a crowd! Some years, we had over three hundred people in the stands in the old building and even without bleachers, we would pack the gym in the new building. The only thing better than winning at the Tournament was winning the Cities which we did nine times! But even when we didn't, it was clear this team and this sport was special and once you got in, you never really got out.

After coaching over 35 years, I still think back to my own high school days. I don't think I would have done as well in school if I didn't have gymnastics to go to after classes.

So let's make it possible for the next generation of Long Island City HS students to participate in a program as wonderful as the one you were in. We still provide the uniform and grips so no student has to worry they can't afford to participate. We still try to replace equipment and mats quickly as needed. We still try to provide the absolute best team experience we can as we did when you were a student.

Your contribution will help us continue these traditions and provide for those items the school budget doesn't cover.

Donations go into the Student Activities account at Long Island City High School where they are earmarked for gymnastics with the full intention of their being spent on our gymnastics programs. However, under regulation, Student Activities must actually approve such expenditures as a safeguard that funds are spent properly and may adjust how they are allocated within activities. All student activities accounts are also subject to audit by the Department of Education and/or New York City as a safeguard to ensure they are properly used for Student Activities including athletics. All donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Piryx charges approximately 4.5% to handle these funds without our needing a merchant account. If you would prefer 100% of your donation to go to LIC, you should write a check to us directly at LICHS Boys Gymnastics, c/o Long Island City High School, 1430 Broadway, LIC, NY 11106, attn: K. Achiron.