Cheerleader and three-time world champion Maddie Brum talked about her family’s reaction to her appearance on the breakout documentary series Cheer on Netflix.
Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas, holds the title of 14-time NCA (National Cheerleaders Association) National Champs under the reign of their head coach, Monica Aldama.
Their electrifying combination of stunts, tumbling, and dance set them apart from other junior colleges in their conference, which is showcased on Cheer, along with the hard work, dedication, and mental tenacity required to be a competitive cheerleader.
Cheer returned to Netflix for Season 2 in January 2022 and introduced some new athletes joining the highly successful Navarro College cheer squad.
Maddy Brum joins Season 2 of Cheer
In Season 2, one of the up-and-coming new stars to join Aldama’s team is Maddy Brum, a 19-year-old cheerleader from Dracut, Massachusetts, who has served time on the ECE Bombshells.
Maddy signed with the team and made her debut during Episode 3, showcasing her tumbling and flying abilities.
As a teenager relocating from Massachusetts to Texas, viewers watched Maddy’s mom Nicole Ostis struggle with her daughter moving away.
Now, Maddy is opening up about how her family felt about her leaving Massachusetts to join Navarro’s cheer team.
Speaking with Elite Daily, Maddy shared her family’s reaction to her popularity since making her debut on Season 2 of Cheer.
Maddy Brum talks family’s reaction to appearing on Cheer Season 2
“I think that it showed that it’s not just what you go through, it’s what you make of it,” Maddy told the outlet of sharing her experience with Navarro on Cheer’s Season 2.
Maddy added, “My family and I realize that we all have come so far from where we used to be.”
Cheer fans will remember that Maddy had a tough upbringing that included her father serving time in prison for rape and her mother struggling to keep them afloat financially as a single mom.
Maddy spoke about her family’s initial reaction to Cheer: “When it first came out, I think me and my family were like, ‘Woah, we don’t really know what’s going on,’ because we never really expected anything like this to happen.”
“But then after, I think maybe my mom watched it like five times and was like, ‘I’m so proud of you, and this is absolutely amazing,’ and it worked out great,” Maddy said.
These days, Maddy is focusing on herself at the suggestion of her father, who she says “is trying to let me focus on myself.”
Maddy Brum’s plans after Navarro
For Maddy, part of focusing on herself means working towards her goal of attending a four-year university after finishing her 2021-2022 season with Navarro College.
“I do want to try to go to a university, and I do want to compete on the bandshell with a different program,” Maddy said. “As much as I love wearing Navarro, I want to try and spread out my options and see and try new things.”
Since her appearance on Cheer, Maddy’s popularity has grown, especially on Instagram, where her number of followers has increased. Maddy currently has 273k followers on Instagram and over 7k followers on Twitter.
Maddy loves the fact that she’s become a role model for other athletes and looks forward to inspiring her fans.
“I’ve gotten a bigger fan base [and] that warms my heart a lot, because I realized I can inspire younger athletes or people who are even my age or even older people in their sport and make them the best that they can be,” Maddy shared. “Now I’m even more aware of how much I can inspire people with my story and the sport that I do.”
Season 2 of Cheer is currently streaming on Netflix.