Episode 2 My Team: The Cheerleaders

Three teams. They all want to win

but only the team that can throw highest,

flip fastest, and pull off jaw-dropping stunts

will take home the prize.

First place goes to...

They'll have to be totally fearless because the journey ahead

could make...or break them.

Forget pom-poms, this is the world of cheerleading.

Three of the UK's top cheerleading teams are battling for a major

cheer championship title.

They have just months to crack a tough competition routine

of jaw-dropping stunts and hardcore gymnastics

that they'll perform in front of thousands.

To compete, that's what everyone is in for.

The training that we put into it

for a two-and-a-half minute routine is like, wow.

-The pressure is on for all teams.

-I'm really, really nervous.

Now the pressure is on.

Each team will need to hold their nerve

and work together to bring home that trophy.

Coming up: Ascension Eagles' Amanda takes a tumble.

You just went like this and panicked.

A new mascot gives Rising Stars a boost.

She's going to stay and watch us train

and she's going to be like a little cheer puppy.

And champions Unity All Stars face their worst fears.

The worst thing, I would say, is

I wouldn't be able to recover in time for competition.

The Cheerleading Championships are just three months away

and East London's Ascension Eagles have been struggling

to master the showpiece of their routine - the stunts.

I'm worried about this practice.

A gruelling training session with an American coach showed up

weaknesses in Lillie's stunt group,

so coach Angela decides on a surprise shake-up for the team.

You are now going to be with Georgie in her stunt group

with Amanda and Diana.

Emily has gone to Lillie's group so you can get changed -

your stunt group is actually here so we'll get started.

Zach, Olive, Louise, let's go!

These are the new stunt groups.

It takes a while to get to this, and even then there's no guarantee

that this will be the answer or the correct groupings.

I think everyone is going to be surprised with the change.

We've had these stunt groups for quite a long time

but for some reason it stopped working.

Hopefully, this will work.

It's going to be tricky.

Guys, technique!

Use your legs, don't drop your arms, extend. Flyers, stay tight.

We're only on five. Here we go. Five more. One, two, three.

It's very important that the stunt groups work

because we could fall in competitions and it looks pretty bad

for the flyers because it looks like it's their fault.

Three, four, five...

12-year-old Lillie is one of the team's star flyers,

but this season she's struggling to stay in the air.

Our stunt group is failing really badly

because we're always falling and stuff.

If you fall over or something, you just have to get back up.

You fall on your face, you have to stand back up and go again.

It's just part of the sport.

People say it's so easy but once you do it, it's really hard.

I'm going to practice at home and at the gym as hard as I can

cos I really don't want to let my team down

because my team is like everything to me.

Like, that's the one thing what I do this sport for.

Determined to save her stunts,

Lillie gets her dad, Graham, to step in to base position.

Five, six, seven, jump!

One...three.

Oh! My ankle clicked!

You're tipping my feet!

Do some cleaning while you're there!

THEY LAUGH

Dad!

I started cheerleading about a year ago. Now that I have come to

Ascension Eagles my life has changed and it has become so much better.

Cheerleading does make me feel special

because I can just be myself and show people what I can do.

It makes me feel like I'm the only person that can do it.

I know I'm not, but it makes me feel like, do you know what,

I can do this.

It makes me feel like I could achieve the impossible.

Come on, Dad.

OK, now you come down.

I'm just going to go to sleep for an hour and a half or something!

With the competition season fast approaching,

if Lillie and the Ascension Eagles stand a chance of beating their

rivals, they need to perfect another skill in their routine - tumbling.

Tumbling is where gymnastics meets cheerleading,

and it can mean big points in a competition.

Travelling across the floor in a combination of acrobatics,

somersaults and flips, these moves look even more impressive

when everyone flips together!

Synchronised tumbling is quite important to the score sheet

so you want to double up or have three or four people

tumbling at the same time, and that's how you make it creative.

Personally I think tumbling is the best part of the routine

because just the fact that you get to show your skills

and show what you've worked towards.

I would say that tumbling is my, like, my passion

and plus I think it's the best thing what I'm good at.

But tumbling doesn't come as easy to some members of the team.

Especially Amanda.

You just went like this, and panicked.

Feet up, look to the ground, you're fine.

I don't like tumbling.

It's...

I find it scary.

I just have this fear that I'd fall,

that I won't do something correctly,

I would land in a bad position

and I'll probably break my leg or something.

You'll be here on Wednesday at six o'clock every week from now on, OK?

Amanda is naturally talented, especially when it comes to tumbling.

She does find it difficult to tumble, and she has a bit of a mental block

but she is absolutely more than capable of doing them.

Tumbling needs training, and Amanda needs to train harder

so her flips don't become flops.

You don't come to tumble class

so that means you've obviously got all your tumbles, and you won't

throw your tumbles in practice and you're more than capable.

So either you come to tumble class and you work on it,

or you throw your tumbles in practice. All right?

She sometimes over-rotates in her tumbling, lands on her bum, her head,

but she hasn't really learned how to control her power yet.

Amanda... Charlie. Anyone else who needs work on their tumbles?

