All-Star Here's The Real Problem....

[Diamond]

People need to stop placing the blame on Maddie. First of all, it's not HER fault that tons of girls look up to her. Actually, it's not a fault at all. It's an honor. There's absolutely nothing wrong with being a role model for other people. Second, nobody ever said you HAVE to look up to her. If you, for some reason, don't like her - then pay no attention to her. It's as simple as that. It's kind of sickening that so many people go out of their way to bash her, or any "cheerlebrity" for that matter. She is a great flyer in my opinion, and if girls want to look up to her, they have every right to. Who are you to say that's wrong?

Think about this.. Say you were a parent and had a young daughter that we'll refer to as Suzie. Would you rather have Suzie look up to a female wrapper who's lyrics are nothing but vulgar or would you want her to look up to a flyer on a competitive cheerleading team that has one of the BEST hearts I have ever seen?

So what if she fell? It happens. I can pretty much guarantee that every single one of you has been a part of a stunt group that has fallen.

That being said, this whole statement could go for ANY "cheerlebrity" that is criticized for being 'singled out.'

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand done.

No one has blamed her for anything.

 

[nhgurlnh]

and that really is the problem. i have talked to fellow cheerleaders friends from top cheer gyms who shall remain unnamed and they don't understand why she gets so much attention when they feel like they or their teammates are just as good if not better of an athlete than she is...

one of them once said that Maddie had a personal assistant and a girl (who i think was the best pointe dancer ever) was like "why don't i have a personal assistant then? i have 3 worlds rings, what does she even do?..."

and these people i think are hardly "jealous" when they are cheer celebrity's in their own right kinda and yeah... they have Worlds rings. they just think it's ridiculous.

on top of the CNN special thing, it's like Diana Ross and the Supremes but Maddie Gardner and Senior Elite. I felt bad for the rest of her teammates that don't nearly as much attention and other people see it too. Like that's not right, why does she get so much attention? you never hear about the bases that are underneath her when she does her specialty stunt. She is not the only charming, graceful, poise, beautiful flyer around. even in my own personal opinion, there are other flyers who are much better performers than her and have better body positions. Chrisette Torres for example, just to name one. but there is something there that makes Maddie more famous than other said flyers that is a mystery.

basically everyone is just tired of her being worshipped like a god and a big celebrity when in some people's eye's, it's for no reason. especially when she consistently at this point keeps dropping her stunts and huge competitions... and this is someone who is supposed to be infallible?... it's almost like what she's famous for is a big fat lie. it's kind of like hmm... when Britney Spears made her comeback. even if you didn't think she could sing that well in the 90s you had to admit that she was a great performer and could dance well. Then she went of hiatus and when she came back a lot of people feel like now she doesn't even attempt to sing and barely even tries to dance and is not the same performer she used to be. so what she is famous for is no longer there and i lot of people just want her to go away at this point (i like britney spears for the record just saying lol). i hope you understood my analogy.

i feel for them bc there are athletes just as good as her, more well-rounded, (don't anybody try to tell me that she is the best flyer in the world, one of the best yes, but not in the whole world -____-) and some better than her overall but they don't get commercials and etc.

a lot of people also think it's annoying because they act like she is a perfect individual who can do no wrong... when you never know how somebody is behind closed doors. why does everyone put her on a pedestal?

there are some people who came out yesterday during the Majors on CEA SE who didn't get not ONE CLAP yet when Maddie came out you would've thought Michael Jackson came back from the dead and walked out in her place. once again, i felt bad for her teammates.

and this was all just my opinion and take on it .

I really think you are taking this too far. This started out as a thread that was saying that kids needed to be left as kids, and now you've starting attacking Maddie, just like other people are doing.

What happens between Senior Elite doesn't really concern any of us, unless they make a point for the public to know (like tweeting about it). And even then, that is really them being angry, not them really wanting the public to know. Senior Elite teammates have not made any negative public comments about their performance last night, and the CNN ordeal is clearly in the past. All your information that you've posted here about other athletes saying they are better or about Maddie's apparent assistant is heresay. Could it be true? Sure, but did you ask Maddie, her family, or her coach yourself? The point of this thread was to talk about how she is being part of the product Inside Cheerleading is selling, not to bash her again.

