Advertisement

Cheer 's Morgan Simianer Says TVCC Rivalry Was Only 'on the Floor': I'm 'Still Friends with Them'

Morgan Simianer Instagram
Morgan Simianer Instagram

Morgan Simianer/Instagram

Cheer's Morgan Simianer is setting the record straight about any beef with Navarro College's rival squad.

The 24-year-old appears in both seasons of Netflix's hit documentary series about the world of competitive cheerleading, and she quickly became a fan-favorite after Cheer'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 to season two's big competition.

While the first season highlighted Navarro's route to their 14th National Cheerleaders Association National Championship title, season two featured the Corsicana, Texas, team, as well as their rivals from Trinity Valley Community College (TVCC) in nearby Athens.

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.

"The rivalry, I feel like it isn't too much of a rivalry. Like I'm friends with a lot of people that go to TVCC and some of the alumni there," she tells PEOPLE. "So for me, I didn't really view it as a rivalry until you step on the floor. Then we're like, 'Oh yeah, it's go time!' "

"But at the end of it, you are still friends with them," Simianer continues.

Morgan Simianer
Morgan Simianer

scünci & Conair

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

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.

RELATED: See Cheer Star Morgan Simianer's First Apartment in Dallas: 'It Turned Out Amazing!'

Morgan Simianer instagram
Morgan Simianer instagram

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.

Reflecting now, she says she was "devastated" by the thought of not having her final chance at nationals, but has tried to look on the bright side.

"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 when Cheer picked back up to profile the team's journey to the 2021 competition, but she says her life still started "blowing up again."

Want to get the biggest stories from PEOPLE every weekday? Subscribe to our new podcast, PEOPLE Every Day, to get the essential celebrity, entertainment and human interest news stories Monday through Friday.

Now, she's embracing the opportunities that have come her way, some of which were highlighted in the docuseries. Most recently, Simianer partnered with scünci and Conair to create a line of hair accessories and hot tools, exclusively at CVS, that combine her "Wyoming roots and my cheer background."

"It's inspired by stuff that cheerleaders can wear, where it's not falling out of their hair, and stuff that's trending and stylish," she tells PEOPLE.

"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 renew Cheer for a third season — whether she's involved or not — in hopes of the public seeing "how much support the sport actually has."

Season two of Cheer is streaming now on Netflix.