You're required to attend the tumble class.

You guys aren't really strong stunters

so you have to be strong tumblers, otherwise you won't get the points.

I really want to get through my fear of tumbling.

I want to know I can do it by myself,

I don't need no one there so I need to work on it, work on it.

Tumbles can make or break a winning routine, but need expert training.

That means extra classes with tumble coach, Gareth.

Amanda has turned up for tumbling today, which is a rare treat.

And stop there. Yes, Amanda.

I was just saying what a pleasure it is to have you here today

on a Wednesday.

Arms up.

Amanda has a huge amount of power when she's tumbling.

Lift. That's it!

When you have that amount of power, you need to train consistently with

your tumbling, otherwise you don't learn how to use that power

in a safe and effective way.

Go again. Stand-up.

So there's a snap action, which you're not doing.

Do it again.

Because of Amanda's lack of attendance to tumbling sessions,

she doesn't know how to use that power

so she actually becomes perhaps a little bit nervous of the power.

So her head stays up, arms stay by her ears, knees come to her chest

and then her hips lift in, will create rotation, as opposed to

this action which is causing a whip and her to land on her face.

Isn't it? And set, head stays in.

Better effort. Good.

It's going all right now. I know what I'm doing wrong.

Today I'm going to correct it.

Arms up.

That's fine. Yep!

How much run up do you want before a forward dive roll?!

-Lift, kick, perfect, good.

-I don't have to be scared.

I know I can do it. Bigging myself!

Chest up.

Roll, round off, flick.

Good.

If you don't come next Wednesday, you're joining my level one team.

-No!

-Yeah, I need you to come next Wednesday to get your tumble.

I don't want to be in that team.

I like being in the team that I am right now.

I don't want to leave my team to go in a lower-level team,

that's bad.

I'm just going to keep coming to tumble classes

and work on my tumbles in my free time.

I will see if I can do it, just wait until the day comes.

The competition season is drawing near,

and all three cheerleading teams are training harder than ever.

-Cheerleading is very tough.

-There's nothing really like it.

It's not just something that comes easily to you,

you have to work hard.

-It's hard work, it tires you out.

-I'm constantly doing it.

-You eat, sleep, cheer.

-You're dedicated, you're committed to it.

Because you really want to win.

In Surrey, reigning cheer champions, Unity All Stars,

are hoping to hold onto their title.

But it all looks a bit up in the air

after flyer Becky fell and seriously hurt her ankle.

When someone has an accident within the gym

it gives them a bit of worry, like,

to think that cheerleading is quite a dangerous sport.

I hate to see any of the girls hurt

because I've been in that position myself and it is a horrible feeling.

Today, Becky's at the hospital to find out how bad the injury is.

The worst thing they could say is, I don't know, maybe

that I wouldn't be able to recover in time for competition.

Just cos obviously I wouldn't be able to take part and things.

Cheerleading does mean an awful lot to Becky.

She's very sports orientated so let's just hope that

her recovery is going to be quick.

An MRI scan will show if her ankle is bruised or broken.

If this is as bad as she fears,

it could rule her out of the cheerleading competition.

It's time to get the results.

So you can see this little fragment of bone here,

you've got a fracture.

-OK?

-Mm-hmm. OK.

Looking at the swelling, the degree of the swelling, the bruising,

the pain, the loss of function, they're all signs of fracture.

So we'll put you in a below knee Scotchcast, non-weight-bearing.

I think you're going to be at least 8-12 weeks before you return.

It's important to get this right, OK?

-OK.

-You like your cheerleading, I can tell.

OK. All right, let me shake your hand. Well done, keep your chin up.

This is devastating news for Becky...

Cheerleading will wait.

..and could leave her championship dreams shattered.

-Thank you.

-Bye then.

I honestly thought it was going to be a few weeks.

If it does take 12 weeks, it's right around the first competition,

and so...

..if it is, I will probably have to miss out on that and then...

There will be other competitions, poppet.

I'm just really frustrated about it.

But Becky won't be beaten.

So, with her ankle in plaster, and determined to learn the routine from

the sidelines, she's straight back to see Head Coach Tori in training.

-How are you, my love?

-Good, yeah.

-How is it feeling?

-I thought you had a pink cast on?

-Yeah, I do.

-Why are you hiding it?

You'll be back in no time, you'll be fine, don't worry.

In you go, let's go and get everyone to sign your boot.

Injuries are absolutely the biggest worry for us,

as you know, before competition, but injuries happen to everyone

and you have to be prepared for it.

You can't let it faze you. You always have a backup plan in mind.

It is really devastating for the team because everybody

has their place on the team, like we all work as one

and we all move as one so if we lose one of them people,

then it's basically like... a heartbreak.

I hope you get well soon, Beck.

It's a set-back, but Team Unity won't give up,

and they push on with the routine with Becky watching on.

Like Ascension Eagles, they're tackling their tumbles.

Their competition dreams depend on a knock-out tumbling routine

that Coach Dave hopes will wow the judges and set them apart

from their competitors.

I would say Unity is very big on tumbling.

