67 replies to this topic

[WhitneyWhit]

From CMT

Go inside the high stakes, high pressure world of competitive cheerleading with tough-as-nails coach, Patty Ann Romero. Romero's senior team consists of 20 highly-conditioned athletes capable of jaw-dropping stunts and perfectly choreographed dance moves. When they're not practicing in their gym, these ordinary teenage girls must balance a grueling schedule of conditioning and competitions along with school and the pressures of everyday life. Romero dominates in the gym, but she's like a second mother to her team and will do what it takes to make sure they succeed on the mat and in life.

I guess cheerleading is the new reality show craze.

[amyuilani]

I set my DVR for the first episode, since it follows the season premiere of "Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team." Cheerleaders are fascinating, regardless of what level or what team they cheer for. I don't think the fascination with the sport, the athleticism, or the nature of the athletes who do it will ever end.

[dmmetler]

I'm hoping this will be one my DD can watch. She cheers at a competitive rec level now, and enjoys watching the big girls, but the premiere for the "Cheer Perfection" was too much in the Dance Moms/Toddlers & Tiaras vein for me to feel comfortable with her watching it.

[Sugarwater]

I'm not sure if this show is going to continue to hold my attention. The bloody smile was disturbing. Patty Ann's hair was disturbing. The one mom that asked about the cell phones and the curtains was funny boarding on disturbing. At least there didn't appear to be any manufactured drama.

[sessa]

What I found most disturbing were the giant bows and the hair curled into ringlets! Is that actually "the look" these cheer teams are going for? I was horrified! And yes, I couldn't stop staring at Patty Ann's hair as well.

[meatball77]

I really liked it. Seemed real as opposed to dancemoms.

The stupid bows and hair however. . . . When you're trying to get yourselves recognized as a sport things like that don't help.

I thought it was strange the girls weren't practicing in sports bras with the shorts (certainly when they were performing in half tops). I thought it was pretty standard and that the crop tops made stunting easier/safer (grabbing skin rather than a shirt when tossing a girl up). I wonder if that was for the cameras.

And do they really wear those bows to practice?

[Melancholiac]

Patty Ann looks like a cross between Kelli Finglass, director of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, and Dr. G, medical examiner.

[HelloPatti]

What I found most disturbing were the giant bows and the hair curled into ringlets! Is that actually "the look" these cheer teams are going for?

The answer would be yes. My daughter did competitive all star cheerleading in high school and that was the "look" for all the squads. It used to crack me up seeing the girls walking around with a cluster of teensy sponge rollers in their hair covered with some kind of bun cover. Plus the blue glitter eyeshadow and the bright red lipstick - even the little kids.

I was pretty impressed that Patty Ann held her ground with the mothers as far as the cell phones and the curtain. That was something that always annoyed the crap outta me on Dance Moms - it's a safety issue to have people wandering around asking the coaches questions during practices. And she made a great point about the text messaging. I also liked how the team captains were encouraging and mentoring the younger kids.

Edited by HelloPatti, Sep 8, 2012 @ 8:03 PM.

[WestCar20]

I enjoyed this one much more than the TLC special and am looking forward to seeing more.

[dmmetler]

I really liked this more than I'd thought I would. As the mom of a MUCH younger competitive cheerleader who is DYING to make an elite team, the coaching really seemed right on-cheer coaches who are dealing with a bunch of hormonal teen girls AND over-protective moms do tend to hold the line, and I agree with her reasons for having the gym closed and leaving the phones at home.

I do question the crickets at competition. Maybe it's just that my daughter doesn't compete nationally yet, but I've never heard a team NOT have a cheering section, even if the team was one mini-van load of girls who drove in with their coach. If nothing else, there are teams in other divisions, and those girls can cheer on the team that's competing, and there are also college friends of the coaches who are now coaching teams that aren't direct competitors and will tell their teams who to cheer for when they're watching, girls who are lower level cheerleaders and go to the competitions because they're picking up tips who cheer everyone, cheer moms/dads of kids of other levels who cheer for everyone, especially teams that don't seem to have a lot of local support, and so on. At minimum, you'll get polite applause on entry and exit. Part of cheer competition is rallying the crowd-and truthfully, cheer competition crowds really aren't hard to rally.