If the girl bothers you so much, don't follow her on twitter, don't read articles about her in Inside Cheerleading, don't watch Senior Elite videos, don't watch Maddie's 2by2, and don't read Fierceboard threads that are all about Maddie. We all have people in our life that annoy us for some reason, just ignore it and move on.

My opinion- I've been trying to think of a sport where an athlete in high school has the same fame that Maddie does. I'm sure if I got to know more sports, I would know that more high school athletes are famous that I am giving credit to, but all that came to my mind was gymnastics. Maddie has been given great opportunity through this sport, and with fame comes jealousy and hate. She needs to realize that if she is this "cheerlebrity", negativity comes with the package. It is human nature to be jealous, and she is going to experience that as she gains more fame. I think the second she goes to college, it will die down and it will be Erica's game, but that's just me.

 

[Diamond]

The board is def not the cause.

People do say negative things towards her on this board sometimes, but I didn't see anything negative regarding MG in the threads about the Majors. I only saw people complaining of what they read on other sites. Idk why those topics are even brought to the boards. Tell people to stop trash talking from the site they are trash talking on. Don't come on here and tell us who said what on twitter and how it needs to stop. There is a lot of taking nothing and making it into something on the boards. That is the problem.

 

[meredithxox]

No one has blamed her for anything.

Since Worlds '11, I've seen plenty of people blaming her. Not necessarily on the boards, but mainly Twitter.

 

[lucyemma]

If someone came to you tomorrow and asked you to be a spokesperson which will open up doors for vast opportunities..wouldn't you? Maddie is willing to take some criticism as this is ALWAYS to be expected when you are being put in the public eye, which she doesn't respond to. She gives so much of her time to others and so do her family in response to those that look up to her.

What I do not believe is acceptable is that an athlete should be hated on so much from something that happens in THEIR routine. Recently, an athlete took his own life due to bullying and it was posted on here. There was an outpour of love and the forum came together to stand against bullying..yet some of the same people are calling a teenager out so personally and effectively bullying from behind a computer screen.Some of the tweets I saw last night were disgusting. You can not blame multiple bobbles made by a team on 1 girl knowing what was at risk, that is when it goes beyond criticism. I believe that the reason Maddie is loved by so many is the way that she has reached out..around the WORLD to athletes and united many. I would love for those that said extremely hurtful things to imagine people saying the things that they did to them. It is beyond a joke and is point blank BULLYING.

I guess what I am trying to say is that yes it is okay to criticise as she has put herself out there. But when people are personally attacking someone from behind a computer screen, it moves onto bullying. These same people would not walk up to her face and say the things that they said on twitter..because they do not have the face to and know that it is wrong. Like courtney has said..this is for the most part a young and up and coming team. In 2010 many of the senior elite girls were well known. In another 5 years there will be another MG. It is the fault of the bullies on here that she was targeted, and they like to feel better about themselves, not hers, her families, her team's or IC's fault. It needs to stop.

 

[CoachTamara]

I can't defend people's opinions and actions on this board but I do find it interesting people blame the board as the cause. If the board went away tomorrow there'd still be twitter (way worse in my opinion because there is no filter or moderation what so ever) and Facebook, and 10 minutes later a new board would pop up (think of how many times that has happened).

People's action and opinions they express through social media are not created by them, they are just a tool used to easily connect and express said ideas. It's everything else WE (collectively) do that causes the environment.

I don't condone the actions of anyone, but I have to ask: what'd you expect?

And realistically when the industry takes all these actions to build up and create superstars how do you expect there to be no harsh criticism with how easy it is to share nowadays?

Honestly, I'm a bit surprised at everything being placed on FB. I saw one or two people that were negative, but overall I saw mostly valid discussion in regards to scoring and placements, or people more disappointed in the webcast, or number of deductions, etc. It (to me) did not seem like anyone on FB was personally attacking Maddie, but FB takes the hit and is being blamed as the cause of all this drama? Did I miss something?
Blame twitter, where it's no holds barred. I saw tons more on there than I ever did on here. Between twitter and the attitudes of both girls and parents at the event, the boards are calm.

