My goodness!
- Isn't he adorable? - He's our mascot.
Okay, so, he's a mascot. So who keeps him?
- Me. - Yes, that's the mama.
What's his name?
Baby Beau.
- My goodness. - My goodness. Isn't he a darling?
Are you-- Are you a... former...
No, my-- my daughter's here.
Okay, cool. Which one is she?
Um, I don't know. She's got black hair. Right there.
- Gabi Butler! Yes. - You know, the girl in the blue? Yeah.
Yes. Gosh, everybody... Yes. Okay, cool.
- She's just Gabi. - Yes, okay.
- She is. - "She's my daughter. She's normal."
No. No, but she--
- No, she really is truly normal. - Yes.
She doesn't get it. She's like, "Why aren't... Why do people, like...
I'm just like them."
That's funny. Gosh.
- Gabi, I missed you! - I missed you!
She got called from California last week on a Sunday.
And I'm like,
- "I've got it. It's okay, we'll do it. - My gosh!
Let's do this."
We got a call literally one week ago
from one of Gabi's old coaches,
and they had a flyer that had gone down and gotten hurt.
- Hey. - Hi!
- How are you? - Good, how are you?
They needed someone to fill in, because it was an elite stunt.
They didn't have alternates that could do the stunt,
and they had very short time.
And they knew that Gabi, obviously, has been doing this for a while,
so they felt confident she'd be able to pick it up
if she came out there and practiced with them for a couple of days.
That's not what happened.
Okay, do you want to tell? You go ahead, baby.
- That's not what happened. - No, go ahead. Go ahead. You tell.
Why are you getting upset?
Because what does it matter? Like, the semantics of it.
It's-- It's-- I'm cutting the sh-- Sorry, I'm cutting the story down short.
Because it's a longer story than that, but I was trying to cut it down.
Actually, it was--
They were gonna take it down to four-- four stunt groups.
And Andrea, who is--
Why don't you tell the story, since you wanna tell it?
You tell it. I'll sit here.
We've been married for a long time.
So, she learned the whole routine in, like, a week?
No, two days.
- My gosh. - No, no, no, not two days,
two practices.
My gosh, how impressive.
So... But they won.
You got it, Gabi!
Y'all are from California
- or Florida? - No. We're from Florida.
- Okay. - At 14, she moved to California.
Okay.
- She was there for two, like-- - To cheer?
- Yep. - Okay.
Every Friday, she would fly to Kentucky
at five in the morning.
My gosh.
And then, she'd come back every Monday
at two or three in the afternoon.
- My gosh. - I don't remember.
We flew her every week.
Golly!
What a commitment.
I never thought that I would be in college.
I've been homeschooled most of my life.
So, I haven't... gone to school since I was in elementary school.
Start Word,
download, file...
Everyone was like, "Put school first,
put school first," but I, like, put cheerleading first.
Is this a test?
Is this an exam?
Like, a test?
Good.
When I was little,
I made YouTube videos, and my mom and dad would be like,
"Just do what you normally do. Just pretend we're not here."
And I was like, "Okay." So...
I would do my little stretching routines, and then they would post them.
Now, some people might not be able to go behind your head,
but just try as hard as you can.
When I first started cheerleading, I wasn't flexible at all,
and everyone, like, thought that
unless you were born flexible, like,
there was no way you could be flexible. Like, it was a myth.
But once I started telling people and showing people what I did
to get like that,
everyone, like, started tuning in and being, like,
"Wow." Like, "If she can do that, I can do that."
And it was such a crazy thing. Just all of a sudden, like,
everyone knows who you are, and, like, everyone knows your name.
Everyone's like, "My gosh. Like, that's a Gabi Butler needle."
But one of the main reasons I came to Navarro
is because growing up, like, I wasn't like a normal kid.
And there's been times when I asked myself,
"Wow. Like, I really wonder what it would be like
to, like, be normal."
Okay.
Turn your fingers!
Shoulders!
Splits!
That was pretty good.
I feel like my legs are stuck.
- You have to drink vinegar. - Vinegar?
One of my friends did it,
and she got her splits in, like, two weeks.
- Unless she was lying. - Morgan, we're gonna buy you vinegar.
It, like... It's supposed to loosen up your muscles.
- Still out? - Yeah.
You guys are still out?
- Yeah. - So sad.
- But you're good for tonight? - Yeah.
Yay.
Last week, I got a concussion from falling from a pyramid.
I've had concussions before.
This is my fifth concussion.
It's nothing really new for me,
but, in the grand scheme of things, it's cheerleading,
and that's usually what happens to get it perfect.
There's not a year or a team
or a season that you can go through without complications,
and, of course, we've had just multiple injuries.
But, luckily, Mackenzie Sherburn is healthy and able.
She plays a really big part
because she's a top girl in the pyramid, and she's also a main flyer.
She's so experienced
because she's been cheerleading I don't know how many years.
And if you're a flyer, and you just have, like, bad technique,
or your foot is flexed or your legs are whacko-cracko,
it's like, it just doesn't look good. It's not appealing to the eye.
But Sherbs has a way of making things look so easy.
Sherbs, do the beginning part.
It's not very easy finding flyers that have that experience,
and with the pyramid we have choreographed,
it requires a lot of experience.
- Three, five... - Fly big!
One, two... five, six, seven, and...
Okay, y'all.
