Cheer Seasons 1-2: Come for the Stunts, Stay for the Team

Cheer is a Netflix docuseries that explores the world of junior college competitive cheerleading through the eyes of a cheer squad at Navarro College. As one of the best college cheer squads in the world, viewers are taken on a roller coaster ride of emotions as the team undergoes tough training sessions. We get close and personal with the head coach, Monica Aldama, as well as some of the students as they discuss their ambitions and emotions through it all.

Part of what makes this show so addictive is the fact that cheerleading is fun to watch. It is a mixture of complex tumbling, flying, and fierce choreography. Competitive cheerleading is even more fun because it brings in this sense of sportsmanship, team bonding, and competitive spirit that makes you really excited and want to root for the team’s success. So ultimately, being able to follow the journey of a team as they trained for their most important competition of the year was a thrilling ride.

Through Cheer, I learned about the short lifespan of being a competitive cheerleader. After college competitions, there really is no higher goal to achieve. There are professional cheerleaders for sports teams, but cheering on a competitive squad involves a lot more in terms of stunting and teamwork. Many students may feel that their time at Navarro is their last chance to be a cheerleader, so the pressure to succeed becomes that much higher.

The backbone behind Navarro College’s cheer program is Monica Aldama, the head coach. I think she’s amazing and fierce! Though her methods are hard and she’s been criticized by the internet a lot (the not-so-great things that come with fame), there’s no denying that she knows how to get results and is a really interesting person.

I think the standout student for me was Gabi Butler, who was featured across Season 1 and Season 2. The documentary informs us that she is basically a celebrity in the cheerleading world with an abundance of talent. I think I liked her more after the show ended because I started following her social media account. Only an exceptional few are able to continue being an active member of the cheer community after graduating, and Gabi is definitely one of them.

I really loved Season 1 of this show! When I first started watching, I was really nervous because I felt like there was a high chance of watching athletes get injured. The documentary definitely emphasizes the risk factors of cheerleading. However, though there are a few injuries in the show, the scenes are thankfully not graphic or grotesque.

Season 2 was filmed in 2020-2021…so there was a clear and expected focus on dealing with the pandemic. It also focused a lot on Navarro’s rival school, TVCC. To be honest, I was 100% team Navarro and team Monica after watching Season 1. Spending half of season 2 learning about the rival school was not particularly interesting to me.

Another focus of season 2 that was really cool was exploring how Monica and the Navarro students were dealing with their newfound fame after Season 1. In the end, I think the season gets real with the repercussions of fame and the fact that losing is just another factor of winning.

Cheer is filled with drama, exciting routines, sportsmanship, and interesting personalities. I think it’s a docuseries that is so worth watching for how interesting and exciting it is. I definitely hope there are more seasons after this one, but I guess only time will tell!