The New Faces of Cheerleading are Stronger than Ever
Cheer, one of the breakout Netflix shows of the year, follows one of the best collegiate cheer teams in the country, Navarro, on their road to Nationals. However, these cheerleaders are anything but stereotypical. Navarro is filled with girls and guys that represent every race, body type, and sexual orientation which is a cultural transmission from the traditional image of the blonde skinny girls that we think of as cheerleaders. The portrayal of cheerleaders is much more athletic, inclusive, and overall positive than previous representations, which were all about looking good and being popular.
The show leads off with interviews about injuries in cheerleading. According to the athletic trainer, concussions, shin splints, and ankle injuries are the most common, but more severe injuries aren’t unheard of. Sherbs, one of the flyers, fell in the previous episode and dislocated her elbow landing on the mat with no one to catch her. This is not the first or last serious injury for Navarro in the 6 episode season. In just this episode, Allie, flyer, rolled her ankle, Will, base, hurt his shoulder, and Morgan, flyer, almost got dropped on her head. These are just scratching the surface of the total injuries of the team. Cheer is an extremely dangerous sport that has at least as much risk involved as other sports like football and hockey. Therefore, it should be respected as a high stakes sport as well. It is not just about chants at football games anymore. These athletes put their health in jeopardy for their sport and should be respected as so.
Kapena, the student assistant coach, runs most of the practices while Monica, the head coach, does more critiquing. He decided that for this season the team should do 41 full-outs. A full-out is when the entire team does the whole routine exactly as it is supposed to be done at competition. “We have to take advantage of every practice we have and do the most full outs we can because there isn’t really that much time. You can feel the pressure at practice.” You can see the pressure too. Every athlete is trying their best and putting in every ounce of effort they have to give. It is evident how much time, hard work, and dedication is put into it. For example, Gabi Butler, one of the best cheerleaders of all time on this team, had to work one night until 4 am. The next day she still showed up to practice and gave it her all. Even when she could not throw all of her tricks, she kept trying until she stuck them with all of her teammates encouraging her. These cheerleaders are real athletes who are invested in their sport, like any other college athlete. The ancient trope that cheerleaders just shake their pom-poms and shout out cheers is long gone.
Throughout the show, a bunch of athletes are moving positions and constantly taking each other’s spots to be on mat. Out of the 41 athletes on the team, only 20 get to compete, also known as being on mat. This creates an intense environment of hostility and competition as the cheerleaders fight to prove themselves. Sherbs is a perfect example of that. She was injured for less than 24 hours but there were already two girls ready to take over her positions. Allie and Morgan were ready to jump in and do whatever needed to be done. There was so much pressure on them to be ready for anything and to move as soon as Monica says she needs you. Jerry was ready to be on mat as soon as Will got hurt, too. Will, the current base, is having shoulder pain at the beginning of the episode. Before he can even get taken off mat, all the off mat bases are swooping in, trying to take his spot. By the end, Jerry has already replaced Will and no one is even phased. The constant pushing each other to be better than their best is a crazy competitive and a draining environment to be in. Many other sports are known for similar cut-throat environments where if an athlete is not performing well, they get replaced without a second thought. Cheerleading is just like those other sports. It is not about looking good. It is about being the best in your position. This changes the narrative about the best looking cheerleader being in the front row. Navarro is about more than that. They all work their hardest and the people performing the best get put in the routine.
Cheer shows everyone that the world of cheerleading is changing for the better. It is no longer about stuck up girls in mini skirts thinking they rule the world. It’s about teamwork, tenacity, and being the best you can be. It sets a good example for kids that no matter what you look like, you can be a high-level athlete. It also gives kids a good example of a positive coaching experience. Even though Monica is tough, she pushes her athletes to be the best they can be, while still taking care of them emotionally, physically, and mentally. She is always there when she needs it. The Navarro cheerleaders are always taken care of inside and out which allows their best traits to shine through on the show. These traits are great examples to kids of how an athlete should behave. All of the Navarro cheerleaders are respectful, take responsibility for their actions, and put the needs of the team above their own personal wants. These traits are great examples of how a good athlete and person should act. Overall, Cheer is giving the world of cheerleading a good name and helping to fix the reputation damaged by years of negative portrayals.