We're gonna work pyramid a little bit more.
Unfortunately, we still have these two girls
that can't do anything, so what that means
is we're only gonna be able to work on Sherbs's side of the pyramid.
I need to see where you're at,
what you have, what your technique looks like.
Every single thing that you do, I'm looking at it,
so y'all need to be showing me what you can do,
right now, right this week.
And, hopefully by Friday, I'll let y'all know
who's gonna be on mat.
We have 40 athletes,
but only 20, 11 boys and nine girls, get to compete.
The people on the sidelines are so important
because injuries happen all the time.
Just like with any other sport, you have to have
more than just the exact number on the team,
but they don't want to be on the side yelling.
They wanna be doing it.
I have to have tough conversations,
I have to make tough decisions.
People in, people out, "Sorry, you didn't make it."
I know that those kids are just as competitive as I am.
Unfortunately,
there are going to be people that I just can't put on mat.
...five... seven, eight. One, two, three... five, six--
Timing!
- One... - Watch Morgan. Watch Morgan.
Point your toe!
- Go! - Gabi's is pretty.
Yeah, she's fine. That's the only one I think is fine.
- Morgan needs to stretch. - I think it's Morgan.
Morgan, come here.
Okay, you know I'm rooting for you,
- Yeah. - so I'm gonna give you some advice.
- Okay. - If you don't point your toes,
- you won't be considered. - Okay, I'll point them.
- And your heel stretch needs to be better. - Okay.
So, this-- We're down to the wire.
- I'm rooting for you. - Okay.
But I have to make the decision based on what's out there.
- Yeah. Yes, ma'am. - Good? Okay.
Push, push, whip!
Good, Lexi!
Come on, Morgan.
You got it. You got it.
- Let's go. Come on. - Come on, Morgan. You got it.
Come on, Morgan. Don't think about it.
- Speed! Speed! - Push! Push! Go!
- Morgan, that's slower than yesterday. - Hit!
Pull!
Good, Lexi.
You could be a little more aggressive
coming out of your handsprings.
Faster back handstands. Like, all you need is faster ones.
Come on, Morgan.
Speed it up and do it like you know how to.
Let's go, Morgan. Speed it up.
- You got it. - Push it out, you got it!
Let's go, Morgan, Come on, Morgan. You can do this.
- Go on, Morgan! Fast! - Push!
- Push, Morgan! Whoo! - Good job!
All right.
Hey, get outta your head. Relax.
Don't think about mat.
Think about what you need to be doing now. Just breathe.
Just go on the floor, okay? Relax.
It's what I just tried.
Okay, but relax. Relax, okay?
You're stressing yourselfout now.
know what it feels like to be so stressed out about mat.
Relax! You're doing what you need to be doing, Okay?
Nothing's stopping you except your brain.
So, go in there, go in the bathroom, cry it out,
wash your face off.
I... hide my emotions and my feelings and stuff like that.
I don't like to talk about 'em.
I just keep it all bottled in until...
it builds up so much over time that I, like, break down
to, like, the point where I just cry.
- Monica knows what you can do. - Yeah, yesterday you landed a two to--
or a one to full. You did two to whip backs.
- Like, I should be able to do it easily. - You're good, Morgan.
You just have to, like, deal with it,
push through it.
You were good yesterday. It's just weak. I know. You're fine.
I hold things in because... I feel like...
I'll be judged sometimes.
And, like, I care a lot about what people think about me.
In my head, I just feel like I'm never good enough for people.
People always say that they think I'm, like, rich and, like,
my life's perfect because of my social media,
and, yeah, I'll have, like, makeup on and, like, a cute outfit
and stuff like that, but the reality of it is,
like, growing up,
I didn't have any of that.
Do you wanna get some oats for the horses or anything?
Yeah, I'll grab a bucket.
Come on!
Now they're coming.
Hello, Sunshine.
Um, I didn't really have a lot of close friends growing up.
I had friends that were in sports and cheer with me,
and that's pretty much it.
Go on. Get out.
- There. - Hi.
- Hop in. - Get in.
Come on.
I call my grandparents "Grandma and Papa,"
even though I literally could just call them "Mom and Dad."
But before I got into custody with my grandparents,
I would say that my brother was my only family member.
Her biological mom disappeared
out of the situation there right off the bat, so...
she wasn't... hasn't been around a whole lot.
Me and my dad, we didn't really have a good relationship.
Once my parents split,
my dad got remarried and had three kids.
I guess my stepmom either didn't like me
and my brother enough
or didn't want us to be around,
so my dad just kind of went on with her.
They started doing their own thing. It was just me and my brother.
Pete, don't even think about it.
I want to say it was my sophomore year of high school,
my dad got me and my brother a trailer that we lived in alone.
We would eat what we could.
a loaf of bread, ramen noodles.
We, at the time, didn't realize how bad it was,
and... and we weren't, paying attention
at that point, but she had a real, real tough time living there.
I felt, like, super alone, like everyone was against me
and I wasn't good enough, I wasn't, like,
important to anyone. That's what I felt like.
She was losing her drive, I would guess you would say.
And when she come and lived with us,
she just kind of turned things around, got to go on, got motivated.
And part of that is we got her back into cheer.
And that-- that's her passion in life.
So, you have to let her go and-- and encourage her.
Ready.
Red, black, and white.
Come on, Dogs, let's fight!
