By SAMANTHA STEIN
Aside from watching the impressive three-time state champions, fans can look forward to continuing an integral part of the Jericho High School boys varsity soccer experience–the nest. According to nest member and Jericho senior Jared Sakni, “The nest is a nonprofit organization … [We] thought it would be a great idea to hold on to the tradition.” Essentially, the nest provides the soccer team with fan support at nearly all of their games. With their ever popular cheers, including “Abhi Abhi Abhi Shek Shek Shek” for senior Abhishek Mehrishi who plays midfield, and “Rico Suave” for captain Eric Blumberg, the nest strives to get both the team and fans pumped up for every game.
Decked out in blue and gold, members claim that being a part of the nest and showing their Jericho pride is an exciting and rewarding experience. Senior Jessica Eckstein said, “It’s a good feeling to feel a part of something and be surrounded by my peers.”Another nest member, senior Kyle Margolis, said, “It is a great feeling to make a difference. And even though it may not seem like it, without the nest, I firmly believe that the soccer team would not perform as well. It’s all about results, and besides the talent, it comes down to the supporters. If we were not there to support them, who would be there in their darkest hours?” Jericho senior and dedicated soccer fan Jonathan Mandel said, “The fans are the nest, and the players feed us.”
The boys varsity soccer team, in turn, appreciates the nest’s constant encouragement. According to junior Ben Land who plays center midfield, “They bring a lot of the life to the game and get us pumped up. They’re like our twelfth man.”
Although most people believe that the nest is a tradition that originated during last year’s soccer season, Jericho High School Principal Joan Rosenberg said that the roots of the nest date back to the 2007-2008 school year. “We had a group of students who came to all of the basketball games and sat in one area. They wanted to come up with some idea of how to unite everybody. Since we are the jayhawks, bird coming from a nest was the idea, ” said Rosenberg. She explained that the nest can have a very positive impact, “I think it can be an imposing force, and is very supportive of the team.”
As nest member senior Matthew Capogna put it, “The team is putting the show on for us, and we’re just the background music. But what is a movie with no score?”
