Mary Maddison "Maddie" Gardner (born July 13, 1993) is an American news reporter and internationally recognized former Allstar Cheerleader. She was the point (center) flyer for the Senior Large All Girl Level 5 competitive cheerleading team Senior Elite of the

Cheer Extreme Allstars Cheer Extreme Allstars is a branch of cheerleading and competition dance gyms found throughout North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, Illinois, Florida and Virginia. Cheer Extreme is most well known for its Small Senior and Large Senior teams ...

from 2006-2012, winning a gold medal at the

Cheerleading Worlds The U.S. All Star Federation (USASF) is the governing body for all star cheerleading and dance in the United States. The USASF was founded in December 2003 by cheerleading competition sponsors National Cheerleaders Association, Universal Cheerlea ...

in 2010 and 2012.

Personal life

As a child, Gardner began dance and cheerleading lessons. She began her competitive cheerleading career with the Pro Spirit Dazzlers. At age seven she began competing with the

Kernersville Kernersville is a town in Forsyth County and the largest suburb of Winston-Salem. The town is located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. A small portion of the town is also in Guilford County. The population was 26,481 at the 2020 census, up ...

and in

Mount Airy, North Carolina Mount Airy is a city in Surry County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 10,611. History Mount Airy was settled in the 1750s as a stagecoach stop on the road between Winston-Salem, North Carolina an ...

; this was also the age that she was first coached by Courtney Smith-Pope. She attended Mount Airy High School in

, where she was an honor student and an active participant in the school's student government, Interact Service Club, and cheerleading team. Gardner became captain of her school's cheerleading team in her sophomore year. Gardner chose to attend the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

where she was a cheerleader and a sister of

Zeta Tau Alpha Zeta Tau Alpha (known as or Zeta) is an international Fraternities and sororities in North America, women's fraternity founded on October 15, 1898 at the State Female Normal School (now Longwood University) in Farmville, Virginia. Its Internatio ...

, majoring in journalism.

Career

Gardner has made numerous media appearances around the globe as a speaker, celebrity judge, and stunt instructor. Between Worlds 2009 and 2010, Gardner was chosen as ''Inside Cheerleading Magazines December cover girl and was also the single most featured cheerleader for the magazine as evidenced by large banners with her face at booths around the USA. In 2011, CNN followed Cheer Extreme's level five Large Senior All-Girl team Senior Elite as they prepared for Worlds 2011, featuring Gardner and the rest of her team. On March 1, 2012, Gardner debuted a line for Fancy Face Cosmetics, a cheerleading makeup company with products designed to be sweat proof. The Maddie Loves Shimmer collection included three of Gardner's favorite shimmer colors and favorite lipstick. Each collection came with an autographed picture, makeup bag, and tote bag. Shortly after Worlds 2012, Gardner made the covers of ''The Cheerleading Magazine'' and ''Inside Cheerleading Magazine''.

Media appearances

Gardner was chosen as one of "Cheer Channel's Superstars of All Stars." Alongside her were other nationally recognized all star cheerleaders including

Kiara Nowlin Kiara Nowlin (born November 27, 1995) is an American gymnast, World Champion power tumbler and an internationally ranked Cheerleader. She was a part of the 2007 World Age Games held in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada (WAG) Gold Medalist in Tumbli ...

, Apple Graceffa, Gabi Butler, Whitney Love, Kelsey Rule, Cami Branson, Erica Englebert, and junior newcomer to the all star scene, Bianca Treger. As part of the elite group, they appeared as guest stars in the spirit industry's very first web series, Secret Diary of an American Cheerleader produced by the Cheer Channel. The show aired on the Cheer Channel Online Network as well as YouTube on May 28, 2012 and starred actress, Neva McIntosh in the role of Emma Franklin. The show aired on the Cheer Channel's cable block on Southern California's channel 64 on September 9, 2012.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gardner, Maddie 1993 births Living people American cheerleaders North Carolina Tar Heels athletes People from Mount Airy, North Carolina UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media alumni American television reporters and correspondents Journalists from North Carolina American women television journalists 21st-century American journalists Sportspeople from North Carolina 21st-century American women