I took her down to Texas, to Navarro, to the tryouts.
- Let's fight! - Sharper!
She was a little intimidated because it was-- it was a step up,
a big step up from what she'd been doing.
I did not think I was ever gonna have a chance.
I was like, "They're so good."
Like, "I'm trash. I'm not gonna do it. I can't."
But Monica saw potential in me, and it felt like...
it was just the first time someone noticed me.
It was like, "I'm not just nobody."
She, like, remembered my name and, like, just little things like that.
Come on, Morgan.
She's in love with Monica.
She says she treats her kids like they're-- they're her kids,
and she's like a mom to 'em.
It's definitely better.
I don't know if it's exactly where we want it, but it's better.
Strict and firm,
but Morgan says y-you do what you're supposed to do,
and it-- it's... it works out.
I can't even get into this closet. It's so small.
I don't understand why they don't give them walk-in closets.
Welcome to Corsicana!
This is detergent.
Like, if it's a full load, you can put, like-- like, a half a scoop.
If it's a little load, you have to put a little bit.
I put a lot more than that last time.
- How much did you put in? - Like, a lot.
If you have stains, spray this first.
Like, the sweater that I-- I did today had makeup all over it.
I had to spray this on it. Otherwise, it wouldn't have come out.
This, right here, these are bags for if you have, like, something nice.
Like your bras, it'll keep the straps from getting tangled.
- Okay. - Go take your shower
and come out, please, so I can show you more.
- And do me a favor? Before you come out-- - Put your stuff away
because Mom spent a lot of time washing all your stuff,
so the least you can do is make sure it's put away nicely.
She's impossible.
This kid is impossible.
- We're sticky parents. I-- I just-- - Yeah.
I just believe in that.
Like, I-- I want my kids to be a part of my life,
and I want them to feel like we're welcome as a part of theirs,
but we try not to be overly involved
to the point of-- of--
- Micromanaging. - Yeah.
So, what did Andrea say about her going there for the competition?
She couldn't believe that that's her spring break.
And does Gabi want to do that during spring break?
Of course she does.
She's completely committed to them if they need her to be.
Ask her. Gabi?
- She's in the shower. - Gabi?
Gabs?
So, do you want to go and do that competition?
Gabi? You can fly out the night of the 13th.
But you'd have no spring break.
Dude, that's gonna be a lot--
But at least you'll be in California.
- That's our hell week, and then... - Where's it at, Anaheim?
...after that, like, I'm gonna be so tired.
I'm gonna be so tired if I do that.
I'm so delirious, and my voice is gone.
Are you more physically tired or emotionally tired?
I'm just all...
Like, I feel like I'm just...
Well, you're always ""
- I'm going to bed. - No.
- Do me a favor? - I'm exhausted.
I can barely keep my eyes open.
I was literally pushing so hard through this con...
- Okay, love you. - Love you.
You might have to put this stuff away
because I don't know where any of your stuff goes.
I'm doing this. Can you--
This is one of the things I know how to do.
So can you let me do the things I know how to do?
Hi!
- So happy to see you! I know. - I missed you. How's it going?
- Good! - Good.
- Good, good, good. Gettin' warmed up? - Come in.
Yeah, we're gettin' warmed up. Ready to show you the good stuff.
All right, can't wait.
Typically, as a choreographer, you build off of the stunting elements.
Some sections may not use every member of the team.
So, and then that's my job,
to figure out what those people will be doing,
but, basically, to keep it moving, it's gotta be seamless throughout.
Okay, let's get it going.
Out of all the colleges I work with,
Navarro is the most prepared on the front end
of what you need to incorporate in order to max out the score.
The score sheet is made up of categories. It's all broken down for you.
You have standing tumbling.
Then there's also running tumbling.
There's jumps.
Toes! Your toes!
Then after that, it's stunts,
baskets,
and the pyramid.
Seven and stop. Okay, let's try that again.
So, I come in, and they show me all those parts of the score sheet,
and it will give me a good idea who will be what we call "on mat."
- You got it, Allie. - Let's go.
Push!
Some will not be so hot,
so they'll need to be hidden in the formations,
but others we try to keep towards the front of each section.
Wave to the fans, La'Darius!
I love him.
Your movement and your face, all the performance side of it,
is just as important as the tumbling and the stunts,
because that's worth ten points on the score sheet as well.
It's-- It's a process, for sure.
She definitely likes it a certain way. She's known as "the Queen."
But I think that is why it's so good year after year.
It's so good. Can any of the girls bound?
- Lexi can do tumble like the boys. - Lexi can do one to full full.
- Really? - Yeah.
Who is that? Which one is that?
The one that's about to go. She's the boy tumbler.
Okay! Yeah.
She's a boy.
We gotta get that in there.
Yeah.
Do you think she could toe full two to whip full?
She... Yeah.
- Because she could-- - Lexi.
- Come here. - She could.
Just ask her.
Can you tumble out of a toe full?
- Um, yeah, I think so. - Okay.
I haven't done it in a while, but...
- Toe full two to whip full. - Will you try a toe full two to whip full?
- That'd be easy, yeah. - Okay.
- Go, let us see it real quick. - Yeah, we'll see.
- She said, "That'd be easy." - She said, "I think so." She's cute.
And she clearly doesn't need a whole panel either.
Good!
- If she worked on her connection, sure. - Right.
