“It makes me sick that persons are so small-minded and so imply,” Kathleen Conn mentioned of her 22-year-old son, Louie.
The mom of Minnesota Vikings cheerleader Louie Conn is talking out after her son’s debut on the sidelines resulted in a heated debate on-line.
In an interview with The Minnesota Star Tribune, Kathleen Conn admitted the overwhelming response to Louie’s hiring has been robust on the household.
“He is 22. After all he reads all of it,” Kathleen advised the outlet.
Louie and fellow male Vikings cheerleader Blaize Shiek made their on-field debuts August 9, through the staff’s preseason matchup in opposition to the Houston Texans at U.S. Financial institution Stadium in Minneapolis.
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However the history-making second got here with its justifiable share of backlash, with critics taking to the Vikings’ social media accounts, in addition to Louie and Shiek’s private pages, with hateful feedback in current weeks.
“This child, I am so extremely pleased with him,” Kathleen mentioned. “It makes me sick that persons are so small-minded and so imply. For any person along with his expertise and work ethic attaining these objectives, simply to get slammed for doing one thing he is unimaginable at, obsessed with, and doing one thing he loves.”
She added, “You would not suppose you’d have this in Minneapolis, the sincere to God’s fact.”
Earlier than becoming a member of the Vikings squad, Louie was a member of the Iowa State College dance staff, the place, in keeping with his former trainer, he already confronted adversity.
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“Being a boy within the Midwest who dances is already a strike in opposition to you,” Louie’s former dance coach, Kimberly Munn, advised the Star Tribune. “He is among the kindest human beings I’ve ever met. The entire stones which have been thrown at him — he may very well be such a unique individual than who he’s in the present day. He is by no means allowed that to outline him. He works his tail off.”
Regardless of the criticism, Louie and Shiek have full help from their coaches and teammates.
“Proud to guide a staff that evolves, pushes boundaries, and displays the complete spectrum of expertise,” Vikings cheerleading head coach Jacie Scott shared on social media. “Excellence has by no means appeared only one manner. And, fortunately, it by no means will.”
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The cheerleaders themselves even addressed the controversy with a cheeky Instagram publish.
“Wait…did somebody say our identify?,” Shiek captioned a photograph of the pair in uniform on August 16.
The Vikings kick off their 2025 common season on September 8 in opposition to the Chicago Bears, with each Louie and Shiek anticipated to be on the sidelines serving to to cheer them on.
