New NFL San Diego Charger Girl Cheerleader

When the Charger Girls perform on the field of San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium, music blares over the sound system at ear-splitting levels, but one girl hardly hears it. Severely hearing impaired since age 5, Melissa performs by sight as much as by sound. “Before every group routine we do in the end zone I have one girl, depending on what routine it is, give me a tap on the side with her pom,” Melissa said. “On my own time, I will go over the music and make sure I know exactly what speed that song is and know the dance so well in my head that once I get that cue from the girl, I know it completely from start to finish. If the music were to turn off it wouldn’t matter for me because I would just keep going.”

Melissa, who’s in her second season as a Charger Girl, says she loved to dance from an early age while growing up on the east coast. She moved to San Diego in 2005 and tried out for the Charger Girls and didn’t make it – the first five times she tried out. “I realized this is something I really wanted to do and I knew that I could do it,” Melissa said. “So then when I went in for my sixth try and made the team, I was ecstatic because this is something I’ve always wanted to do,” she said. “I didn’t want to give that dream up.”

Her teammate, Marissa, sees Melissa as an inspiration. “I think Mel is incredible,” Marissa said. “I don’t know how she does what she does but I’m so grateful for her – she’s wonderful.” “She’s definitely the glue that keeps our team together,” said Marissa. “She is able to allow us to work effectively as a team and to help us all communicate with one another. That is something she brings to our team.” When she’s not performing, Melissa spends time creating. She started a web design company in 2005, called Media Forest 8, and has grown her business to more than 25 current clients.

Melissa said she has lost about 85 percent of her hearing and wears a hearing aid in her left ear. She doesn’t know sign language or read lips. Instead, she listens intently and uses herself as an example of how anyone can overcome great odds. “I really hope that other people can see my story and hear my story and it will inspire them to do the same,” Melissa said. “I know growing up, people would say, ‘Oh you’re not going to be able to do that.’ Or, ‘Oh she can’t hear. She can’t do that.’ I would just be like, ‘What are you talking about? Yes I can.’” “I know that it’s hard if someone has a disability, it’s hard for them to see that sometimes, but it is possible and it’s something that they should try to do,” she said. “If there’s something you really want to do, you should do it. And you shouldn’t let anything get in your way.” Clearly, Melissa follows her own advice.

Don’t let anyone tell you that YOU CANNOT DO SOMETHING or that you DIDN’T UNDERSTAND, MISCOMMUNICATED, GOT THE WRONG MESSAGE, or HEARD WRONG BECAUSE YOU CAN’T HEAR! People love to do that–especially women. Stand your ground. Like I always say, “why put yourself down when plenty of people are more than happy to do it for you?” My amazing parents would tell me that there is absolutely nothing wrong with me but rather instilled in me that I am special and exceptionally gifted whenever I was teased for my moderately severe-severe bilateral hearing loss from birth. I really believed it. For one thing, you definitely overcompensate, never miss a trick and sort of exist in a world of your own. They would say that I had to pity and pray for those individuals for being so ill-bred, insensitive and ignorant and to stay clear of them should I pick up any bad habits. That great advice worked then and still does now. 🙂

In honor of the upcoming 2012 Superbowl, I have to highlight this amazing role model from the San Diego Charger Girls!! She is such an inspiration to me. I know from experience how difficult it is for her and I am amazed at her courage and abilities. We need to hear more stories like this one! She overcame her disability by using her eyes instead of her ears without understanding sign language or having expert lip reading ability. Trust me, this girl has overcome a lot of obstacles in her life. Being gorgeous, having an amazing body and being exceptionally intelligent and hard of hearing is a lethal combination because a lot of other girls/women try to use it against you when they feel you are a threat or are just jealous by saying vicious and hurtful things about you to others. God forbid if a respectable worthwhile man finds you attractive in any way or any man finds you the object of desire! Why would any successful man want a girl who can’t hear?? Well, clearly they do and Melissa is just one example of that. I admire Melissa for having a thick skin and a tremendous amount of courage. Melissa was also on the Cover of the Calendar last year. Last year the San Diego Charger Girls Cheerleader Tiffany participated in our January 2011 Issue entitled “Asian American Cheerleaders of the NFL” and was so sweet and had such an impressive background herself! I am really a huge fan of this stellar organization as they recruit such tremendous talent without discrimation. I really hope that this proves once and for all that hard of hearing/deaf women are beautiful, smart, sexy and talented to the mainstream of unsophisticated and judgemental morons. I have been working on a screenplay about a beautiful athlete who is disabled yet overcomes her disability to outperform her competitors in a sport where perfect sight is everything. It is a very inspirational story about how nothing is impossible once you set your mind to it, just like Melissa’s. More news to follow at a later date. .. .

Check out the Issue from last January and our interview with Tiffany:

http://www.asiancemagazine.com/201101

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