Photo: Morgan Simianer/Instagram
Cheer’sMorgan Simianeris setting the record straight about any beef with Navarro College’s rival squad.
The 24-year-old appears in both seasons of Netflix’s hitdocumentary seriesabout the world of competitive cheerleading, and she quickly became a fan-favorite afterCheer’s first installment premiered in January 2020. In a recent interview with PEOPLE for her scünci and Conair collaboration, Simianer discussed cheering for Navarro College and the heat leading up toseason two’s big competition.
Though the series gives viewers a glimpse at the extreme competitiveness (and a bit of trash-talking) between the two schools, Simianer admits it’s nothing personal.
“But at the end of it, you are still friends with them,” Simianer continues.
scünci & Conair
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Simianer says she’s glad season two of the series showcased how much she’s grown in the sport, in both her skills and her confidence. “I had a little bit of a scared look for myself in the beginning and then in the second season, you can kind of see me breaking out of my shell more and gaining more confidence in my skills and at practice,” she says.
However, her diminished screen time in season two is, in part, because she has since graduated from Navarro — right on the heels of the pandemic’s start. Along with many collegiate athletes nationwide, Navarro’s 2020 season ended abruptly due to COVID-19 and the subsequent cancellation of that year’s NCA Nationals in Daytona, Florida.
Morgan Simianer/Instagram
Fans were able to see the devastating moment Simianer and her teammates found out they wouldn’t get the chance to compete in the series. The end of the season also meant Simianer’s cheerleading career was over.
“Looking at the bigger picture, I didn’t necessarily leave Navarro on a negative note,” Simianer explains. “I can look back at the memories and, you know, the titles and just all the friendships I’ve made and the memories that will last for a lifetime.”
Simianer wasn’t on the team whenCheerpicked back up to profile the team’s journey to the 2021 competition, but she says her life still started “blowing up again.”
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PHOTO: scünci & ConairPHOTO: scünci & Conair
Now, she’s embracing the opportunities that have come her way, some of which were highlighted in the docuseries. Most recently, Simianer partnered withscünci and Conairto create a line of hair accessories and hot tools, exclusively at CVS, that combine her “Wyoming roots and my cheer background.”
“I’ve been doing a lot of amazing opportunities. And it’s been fun figuring out what I like and what I don’t like, and, you know, just navigating my way through this whole entire new chapter of my life,” she adds.
Though she’s retired from cheerleading and admits she hasn’t put much thought into the possibility of coaching the sport, Simianer wants to remain close to that world. She even has her fingers crossed for Netflix to renewCheerfor a third season — whether she’s involved or not — in hopes of the public seeing “how much support the sport actually has.”
Season two ofCheeris streaming now on Netflix.
source: people.com