 

[kristenthegreat]

.

I was too lazy to quote your whole post- but plenty of people know what she's like behind closed doors. And they post here. So yes, I think THOSE people have a good idea of what she's like. Instead of people who are jealous of her (understandably so- I'M jealous of her sometimes lol) and want/wish she was some jerk diva. It's hard to justify hating somebody when they're actually smart, kind, and a decent human being. There's something I want every person who PERSONALLY feels insulted by her existence to realize: luck has no concept of 'deserve.' I'm not saying she doesn't deserve it. She is well-rounded. She jumps, stunts, tumbles, and bases level 5, and does some of those things better than other things and better than most people. But the fact that luck is on her side ain't her fault. Luck doesn't always come to those who 'deserve' it, because luck is an abstract concept. It is chance. Life isn't fair. I'm 20x as talented at acting compared to Kristen Stewart. I will almost guaranteed never make the money she does. It sucks, but I will bust my butt and be ready for the day when it's MY turn to shine so that when it's here, I will rock the house.

I think some of these kids want the glory of the fame without realizing how much it can suck. If that's the case and you just want to be famous instead of being an awesome cheerleader, make your OWN 2by2 style video of yourself. Put yourself out there as the next cheerlebrity. Do everything you can to highlight your own awesome and get your name out there. Some people score by luck, but lots more score by skill. It's like the millions of people who come to NYC to follow the acting dream and just EXPECT lightning to strike and the hand of God to grant them stardom. It works for 2 out of a billion people that way. The rest of us have to want it, own it, and work it. So if you want your own spread in a cheer magazine and tons of fans- make YOURSELF the Cheer World's new darling. That's YOUR choice to make..

 

[Diamond]

Since Worlds '11, I've seen plenty of people blaming her. Not necessarily on the boards, but mainly Twitter.

Let's stay on subject then. This is the fierceboard, not twitter and I'm talking about this past weekend/comments on the boards.

 

[lucyemma]

Let's stay on subject then. This is the fierceboard, not twitter and I'm talking about this past weekend/comments on the boards.

Yes but when people are saying "I will be tweeting updates this weekend" on the boards..and from the boards I follow them and it turns out they are saying disgraceful things..it is linked to the boards

 

[meredithxox]

Let's stay on subject then. This is the fierceboard, not twitter and I'm talking about this past weekend/comments on the boards.

I understand what you're saying, but what I said was on subject. It's all related to Maddie Gardner being singled out in the cheer world. I'm sure that some of the people that I've seen bash her for her good fortune are on the boards. & When I said since Worlds '11, I was just pointing out that this has been going on for a while. A lot of what I'm talking about HAS happened this weekend. I think that regardless of where it happened, it's still relevant to this topic. I completely respect your opinion, I just wanted to take the time to justify mine.

 

[beautyy4cheerr]

I really think you are taking this too far. This started out as a thread that was saying that kids needed to be left as kids, and now you've starting attacking Maddie, just like other people are doing.

What happens between Senior Elite doesn't really concern any of us, unless they make a point for the public to know (like tweeting about it). And even then, that is really them being angry, not them really wanting the public to know. Senior Elite teammates have not made any negative public comments about their performance last night, and the CNN ordeal is clearly in the past. All your information that you've posted here about other athletes saying they are better or about Maddie's apparent assistant is heresay. Could it be true? Sure, but did you ask Maddie, her family, or her coach yourself? The point of this thread was to talk about how she is being part of the product Inside Cheerleading is selling, not to bash her again.

If the girl bothers you so much, don't follow her on twitter, don't read articles about her in Inside Cheerleading, don't watch Senior Elite videos, don't watch Maddie's 2by2, and don't read Fierceboard threads that are all about Maddie. We all have people in our life that annoy us for some reason, just ignore it and move on.