[eastlandgal]

I really liked this! So refreshing to see a show that lets the drama happen organically instead of staging everything. I did think the mom asking about the curtains/cells was staged, but only because they needed some way of demonstrating Patti's rules and how she stands her ground.

What I found the most interesting is that it would have been easy - and predictable - to follow a southern team that consistently placed high but instead they chose a northeastern team (not really a region famous for churning out top cheer teams) whose goal was to place in the top ten (up from 18th). On paper the stakes don't seem as high as say, Dunbar going for their third consecutive title in 'Cheerleader Nation,' but I find the "personal best" goal for this team much more compelling and relatable.

(Of course, the choice of team might have been logistics-driven as much as anything, as I noticed that Kelly Ripa/Mark Consuelos are producing, and they are NY-based. Either way, I like this team!)

On top of that, I liked the girls we met in the first episode and also liked Patti and the way she explained some of the stunts. Patti seems to really love what she's doing and while you have to have a big personality for a job like that, she doesn't come across like a total egomaniac (like Abby Lee on 'Dance Moms') and seems to really put the team and the girls first. Also, the lessons she teaches seem to be geared towards setting the girls up for real life (ie, you won't always have someone there to cheer for you), and as tough as she is I think these girls will be better for having this experience, no matter what they choose to do in life.

Edited by eastlandgal, Sep 11, 2012 @ 1:55 PM.

[MaryWebGirl]

I DVR'd this since I watch the DCC show, too, and I generally liked it. The thing that kind of bugs me was exemplified by Miranda. Getting yelled at by your coach and crying is awful enough when it's just your teammates watching, but how many people saw her go through that? That's rough for a 13 year old. I assume if any of the team members or parents expressed any sort of misgivings about the filming they were told to leave, and that just seems like a lot of pressure to put on kids.

Overall I think it was good to show how hard the girls work, how tough they are, and how supportive they can be of each other, but I hope the team starts performing better because I don't want to see any more of them get yelled at!

[honybr]

I just watched this last night and really enjoyed it. I always watch Worlds so I'm excited to follow a team leading up to that competition. I loved how the one girl loved her glittery makeup and how Patty Ann was like "I want a lip none of this natural stuff."

I couldn't help but freak out when the girl went into an allergic reaction. All I could think of is her mother had to be dying when they called her. Then to have to watch it on national TV.

It's on season pass for me. Friday can just be my guilty pleasure night since I watch DCC as well.

[Nittany84]

I just watched the first episode. I liked Patty Ann more than her obvious corollary, Abby on Dance Moms, because she did seem to genuinely like the kids.

I was confused, though: Why did the Texas competition have as a backdrop a reproduction of the Philadelphia LOVE sculpture? I know there are LOVE re-creations in other cities, but I don't think there is one in Texas. Made me suspicious that the footage from the Texas competition was actually the footage from the Philadelphia competition that came first.

[Lovepink]

Love this show!!! As a former cheer leader, I always watch these type shows. I loved cheerleader nation on lifetime but this show seems to spend more time on the actual cheer leading than anything else, which I love.

These girls are so talented!

I noticed the girls rocking the bouffant bumps in their competition hair, shout out to Jersey Shore???

[Sugarwater]

Baby May? Baby May! Please tell me that's just a nickname.

[Starrla]

This is a good show. I live in Dallas, so I'm forced to know at least a little bit about cheerleading. LOL There are tons of cheer gyms in every town around here. I like seeing a Northeast squad trying to gain some ground in traditionally Southern territory.

I like Patty Ann. She's tough, but doesn't have that "mean girl" side to her that Abby Lee Miller does.

[ElectricBoogalo]

One thing I love about this show is that each time they show one of the cheerleader's names on the screen, they also include her very specific role on the team.

One thing that I hate about this show (and many of the other cheerleading shows/documentaries) is the frighteningly bad gymnastics technique that so many of these girls have. I can't stand watching the sloppy back handsprings and the horrifyingly underrotated twists. Those are just accidents and injuries waiting to happen.

Hahaha, Baby May's name had me wondering if there's another May on the team/in the gym or if her first name is Baby and her middle name is May.

I didn't watch the entire episode, but I saw part of the competition when one of the girls fell so I liked that the girls were telling her not to dwell on it because they had the rest of the season ahead of them. I also appreciated that the coach was tough during practice but not mean. She and the other coach were very specific which is exactly what is needed. Yelling "YOU SUCK" doesn't help. Telling one girl that she wasn't pointing her left foot during the Shoushanova does help.

