The Maras are aware that senior communications major Sarah Friedson and her teammates exist.

Friedson is a part of the Gotham City Cheerleading squad (GCC) that can be found at MetLife Stadium on Sundays in support of the New York Giants. While the GCC is not the official dance squad of the New York Giants, they do dance at Sunday tail gates and have performed at charity events across the tri-state area.

The senior from Pace became a part of the GCC back in the days of 2011 when they were called the NY UnOfficials. Friedson heard of the open audition the then UnOfficials were having on Facebook and tried out. She made the “Ref Squad” and helped spread the word of her squad through social media and word of mouth.

After officially making the team last spring, Friedson has spent most of her time cutting rugs at the home of the defending Super Bowl champions—a change, Friedson said, that has shaped her as a person.

“Being a part of a pro team in general has really changed my life,” Friedson said. “You learn how to carry yourself in a professional way both on and off the field.”

Like any passion, Friedson’s love of dance began at an early age. From being involved in musicals during her adolescent age in middle school to just dancing in the dark with her friends, dance has been with Friedson for most of her life.

“Most dancers can tell you exactly when they started, but for me it was different,” Friedson said. “In eighth grade I wanted to dance in a talent show with my friend, even in high school I only took a couple classes, I was really self-taught.”

For Friedson, teaching herself to dance like the dancers in YouTube videos came with an additional commitment to physical fitness. She learned the importance of core strength in order to help her increase the variety of moves she can make.

“Dance isn’t this free form type of art, every type of dance has a technique for it,” Friedson said. “People just don’t realize the type of training that goes into it, your muscles alone will affect the look of your dancing.”

Flash forward to the present and the name Gotham City is becoming slightly less synonymous with Batman, and more with the dancers at MetLife Stadium. According to NYUnOfficial.com the GCC has been sponsored by organizations like Victoria’s Secret and Pink. Friedson recognized the difference a year of promotion, events, and a viral music video can make.

“Last year was a lot about trying to spark interest and this year is about the brand we are building up,” Friedson said. “We’ve really built up more of a fan base, I do see the team itself growing and becoming better known.”

While the GCC tries to build to the heights of the New York City skyline, Friedson still has her studies to worry about at Pace.

The constant balancing act between Friedson’s dance life and her school life has presented its own set of challenges. Sometimes Friedson has to find a way to New York City for a 9:00 a.m. event on Sunday when the first shuttle from Pleasantville leaves for Memorial Plaza at 8:25 a.m.

Regardless of the challenges, Friedson has accepted one important fact about taking on this type of life.

“Dancers don’t get much sleep,” Friedson said. “It’s a crazy life, but that’s the way it is.”