But that could look really cute. I liked that.
That was a little slow, but I haven't done it in a while.
- Yeah. - Okay.
Work on the connection out of that?
- Sure. - Cool.
I do a one to full full,
which is a back handspring, full full.
I don't know how many girls in Navarro history have had full fulls.
I've never heard of any.
Sorry if you're a girl that's done a full full, but, um...
I don't really know the history that well.
I'm nervous about how-- how much I'm gonna tumble, really,
because not only am I gonna be tumbling with the girls,
I'm gonna be tumbling with the guys. Probably gonna be tumbling
- through the sections. - Yeah.
It is a lot, yeah.
Wait, so you actually have to do a one to whip full...
through to full full?
Yeah. I've done it before.
It's either gonna be a whip full through to full full,
or it's gonna be a full full through to full full.
- Really? - Hey.
I'm not gonna say "if." When we win,
your name is gonna be in history.
- Yeah. - Who's the most badass tumbler...
Well, who was the most badass girl tumbler
that was ever... that ever went through Navarro?
Lexi! I don't know your last name.
Brumback!
I don't know your last name, but other people are gonna have to.
Yeah.
It's cool and all, like, being the...
like, one of the best in history, but...
I- I wouldn't be mad if, like, no one remembered me.
- I wouldn't be one of those alumni. - No. Yeah, I wouldn't either.
"How dare you not know my name?"
Like, it's terrible.
I don't like the alumni that, like, come in here, like,
"You better know who the hell I am, or else, like, I'm gonna be on you."
Yeah.
Like, that's so annoying.
- I know. - Like, I'm not like that.
I'd be like, "That's fine, my name's Lexi."
- Lexi. - No, dude, exactly.
I can't believe in two days we will find out who makes mat.
I know.
- Dude, I hate doing this. - I need to look for my phone.
- Corey's probably like... - I'm jealous of all the guys
because they literally are all sleeping, and we're all doing our makeup.
At least basketball games are, like, easy.
We're there for every single sport,
and then, when we go to Daytona--
No one cares.
- Everyone's like, "Okay, cool." - It's fine.
- Like... - Literally no one cares,
but, you know, it's our job.
Ladies and gentlemen,
please direct your attention to mid-court
for a very special halftime presentation.
Cheerleaders who competed last April at the NCA National Championships!
Today, we will be honoring these champions
with the unveiling of the championship banner.
Our 2018
Navarro College Bulldog cheer team
was recognized last April at Daytona Beach
as the national champions for the 13th time,
and for the fifth time
as grand national champion.
What's most important
about the 2019 Navarro College Bulldog cheer team,
that I know will be repeating both of those championships this year,
is that each of these individuals show everyone
what can be accomplished when they all work towards that goal.
So, would you all please join me
as we get ready to count down
the unveiling of the banner.
Three... two... one.
Once you've won so much,
no one expects anything but to win.
And that's a hard mentality to follow
once you've won so many, but that's where Navarro is.
Navarro's lost. They understand losing.
You know, I've lost many a times,
but a couple years ago, I actually felt a little defeated.
But, you know, that's just how it is,
so, you just come back, and you try again.
Who'd you lose to?
Trinity Valley.
Navarro and Trinity Valley are the two best community colleges
in the country, hands down.
Definitely, there's an intense rivalry between those two colleges.
And it does not help
that they're in such close proximity.
Forty minutes down the road. You cannot miss 'em.
It's a good rivalry to have because it makes us push even harder
but that... that's... it's been around for a while.
Big finish.
Four-time champions, Trinity Valley Community College.
Trinity Valley used to dominate. Trinity Valley was the squad.
And then, Monica came in to Navarro,
and here the shift started,
and this power struggle got really intense.
Trinity Valley does it!
Back-to-back champions!
Sometimes it's your year, and other times it's not.
Sometimes you see Navarro, and you're like,
"Nobody's beating 'em this year. Doesn't matter who it is."
Sometimes, you see Trinity Valley, and you think the same about them.
Hey, let's go. Let's go. This is not a time to lounge around.
- Yo, where the AC at? - It's hot in Daytona, ain't it?
They've had a lot of coaching changes
over the last few years.
Vontae is the newest coach there.
Hey, today determines what you'll be throwing in Daytona.
If it's ugly, it comes out.
He is passionate about the sport. He is also task-driven.
Better tumble good today. You're getting fat.
He is hard. He can be a hard coach.
He's not as proven,
in my opinion, as Monica because she's been around longer,
but Vontae is driven to succeed.
Hey, remember everything you do today has a purpose.
Don't just throw it. Make sure it's clean.
She don't have to do as much as I'm doing.
I'm always out and about. Always recruiting.
Whereas I don't ever see her when I go recruit anywhere,
but that comes with her reputation.
Who is that?
- Hey, how old's that girl? - She didn't tell me how old.
Well, you go ask her.
Maybe at the beginning of her tenure,
she was probably just like me,
but now she's almost like Nick Saban.
He don't have to recruit.
All he has to say is, "Come to school here."
Now take a picture of her signing.
Hey, nobody likes Nick Saban.
Nobody likes Bill Belichick.
Nobody likes Monica Aldama.
She is at a comfortable spot, but I aspire to be past where she is.
I got one goal:
To be the best in the whole entire world.
You gotta work so hard because that team's trying to beat you.