Edited by ElectricBoogalo, Sep 15, 2012 @ 11:08 AM.

[Sugarwater]

One thing that I hate about this show (and many of the other cheerleading shows/documentaries) is the frighteningly bad gymnastics technique that so many of these girls have. I can't stand watching the sloppy back handsprings and the horrifyingly underrotated twists. Those are just accidents and injuries waiting to happen.

Their gymnastics are absolutely terrible. I guess the judges don't care as long as they land on their feet. Every time I see them throw a trick, I cringe.

[astaire]

I was confused, though: Why did the Texas competition have as a backdrop a reproduction of the Philadelphia LOVE sculpture? I know there are LOVE re-creations in other cities, but I don't think there is one in Texas. Made me suspicious that the footage from the Texas competition was actually the footage from the Philadelphia competition that came first.

They were in Texas, here's another team performing with the same backdrop.

Competition Picture Gallery

Competition Results

Baby May? Baby May! Please tell me that's just a nickname.

According to the bios her real name is Gina

Edited by astaire, Sep 16, 2012 @ 9:16 AM.

[eastlandgal]

Their gymnastics are absolutely terrible. I guess the judges don't care as long as they land on their feet. Every time I see them throw a trick, I cringe.

I agree. Those standing back fulls, in particular, are straight from hell. They are especially cringeworthy after having watched the Olympics, and seeing Gabby Douglas/Jordyn Wieber throw those on BEAM. And then you have the CJA girls hurling themselves in the air and landing like tons of bricks, stepping out all over the place, fugly form all the while.

Speaking of cringeworthy, I don't know how many more times I can listen to their music. Those lyrics slay me every time. "Open your heart...and let your love for Central shine through..." "I'm from Central Jersey//you want a piece of me//you can't handle it, handle it..." OY.

Question: is there any actual cheering involved in these routines? It just seems like one long dance/stunt routine as opposed to Dunbar ('Cheerleader Nation') who had a whole cheer segment in the middle (no music). And in the TLC special 'Cheer Perfection,' the girls had to demonstrate their cheering abilities. Is this not required in NCA, or is this series just not showing it?

[Shella]

Question: is there any actual cheering involved in these routines? It just seems like one long dance/stunt routine as opposed to Dunbar ('Cheerleader Nation') who had a whole cheer segment in the middle (no music). And in the TLC special 'Cheer Perfection,' the girls had to demonstrate their cheering abilities. Is this not required in NCA, or is this series just not showing it?

They are an "All Star" team, which doesn't require a cheer in the middle. Typically All Star routines are just music/dance/stunting. All Star teams are sponsored/run by a cheer gym, and don't cheer for any sports teams. Unlike specific school teams (Dunbar, etc.) which cheer for sports teams and do their own stuff on the competition circuit. Since school teams do cheer for teams, it is usually a requirement in competitions to demonstrate how they would get their crowd going at home. For college teams at competitions, they usually have to also submit a tape of them cheering at their school, and the score of that tape will get factored into their overall score.

[MaryWebGirl]

I kind of side-eyed Patty Ann bringing in her daughter to give the team a pep talk at first, but it looked like the team really did like her and it helped since they did a great run through right after. I guess it's the difference between wanting to do well so your coach doesn't yell at you and wanting to really impress someone you admire.

After seeing the Dallas competition I'm thinking they did the Denton one at the behest (and on the dime) of the production company and it was a last-minute decision. It was so low-rent compared to what we were shown in Dallas, and it seems odd to me that not one parent came along while it looked like they had a pretty good contingent in Dallas.

[Lovepink]

I was disappointed in the tumbling coach J.J. When Kriselle "lied" about both hands touching the floor at competition, instead of working with her to improve her technique, he puts the squad through a grueling (and pointless) work out session. And I don't think Kriselle lied. That moment lasted for two seconds and I bet she just really didn't remember.

Is it just me or are their stunts kinda sloppy? Not bad, just not as clean and precise as you'd expect.

Did some of the girls have their hair down at competition? I thought that was against the rules? It's definitely unsafe.

Did anybody catch the name of the disorder Jackie has?

Edited by Lovepink, Sep 17, 2012 @ 9:06 PM.

