Navarro College (pictured above) is a small community college located in Corsicana, Texas. Cheerleaders from all around the country try out for the award-winning Navarro Bulldogs (Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).
Netflix successfully made it “on mat” with its incredible documentary series that highlights the world of competitive college cheerleading and the lives of cheer team members.
“Cheer” follows the Navarro College cheer team of Corsicana, Texas as they prepare for the 2019 National Cheerleaders Association Collegiate National Championship. In addition to revealing the difficulties of cheerleading, “Cheer” delves into the lives of coach Monica Aldama and five of her cheerleaders who have struggled throughout their personal lives and cheerleading careers.
Prior to the airing of the series in January 2020, Aldama had secured 13 NCA wins in her division and five Grand National titles, an impressive collection for a woman who completely turned the Navarro Bulldogs into the winning team they are today. Being a winning team, however, does not come easy or without injury.
Throughout the six episodes, the cheerleaders are pushed to their physical limits. One of Navarro’s top girls, the flyer on top of the pyramid, dislocates her elbow and must be replaced. There are concussions, ankle injuries and nearly fractured ribs, yet the cheerleaders keep on pushing through the pain.
Their dedication to the sport is frightening, especially when another top girl almost hits the ground from 25 feet in the air. Despite the fear of injury, it is important to remember that each cheerleader has trained their whole lives for this. They chose to perform on those mats, and they love every second of it.
It is inspiring how each cheerleader continues to fight for their chance to make it “on mat,” or to be able to compete during competition. Since only 20 of the 40 Navarro cheerleaders can compete at the NCA championships, not one person is willing to go down without a fight.
It is evident that cheering is what these students love to do, and they want to be able to make themselves, their squad and Aldama proud. After all, the team cannot cheer forever, so they need to make the most of the time that they have.
The death-defying pyramids and tricky tumbling passes get your heart rate pumping, then the heartbreaking stories of the five cheerleaders that the series focuses on makes you melt. Each of the five chosen cheerleaders have gone through many setbacks in their lives before going to Navarro.
Due to her cheerleaders’ rough backgrounds, Aldama presents herself as their coach and confidant. Aldama is fiercely protective of all her cheerleaders, but she fights harder for her male cheerleaders—especially since Navarro is in a very conservative town, as noted in the show.
Le’Darius Marshall, Gabi Butler, Lexi Bromback, Jerry Harris and Morgan Simianer all trained hard to make the Navarro cheer team, but they fought even harder in their lives. They struggled through deaths, fame, poor choices and family drama until they all found their way to Aldama’s gym, a place they could call home.
Many of cheerleaders, such as Simianer, even call Aldama “mom,” and she wears the title with pride. Despite her tough love as coach, Aldama supports all her cheerleaders through their struggles with school or their personal lives.
If there could only be one word to describe “Cheer,” it would be support. There is support from Aldama, the assistant coaches, medical staff, families, friends and most of all, each other.
Even though the Navarro cheerleaders battle against each other for spots “on mat” that can be changed at any moment, the incredible “mat talk,” or encouragement from teammates during competition, showcases how much they truly want each other and the team to succeed.
“Cheer” is more than just a gateway into competitive cheerleading and the injuries that will most likely occur; it is about the unbreakable bonds that are formed as a result of a sport where encouragement is the backbone of winning.