And they never take it for granted, because they remember
the Valley just won two years ago.
And so, it can still happen.
Monica can't stop
because there's still somebody on your tail.
Are we starting with stunts?
No, pyramid.
Okay. Is that all we're doing this practice?
- It depends on how long it takes. - Okay.
Ready?
Release it.
Hold on.
- So, we're just going to-- - Now ball. You're gonna ball.
I don't know what they're doing, but she's gonna flip.
Five, six, seven, dip.
Okay. Catch her.
Can they just go two counts earlier on the pop?
Do it again.
- I-I need to see it again. - Yeah, okay.
To figure the pyramid out, it's very stressful
because it requires so much time,
and it's really hard to pick my top girls.
Morgan just showed up at tryouts.
She didn't really have the college-level experience,
but she had the look that I would, you know, like to have, so...
Not that you have to have the look, but...
we get really judged based on overall impression.
Guys, get up and spot!
Girls, work on your abs
for that new uniform we got.
It might not seem fair, but, you know, that's gonna be part of it.
At the end of the day, I mean,
no, y-you're gonna make the team based on your potential,
and, you know, sometimes I take people that don't necessarily have the skill...
- Seven and one... - Three, five, seven.
...with the hope that I could mold them
into a great college cheerleader.
And she was one of those.
Allie,
she has better technique than Morgan,
but she's a little tight in everything that she does.
Whoo! Too much. Whoo! Way too much.
So, she does have a little bit of a scared look about her.
You hurt her, and you are dead meat.
- Do not hurt her. - These are the best 20 people.
I'm looking at who can fulfill these stunting roles,
who's gonna fulfill these tumbling roles,
who's got the jumps that can get us the points in our jump technique.
We need to have these little girls to throw up at the top of the pyramid.
Here we go.
But we also need these girls that are gonna hold 'em up too,
so there's a lot of different pieces to the puzzle.
Daniel, for sure.
That stunt better be more consistent
before I try to jot down somebody's name with a confidence.
So, we're gonna do this little squiggly line for Daniel.
What is this for?
He-- Making-- Picking who gonna be on mat.
Okay. So, the flyers, to me,
Sherbs, Jade...
- Gabi? - Gabi, that's... yeah.
Sherbs, Gabi...
And then, honestly, I think it's gonna be Allie.
Just because she's already working the center part of the pyramid.
I think Allie too.
Well, you know what? Who's the underdog?
Morgan. She's really good.
She is. I-I was saying that today. Like, I love her.
- She's doing really good. - She's working really hard.
And I'm here for her.
If I was to pick the five stunter boys, it would be TT,
obviously me, because I'm, like, the second most consistent,
and then it would be you...
As in Jerry?
I'm serious. This is the time, like, prove yourself. Like...
Yeah.
You're so talented, Jerry.
And don't give up. Not like last year.
- That's true. - Or I will stab you.
Making mat is kinda like everything at this point.
Like, you came here to be part of the team and be...
one of the best, like,
- you're one of the top 20 on the team. - Yeah.
It's more of an honor than to just be sitting on the side.
Like, yeah, the mat talk.
The mat talk on the side is always great.
Like, Jerry got the best mat talk on this team.
- Jerry for sure. - For sure got the best mat talk.
Jerry has the best mat talk out of anybody in the world.
Yes! Let's go! You're on top. You got this. Get it up. Come on!
Yes! Come on, Morgan!
You're not tired! Push!
Push up! Stand! Get up!
Good, let's go.
Mat talk is when you're going through a routine,
and someone is yelling for you and checking you in and giving you cues.
Like, "La'Darius, you got this, let's go! Get her up. Hold her feet. Let's go.
Squeeze. Pop her off! Let's go. Come on." We go to the next section.
That's mat talk. And Jerry?
Yes!
Girl, you can hear him from the other side of the floor.
Get it, y'all. Let's go, Daniel!
But he don't just mat talk one person, he mat talk the entire team.
And it just makes you just want to do better as just an athlete yourself.
That was great. That was really good. Yes.
Five... seven, eight! Get her up!
I say, "Get her up,"
when, like, we're stunting,
like, the boy needs to get her up in the air, keep her up,
and she better not come down.
- Yes! - And I say, "Get her off."
Get her off!
Stay tight, Jade! You're gorgeous!
Ninety-eight pounds!
I don't even know what I scream. I scream whatever comes to mind
at that moment.
Get up! Work, work! Work, work!
Down! Work, work!
Yes!
Come on, y'all.
Even though he wasn't on the mat last year, his attitude never changed.
We're vibing, come on. We're vibing.
I mean, it has happened in the past
where people weren't on the mat, and they just quit because of it,
but he was still up there and screaming and having a good time
and making sure the team was having a good time,
giving his all.
Being that funny personality that he is that everyone loves,
and that made a huge difference.
That was high.
That was high. That was... boom!
That was good.
I instantly smile when I hear his laugh.
I mean, he's so fun to watch,
and he's been working on his partner stunting.
That needs a lot higher.
And he has come so far,
but Jerry doesn't tumble at all,
and our routines are really complex.
So, really, I'm looking for more stumblers,
like, some-- that's someone that can tumble and stunt.
Like, La'Darius is one of our elite tumblers and elite stunters.
Whoo!
So, for someone like Jerry,
it just makes it a little bit harder for him to make the mat.
