Dancing with the Stars season is almost upon us. And with a new season comes new contestants.

This year they decided to go a different route and focus solely on athletes. Now, I don’t really care (or know) about most of the athletes, but one name has got me excited.

Tonya. Freakin’. Harding.

I know what your thinking. Why on earth would you be excited to see a has-been figure skating felon?

And first of all, I say HOW DARE YOU. And second of all, I say Tonya Harding is a NATIONAL TREASURE PEOPLE.

Who else can say that they were the first American woman to perform the triple axel at a national level completion? That’s freakin’ amazing. Who else can say they were a figure skater and professional boxer? (For real-look it up)

So maybe she had something to do with the attack on Nancy Kerrigan at the 1994 Olympic trials. Maybe not. Maybe she wasn’t always the most proper or upheld people’s expectations. Maybe she was human when we expected her to be more.

People are already mad that DWTS is allowing Tonya to compete- and she hasn’t even started dancing yet. The haters are literally everywhere, writing mean comments, trying to get her kicked off, and basically just being dicks.

But, hear me out, what if we just wait and see how she does instead of judging her for her past?

The thing that inspires me the most about Tonya Harding is her ability to get back up. She has stayed tough and stayed fighting no matter what the world has thrown her way.

She was banned from ice skating competitions forever. Something she had devoted her whole life to. She had the hate of the entire nation just being involved with the attack on Kerrigan. She wasn’t the best boxer (sorry) and got beaten down on national television. She had to deal with hardships and heartbreak throughout her life and continue to persevere.

I believe in second chances. This is her chance to show America a whole different side of her and be unapologetically herself. Who are we to judge what she may or may not have done in the past?

Tonya Harding was never afraid to break the stereotypical molds of figure skating back in the day. I hope we’ll be able to see her break even more stereotypes on Dancing with the Stars. She’s getting my vote.