On January 8th, 2020, Netflix debuted the 6-part documentary series titled “Cheer”. “Cheer” follows the lives of the Navarro junior college cheer team located in Navarro, Texas. The series takes place over the course of one competition season, in which the final competition is in Daytona, Florida.
The team consists of 40 cheerleaders and one head coach, Monica Aldama. Aldama was a cheerleader herself and her lifelong passion has inspired her to help others succeed. She also serves as a mentor to her athletes, showing them that they can be the best they can. Out of the 40 team members, only 20 can be ‘on mat’ or compete for Daytona; causing teammates to compete against each other. Most of the team is shown throughout the series but there are a few breakout stars.
There is Jerry, who is most famous for his ‘mat talk’ in which he encourages his teammates from the sidelines. Many of the featured cast come from difficult backgrounds. Jerry lost his mother at a very young age, and through a tearful interview explains that is why he tries his hardest to be exceptionally positive. Then there is L’Darius who is Jerry’s roommate. L’Darius is the most outspoken and pushes himself to succeed every day. He was sexually abused as a young child and grew up with a mother in jail. L’Darius does not let this define him as he pushes everyone to try hard, along with himself.
Morgan and Lexi are the underdogs of the team, both coming from tough backgrounds as well. Morgan was abandoned by both her mother and father when she was younger, causing her to live by herself. She then was raised by her grandparents before coming to Navarro. Because of this, she always wants to prove herself. Lexi comes from a troubled background: she was arrested for fighting and dropped out of high school. She is a successful tumbler who has proven herself by attending Navarro and being under Monica’s wing.
As the series progresses, we see the hard work and dedication that is brought to the sport of cheerleading. The Navarro cheerleaders are dedicated to practice as much as they are for school, maybe even a little bit more. They go through ‘pyramid’ which is one of the many formations they do for competition. During practice for this, many athletes have gotten injured; some even needing replacements. But injury does not stop many of the athletes. It is shown throughout the series that they push through injuries that may cause them even more harm.
All their practice pays off in the end of the series, at Daytona Beach, Florida. There, the NCAA College nationals are performed where Navarro Cheer has won 13 championships. I’m not going to add any spoilers, so you’ll just have to watch to find out.