[dmmetler]

Chairi Malformation. It's related to Spina bifida. I'm kind of surprised that she's doing cheer because it usually affects balance and coordination. I'm guessing her case is pretty mild.

[noodlymom]

They are an "All Star" team, which doesn't require a cheer in the middle. Typically All Star routines are just music/dance/stunting. All Star teams are sponsored/run by a cheer gym, and don't cheer for any sports teams.

I have a friend who is a cheer coach and she constantly laments how horrible "all star" cheerleaders are as real cheerleaders because they basically learn nothing relevant to real cheer. She said they can't remember cheers, can usually only do 1-2 stunts, etc. Not to mention their gymnastics- this has cemented my decision NOT to take my young daughter to the tumbling classes at our local cheer gym (I won't let her cheer there due to the ridiculous $$$$). I'd much rather her learn how to tumble the right way, which she is doing now. I've seen girls who cant' do a back walkover learning a back handspring. They look like messy frogs because their technique is so poor, but I guess in all star cheer scoring as long as you get your feet over your head it counts.

I feel sorry for the really young girls, 12 and 13. That's a lot of pressure. I'd bet many of the youngest are brought up as flyers because they are smaller. I've seen younger level girls (I don't know the levels, but say kids that are mostly 12-13) have a 7 year old with them just because she was small and could fly. Or the 7-8 year old team with a 4 year old flyer. No. way. Our local gym wants my daughter to come because she is 7 but weighs less than 50 pounds. I know they want her to fly but I'm sorry I do not trust a bunch of little girls to throw her around, while I pay $1000 a month to watch.

The girl with the medical condition (Jackie??) scares me to death. I'd think if she falls and hits her head she could seriously die. Is it really worth it? The mom said something about quality of life. Well there are a lot of quality activities she could do that don't include being thrown in the air by teens. Eep.

[ElectricBoogalo]

I have a friend who is a cheer coach and she constantly laments how horrible "all star" cheerleaders are as real cheerleaders because they basically learn nothing relevant to real cheer. She said they can't remember cheers, can usually only do 1-2 stunts, etc. Not to mention their gymnastics- this has cemented my decision NOT to take my young daughter to the tumbling classes at our local cheer gym (I won't let her cheer there due to the ridiculous $$$$). I'd much rather her learn how to tumble the right way, which she is doing now. I've seen girls who cant' do a back walkover learning a back handspring. They look like messy frogs because their technique is so poor, but I guess in all star cheer scoring as long as you get your feet over your head it counts.

So true. I wouldn't let my kid learn tumbling at a cheer gym. I'd only take a kid to an actual gymnastics gym with a good reputation in order to ensure that she was taught proper technique. Messy frogs is the most apt description I've heard of bad back handsprings. And I agree that seeing sloppy gymnastics so soon after the Olympics just makes it seem even worse.

[eminwf]

I am confused about the Denton results. According to funcheer.com, they won 1st - Level Grand Champion for the Small Senior Level 5 group. The awards photos show them with a huge trophy and banner.

There is no second or third place for their division - were they the only entry? And while they scored 85 points, that was the highest score of all the teams on the results page.

Bah - I hate it when these shows screw with the results just so they can tell a "better story".

[meatball77]

It could be like dance comps where there's a first in category and then a first overall and the overall is all anyone cares about.

[MsTaken]

Patty Ann is growing on me. But while her personality is turning out better than expected, I swear her hair is getting worse with every episode. Is she getting mildly to moderately electrocuted between every scene?!

This is probably unfair, but that girl Lexi annoys me. I'm sure she's perfectly nice, but she just seems so condescending and convinced that she's got unique wisdom from which the other girls can benefit.

One pleasant surprise to me, as someone who knows very little about this sport, is that most of the girls have muscular, athletic builds rather than the borderline anorexic bodies I feared we'd get here.

Speaking of cringeworthy, I don't know how many more times I can listen to their music. Those lyrics slay me every time. "Open your heart...and let your love for Central shine through..." "I'm from Central Jersey//you want a piece of me//you can't handle it, handle it..." OY.

I know! It is so awful. I can't freaking "handle it, handle it." And apparently there's another part to this cleverly written tune that I didn't catch before last night's episode---something that involves the words "fierce!" and ordering the audience to "love" them. I'm sorry I can't be more specific, but I blocked out the details!

I'm so addicted to this goofy little show, though I can't begin to explain why.