He's really only competing for maybe two positions.
Do you think you're gonna make mat?
Um...
I think you got it.
I think I have a good chance,
- but I-I never know, - Yeah.
because I felt like I had a good chance last year,
and I didn't end up making it, so...
I'm just, like, I'm worried about stuff...
I brought those pants back that I was supposed to ship out.
Did you? Good, good. Okay.
Now we need to get him the right size.
Didn't-- You needed two sizes smaller
from the ones that-- those current ones, right?
Yeah, you need two size smaller. Okay.
I have to take a look, then I'll order the other ones.
Yeah.
How long are you back, by the way?
- Till Saturday night. - Saturday?
That's so short.
It's so short.
I know.
We met Jerry, it was our first year at ICE All-Stars.
At the time, my daughter was a flyer, and he was my daughter's base.
- My God! - I know.
When I fell on my face when you were doing the toes to hands.
Wow, I still remember that.
- He had to have been... - That was crazy.
...eight or nine.
And even back then,
Jeremiah, he had a passion for cheer.
He would yell to her while she was on the floor
to point her toes and smile.
He's always been that kid that he's just the heart of every team.
And his laugh is fantastic.
Then he grabbed my legs like this. I just went...
And I was, like, "I just bounced!"
It resonates through the house.
It's the best sound in the world.
My God!
He lives with me. He's lived with us for years, um...
And he's mine, I consider him mine.
But I'm not-- I'm not Lizzie.
I'm not his mom.
Um... she was in a class all her own.
Something about my mom was that her...
personality was very, like, electric.
She always had a positive attitude to things,
and she did anything she could for me.
The first competition I watched on TV
was college nationals, the University of Louisville,
and I was like, "My gosh, like, this is amazing.
Like, I need to be a part of this."
She really had no clue what cheerleading was,
so when she came in, she just knew Jerry had watched it
and seen it and he wanted to do it.
And she really just wanted to do whatever made Jerry happy.
But you have your monthly dues, you have your competition fees,
you have your uniform, your practice clothing,
and then you travel, so you're paying for that gas and the food and hotel.
So, it becomes quite expensive.
At the end of my eighth grade year,
we ended up getting evicted from our house.
We went from, like, living with friends,
in and out of hotels,
and we... we were on, like, f-food stamps,
but she did what she needed to do to keep me in cheer.
I honestly don't know how that she did it, but...
she always figured out a way.
That was the important thing, because it was... his home.
It's where he fit in. It was his-- his comfort zone.
It was what made him happy.
She was a very proud woman, and she didn't want to ask for help.
And she still brought him to cheer.
We never knew anything until after the fact.
The summer going into my junior year,
she had got pneumonia,
and she had to go to the hospital,
and they ended up diagnosing her with lung cancer at the time.
Um, she ended up going through the next few months, um, doing chemo.
She came in one day, she had a bag full of, like, her hair,
and she had a hat on,
and I was like, "What is that?"
And then, she ended up pulling off her hat,
and I saw, like, her, like, bald, and I was like... I was speechless.
I didn't know, like, what to say or what to do.
She made all these, like, sacrifices
for me to, like, be a cheerleader still,
and I couldn't even, like, help her.
Her cancer kept getting worse.
But one day, my older brother called me out of school
because we needed to go to the hospital to, like, check on her.
So then when I get there, I see her. She has, like...
...a breathing, like, tube.
She would make little moves with her arms,
but that was, like, all she could do.
I knew, like, that was probably...
Um...
...the last time that I was possibly gonna see her,
and, um, my mom ended up passing away at, like, 5:30 that morning.
The next day,
there was this competition I was supposed to go to,
and I was like, "I don't know, like..."
I had to think to myself, like,
"What would my mom want me to do in that situation?"
And she always told me that she wanted me
to bring a positive attitude to, like, everything I do.
I remember him being in the back room,
and they were warming up and getting ready to go out,
and he's controlling his emotions.
And he was sitting back there very quiet,
leaning against a column.
And I knew he had just lost his mom.
And then, when he went out to compete,
and he performed, the entire arena,
I mean everybody, whether they were from our gym or not,
were screaming for Jerry.
Jerry! Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!
He went out there, and, um...
even the judges were standing and cheering him on.
It was... pretty incredible.
Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!
And then, by the end of the routine, I started crying because...
I knew, like, my mom was watching...
from-- from upstairs,
and I was making her happy.
They went out there and hit the best routine for Lizzie,
and they absolutely crushed it.
- Jerry! - After Lizzie passed,
it was amazing how many people just wanted to help him.
My God. Thank you guys so much.
A couple of us came up with the GoFundMe,
and it was set up to keep him in cheer, and to put money towards school.
I mean, within a matter of days, I think we ended up raising around $28,000.
It was unbelievable to me, like, how many people, like,
in the cheer world were all, like, supporting me
and, like, trying to assure me
that everything was gonna be okay
and that, like, I can do anything and I'm strong.
Losing his mom, it nearly crushed him,
so I think he brings joy into his life
by building a circle, building a family around him,
bringing in as many people as he can,
not to take her place, but to-- to fill up-- fill up a spot.
To build his family,
um, and he has quite a family.
I think there's always kind of this happy smile, but...
there's a little something behind it.
The sadness, you know.
I- I think he also worries about everyone else,
so he wants to make sure that everyone else around him is feeling good
and happy, so I think he takes a lot of that on too.