My opinion- I've been trying to think of a sport where an athlete in high school has the same fame that Maddie does. I'm sure if I got to know more sports, I would know that more high school athletes are famous that I am giving credit to, but all that came to my mind was gymnastics. Maddie has been given great opportunity through this sport, and with fame comes jealousy and hate. She needs to realize that if she is this "cheerlebrity", negativity comes with the package. It is human nature to be jealous, and she is going to experience that as she gains more fame. I think the second she goes to college, it will die down and it will be Erica's game, but that's just me.

lol people need to grow up. how in the world am i "attacking her"? such a strong word. i never said she wasn't a beautiful flyer. the truth hurts. people want to know why people resent Maddie and this may be why. simple. you don't have to agree with me or even believe me. i was laughing throughout reading your whole post. you're the one who is taking your emotions for someone you don't even know "too far". smh

 

[ErinS]

Some people have "it" some people don't. Maddie has "it".

It doesn't matter if you think she needs to be on the ground, the staff at CEA clearly doesn't feel that way...and clearly it is not up to public vote.

I saw another cheer magazine make a similar post about meeting another athlete that represents/appears on the cover of their magazine. Kudos to both girls. There are other "cheerlebrities" that model frequently for cheer magazines/catalogs....and I'm sure there are prettier girls in the world...I don't hear any complaints?

From what I understand Maddie is a very, very intelligent girl. She also wants to go into broadcast journalism. She is using her hobby, her sport, her passion, something that she has done for 14 year to network and pave a way for her future. Can't be mad at that.

In 10 years time I'm sure she will be doing great things and hopefully plastered all over over your TV anchoring, hosting etc whatever.

Fingers crossed the masses will have moved beyond bashing her on twitter by then.

Thanks Maddie for being the sweetest girl ever whenever I've met you at Cheersport.

 

[Diamond]

I think I'm going to take a break from the fierceboad.

 

[HeatUniqueJ]

Well somehow i think its a two-edged affair. Let me start off with saying that i have no negative feelings towards Sr Elite or Maddie at all. I respect them as athletes, they are amazing and deserve the same respect as every other Level 5 athlete , no actually as every other Cheerleader on this Planet.
I do think all the rudeness and calling out MG is totally uncalled for. There is no need to bash a single person for dropping an Elite Stunt. This happens and will happen again, we all know how hard it is.(And i personally don't care about which Flyer dropped a stunt)

On the other hand, i think in this case MG provides some people with a perfect target to state there negative feelings towards a team, express their jealousy or whatever. If you compare it to all those celebrities out there, they also decided to take this burden of fame, and yes i call it a burden because i would never want to change places with them. Yes i would want to be as amazing as MG or the other Level 5 Athletes, but i would never want to be a Cheerlebrity. You have the decision to put yourself out to the media , there are a bunch of athletes that are more than amazing aswell and still don't have this kind of publicity as MG does. And thus i think if you chose to take the path of fame and chose to be the center of attention then you have to deal with the negativity and rudeness of some people.And i gotta say i'm not particulary focussing on MG , yet i see A LOT about her on my Newsfeed just coming from all those Cheerleading Magazines,Stores,Video Producers, Championships, Fans etc etc . I'm not searching for it, its just there (and that means that she IS a public person somehow)

Again, i have huge respect for Maddie and this is not supposed to come across as rude , i just think that people make a huge deal out of something that is not avoidable. If you're talented and present yourself in public you will always have haters, no matter where, may it be in school,on TV, as a singer on a cruise ship or whatever, there will always be people talking crap about you.

 

[REA Dad]

I can't defend people's opinions and actions on this board but I do find it interesting people blame the board as the cause. If the board went away tomorrow there'd still be twitter (way worse in my opinion because there is no filter or moderation what so ever) and Facebook, and 10 minutes later a new board would pop up (think of how many times that has happened).

People's action and opinions they express through social media are not created by them, they are just a tool used to easily connect and express said ideas. It's everything else WE (collectively) do that causes the environment.

I don't condone the actions of anyone, but I have to ask: what'd you expect?

And realistically when the industry takes all these actions to build up and create superstars how do you expect there to be no harsh criticism with how easy it is to share nowadays?

On Facebook or Twitter when you post a negative comment it's without anonymity. Here people can remain hidden from the masses much easier.