Mel Marie Cheerleader Interview Link ◆

“I stopped reading comments about six months ago,” she admits. “But my mom reads them. She screens for actual threats. You have to understand—when you’re a teenage girl on the internet, the criticism is rarely about your sport. It’s about your body, your face, your voice. I’ve been told I ‘cheer too aggressively’ and also that I ‘look bored.’ You can’t win, so you stop playing.”

“Record your practices. Even the ugly ones. Especially the ugly ones. Because one day, you will look back and see how far you’ve come. And don’t you dare quit because you dropped a stunt. Someone out there is waiting to catch you—literally and metaphorically.” mel marie cheerleader interview

“The International Cheer Union (ICU) has been fighting for this for years. We have nations, we have standardized rules, we have anti-doping protocols. We are ready. I want to compete for a gold medal before I am 25.” “I stopped reading comments about six months ago,”

In that moment, she responded: “Entertainers perform on a stage. Athletes bleed on a mat. I have a grade two concussion from a pyramid fall. I have taped wrists and a chipped tooth from a back handspring gone wrong. Just because I’m smiling doesn’t mean I’m not an athlete.” You have to understand—when you’re a teenage girl

She holds up her left hand to the camera. Sure enough, the pinky finger sits at a permanent, slight angle.

“I refuse to sell a bow that isn’t performance-ready. That’s my line in the sand. You won’t see me doing a sponsorship for a ‘fashion’ cheerleading skirt that falls apart when you do a toe touch. If I sell it, you can flip in it.”