Even when I go into practice,
even when I'm not having, like, the best day, I try to turn it around,
because I know others on the team look to me
as, like, their brightness to their day.
I always try to look at the bigger picture
and not focus on, like, the small things,
and just try to help others through, like, whatever they're going through...
in the routine.
Let it begin.
This is probably gonna be the hardest...
- decision in all the past years. - Yes.
So, start with, like, the easier, and kind of just go down this way?
- Yeah, these three are a given. - Right.
- Gabi? - Yeah, she's all-around good.
She can stunt, she can tumble, she can basket toss.
She's a great role model.
I can depend on her.
Okay. Lexi?
She is incredible.
She hasn't quite bought into this family.
Yeah. She doesn't like to step out of her comfort zone.
Not really, but I definitely need her tumbling.
- That's gonna make a difference. - I agree.
Well, what about Morgan?
Her stunting's come a long way, but she's definitely the weakest tumbler.
Yes.
Allie, her technique's just obviously better,
and everything's stronger,
but Morgan, she's a pleaser. She likes to please people,
and she's not scared.
She will throw anything you ask her to throw.
So, if Allie steps up, she's gonna get the spot.
We'll see.
Okay. The stunters?
Maybe Jerry.
- He's got power. And he's strong. - Sure.
He is a hard worker.
But, like, he didn't have confidence in himself, so I don't see it.
Yeah, I feel like that it comes off like that too.
Because he's really good.
But he's not a tumbler, so he's a question mark.
La'Darius, he needs to be on.
Only concern...
Only concern I would have is he'll, like, start a stunt
- and then, like, fail. - He'll just stop. Okay.
It just makes me feel like I can't trust...
Right.
...him to throw what he needs to throw when he needs to throw it.
Well, I think he needs to be on because of his performance.
- So, I mean, it-- We'd be... - Yeah.
- ...dumb not to. - Yeah.
- So, put him down? - Yeah.
I think we tell him, "You got one shot.
If this ever happens, someone else gonna try your spot."
There's gonna be some heartbroken people.
Y'all, get on the mat.
As y'all know, we're gonna pick mat today.
So, we've had a conversation already and narrowed some things down
based on what y'all have done in the fall
and then what y'all have done in the past couple weeks,
but this is probably the hardest year ever
because of the talent on the team.
It could be any of y'all for a spot,
so there's a lot of questions at the moment
that we need to figure out an answer to really fast.
All right, so, y'all get ready. Here we go. One at a time.
Like, get on the side of the floor. Sides of the floor. Sides of the floor.
Austin, you're first.
Wow! Can you imagine if he walked out like that?
Better!
Go.
- Come on, baby! - Hit! Pull!
He's always done that funky step out like that.
- You're good. - Yeah.
Alex B.
Let's go, Alex!
Hit! Hit! Hit!
That was definitely a minus
because his toes were not pointed on that one.
It's an inconsistent toe point.
James.
- Come on! - Hit! Hit! Hit!
When they're pointed, it's gorgeous.
Gabi.
Come on, Gabi! Yeah, Gabi!
- Yeah, Gabi! - Come on, Gabi!
Come on, Smoed Jump!
- Hit! Hit! Hit! - Yeah, Smoed Jump!
Morgan.
- Let's go, Morgan! - Come on, Morgan!
Let's go, roomie!
Knees up. Point those toes!
This is probably not gonna be good.
- Ankles, you got it. - Hit! Hit!
Her jumps are not very good.
Try it again. Try it again.
- Hit! Hit! Hit! - No.
She's getting one for each jump.
Let's do Allie after her.
Allie.
Come on, y'all. Come on, Allie!
Come on, Allison!
Hey! Hey! Hey!
Crispy clean.
- Who do we want next? - Jerry.
- Jerry?
Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!
Jerry?
Come on, Jerry!
Hit! Hit! Hit! Yeah!
Okay, honestly, he's actually really flexible.
- That's like-- - Yeah, but his toes are like... brr!
He's, like, scratching his ear.
Hey, start warming up standing tumbling.
Grab a line.
I really wanted to warm up before I go.
I feel like I might... I don't know.
Hit!
- I'm just overthinking. - Yeah, just don't think about it.
You know what to do.
La'Darius.
- Come on! Let's go! - La'Darius!
Hey! Hey! Hey!
Incredible.
Lexi.
Lexi, come on!
- You got this! - Let's go, Lex!
Let's go, baby girl!
Push! Full! Full!
She's such a beast.
We're gonna do a few formations just with a few people, so.
If you hear your name, come in the middle of the floor.
- Yeah. - Okay, Will and Jade.
Keegan and Allie.
Don't worry about it. Just do the stunt.
And we need to have Morgan go. I want to see her toes.
Come on, y'all. Work together. Trust it.
- Five, six, seven. And... - One, two, three... five... seven.
One, two, three... five... seven.
Come on, Allie, you got it!
- Let's go! - Come on! You got it!
Hold it! You better finish this shit!
You better not fuckin' drop! Legs, legs, legs!
Put her down. Put her down.
Did y'all just drop her again?
Yeah.
What are y'all doing?
What happened?
Did y'all not catch her or something?
She dove through and was upside down
by the time we caught her.
- On which part? - The double down.
She went in half, and her feet were significantly higher
than her head.
