Mari Margaret Phillips started taking gymnastics and dance at an early age where she was on a level 4 gymnastics team and took dance classes in Hattiesburg, MS. She also started cheering for the local peewee football teams that her dad coached in her hometown of Columbia, MS. From then on, she cheered on her middle school and high school team for a total of 7 years. She also cheered competitively on an All-Star Cheerleading squad for 4 years that was originally called Mississippi All-Star Cheer (MAC) that then changed its name to South Mississippi Elite (SME). It is now known as ACE Cheer Company. During her senior year of high school, she was offered a position with the Universal Cheerleading Association (UCA) to teach cheerleading summer camps all over the Midsouth Region. She traveled all over the south including MS, AR, LA, TN, AL, GA, and MO teaching cheerleaders of all ages. She became a head instructor after her second year and continued to work for UCA for 10 years. Through UCA, she has worked several competitions and helped judge many cheerleading try-outs.
Mari Margaret graduated from the University of Mississippi with a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in education. While at Ole Miss, she cheered on the co-ed cheerleading squad. She is currently a Kindergarten teacher at Steen’s Creek in Florence, MS.