We still have to catch her no matter what.
- I-I mean, I caught her. - Upside down on her head to the ground.
- Stop arguing. - Okay.
Push-ups.
She literally just went through their arms.
Okay, let me just say that's absolutely unacceptable.
We shouldn't be dropping girls
on a skill that we've been doing since we came here. A double down.
Doesn't matter what she does, she doesn't hit the ground. Period!
TT, Ashlee, Keegan, and Morgan.
Come on, y'all.
- Come on, y'all. - Come on, y'all.
Five, six, seven, eight.
One... three... five...
- Come on, Keegan. - Girl!
Come on, head down.
Break, break, break. Hold it. Squeeze.
Squeeze, squeeze, come on.
Come on. Come on.
Eat it, eat it, eat it. Hold that shit.
Do not drop! Do not drop!
Legs.
Yeah!
Well, it's no worse than Allie's.
Right. Right.
Okay.
Y'all can run and tumble for a minute. We'll be back.
Yes, ma'am.
Okay, what do you think about Morgan?
She looked good today.
- Yeah. Her jumps were terrible. - Yeah.
Allie has her beat in...
- Jumps. - ...jumps and tumbling.
Not necessarily skill-wise, technique-wise.
Right.
She actually didn't look bad in that stunt.
- Should we take that into consideration? - Yeah.
You're saying put Morgan on or put Allie on? It's...
I think-- I think it's a battle.
Have Allie and Morgan learn
the same routine?
And then stunting?
This is gonna suck.
I hate it because, you know,
Will's technique with Jade was just enough to edge out Jerry.
Jerry might have more stamina than Will,
but I think we're better off keeping him. He's proved that he can do the routine.
That's a heartbreaker, though.
Um, it's not... narrowed down to 20 people, but it's close.
So, right now for tumblers...
Shannon, Summer, Brooke D., Lexi,
y'all are gonna be tumbling.
I'm gonna have Jade move to the middle of the pyramid,
be top girl. And, um...
for stunts, we're gonna have Will and Jade,
Daniel and Gabi, La'Darius and Sherbs,
Keegan and Allie, Alex and Morgan.
But that's six stunts, and we can only use five.
So, at some point,
we're just gonna, like, kind of see where our consistency lies
and go from there.
I know some of y'all are gonna be disappointed,
so just remember that everybody's role is very important,
no matter what your role is.
If your name was not called, you need to work even harder, okay?
Don't take that as,
"I'm done for this season, and I'm just gonna watch."
You never know what happens,
and things happen all the time every season.
Be prepared to step in at any time at any spot.
Circle up. Get a break,
Over the next few weeks, this might not be the final 20.
Put a target on someone's back and tell them, "I'm coming for your spot.
I will beat you out."
If you're on it, don't expect that you're gonna stay on it.
- Hell yeah. - Do not.
And boys who are stunters, don't get discouraged
because even I wasn't, like, the first round pick,
and I got to be on the mat and be a stunter too.
So, don't give up, and keep working hard.
One, two, three!
Dogs! Stiff where. Ee-yoo. Yeah.
That is it?
Just learn La'Darius's routine.
I know, but, like--
Minus the tumbling.
Yeah, um, I can do that.
It might not ever get used, because, like, that's a...
He does so much.
He's a stunter.
And a tumbler.
Yeah, but are you a tumbler?
- No. - No.
I could learn the stunting spot. Yeah, that's easy.
Exactly. So, pay attention, learn the choreo and work at it.
- No problem. - Because you never know.
That's true.
Think it wasn't like, heartbreaking for the people we would've thought
because of the extra spots, but...
- Maybe. - We'll see.
Yeah. We'll see.
It might be heartbreaking later.
Well. You gotta do what you gotta do. It's all business.
When I first started coaching, mat was a little bit hard
because, like, "I'm gonna hurt their feelings,"
but... it's all business.
At that point, when I'm-- when I'm coaching,
I don't have time to worry about if I'm hurting someone's feelings.
I do feel bad about it,
because I am, you know, softhearted at the end of the day,
but I-I don't ever let that affect my coaching decisions.
That's when I put my business hat on,
and-- and I can do that pretty easily.
She's focused on her goals.
She's really geared towards winning.
Losing is bad.
Yeah, we lost in 2017.
It just ate her up. Ate her up. When it eats her up, I can just see it.
In second place, Navarro College!
That was Monica's hardest loss.
That really killed her because she thought she gave everything,
and for all that work to basically go down the drain
because she felt like we weren't prepared enough,
that's why she constantly prepares us.
She'll film everything, she'll nitpick it apart.
She'll be up late at night thinking about the routine
and how we can make it more difficult.
She pushes herself to be better, which then,
you know, pushes her kids, so...
Things started to change a little bit after that loss.
There have been times in the past where I wouldn't see her until... midnight.
Fifteen seconds.
Monica has this, like, alter ego, and we call her Annette.
Come on, you only have ten seconds left.
She does crazy stuff.
Everyone was always like, "Do not bring out Annette."
And I was like, "Who is Annette?"
Like, "I don't... I don't understand."
And everyone was like, "That's Monica when someone, like,
is either disrespectful towards her,
is not listening to her, or...
just does something, like, wrong."
Anybody that is in her way...
Let's switch.
...you just don't want to see that side of Monica.
Like, she gets...
scary.