We put a lot of focus on it, and a lot of emphasis on it.

If you have a team that has a lot of tumbling,

so a lot of athletes can tumble, you're already one step ahead

of every other team in your division.

One member of Unity All Stars working hard on his tumbles

is 13-year-old Ajay, one of only two boys on the team.

My name is Ajay and I live in north London.

Cheerleading has changed my life

because before I didn't really care about anything, but now I care about

everything, and also cheerleading has helped me discover who I really am.

I'm smaller than 99% of the people at my school.

I feel like no-one notices me, and I feel no-one really knows I'm there.

When I'm at cheer, I don't feel like my size limits who I can be.

I know who I am, I know who I want to be,

and I am as big as I want to be.

I think it's a sport dominated by girls

but it would be great if more boys did it.

Ajay lives with his four brothers and sister in London.

Us three share this room, them two share the room next door -

we call it the baby room because they're babies.

-And I just have a room for myself.

-Because she's the only girl.

This is cheer zone.

This is my sister Taylor's room, we call it Cheer Central.

She started cheerleading before me.

My mum took me to practice and then bribed me to do it.

I was bribed with a video game and I think £10!

But now Ajay is just as cheer-crazy as Taylor.

This is one of my trophies that I won.

First place for ICC Summer Jam Festival for my solo.

Taylor wins a lot more stuff than me

so if I can come first this year, I will be able to level up with her.

-Who's the best cheerleader?

-Me.

-Me.

It's actually me.

SCHOOL BELL RINGS

As soon as his school day is over in central London, Ajay has

a long journey ahead of him,

travelling out of the city to Unity's Cheer HQ in Surrey.

I'm not sure how far Sutton is

but I know it takes almost an hour on the train.

It's hard to do this twice a week because you have to know

if your train is running or if the train isn't running.

I only do this because I really like doing cheerleading.

Unity All Stars demand perfection,

so hitting their high standards means lots of hard work for Ajay.

It's Ajay's first season with us. He's been on other teams

and unfortunately he's come with a lot of bad technique,

and we're trying our hardest to take that bad technique

and try and like squeeze it out of him. It's a difficult process.

He's open to learning but he's quite forgetful by nature so every week

it's like starting again with Ajay, but I know he'll pull through.

But today Ajay's tumbles aren't up to scratch

so coach Dave is forced to step in.

I think you're a cool guy

but you know you're not making enough changes in your tumbling

in tumble class because you've been with me for a full term

in tumble class and we haven't improved

so we need to really concentrate and really focus, right? Yes?

It's frustrating because sometimes you get it really, really good,

and other times you get it really bad.

And then it just messes around with your head a lot.

Dave has a unique plan

to help Ajay's tumbling technique bounce back!

Ajay heads back to the gym the following week

to try out Dave's top tumbling training aids - elastic bands?!

So we're going to use this elastic band, put your arms up.

You're going to wear it like a backpack. This opens your shoulders

and pulls your shoulder blades together.

The reason we do this is we want all that force

and power going through your shoulders.

It puts your shoulders in the best position for you to tumble in.

This leg needs to be straight.

Lock it. Squeeze.

Looking forward. Pull this in.

Make sure, no...

No.

Let's start to look at your round-off.

We'll put these round and these will hopefully snap your legs together.

It needs to be swing, jump, fast, fast, fast. Really sharp.

Do you see how sharp my body movements are?

You need to emulate me because I'm awesome, right now you're below par.

Fast, fast, fast. Much better.

The elastic bands are getting his legs together which is much,

much nicer for the round-off.

The shoulder pack that he's got on is opening his shoulders

so we can go to this really nice active arm position, which is

the optimum position when he goes to tumble.

Better but push your hips up.

Arms up at the end.

Arms up at the end.

And walk back.

The problem is he's had maybe four or five years

with these bad techniques and it's really hard to undo that

in the space of a couple of months.

Squeeze. Quicker.

Too slow! You're like my grandad!

I'm going to find a wall to bang my head against. What did you do wrong?

I love how you point out the wall I can use!

You get it good one time

and then the next time you'll get it completely wrong.

Then you'll get it good, wrong, good, wrong,

and then it'll just get you really frustrated.

So, we don't bend our arms.

All the power goes through where?

Shoulders, yes! We push our hips up, we get our toes over fast

and we land in what position?

Hallelujah! Off we go.

Much better! Much, much better.

We've made incredible progress.

That will be good for comp.

Over 200 miles away in Manchester,

northern team Rising Stars have one thing on their minds -

beating their rivals to win the championship.

That is until team mate Emily turns up with a surprise guest!

-She's so cute!

-She's so cute!

I brought my pug, and she's eight weeks old. I only got her yesterday.

She's going to stay and watch us train

and she's going to be like a little cheer puppy.

Their new mascot might be lucky but each team needs more than luck

to win, so it's time for training with coach, Carly.

Listen up! We're going to try and piece the routine together

as much as we can, OK?

Rising Stars' stunts are riding high

but their tumbling skills could be their downfall.

Right, we need to go to tumbles quickly.

To make sure they don't finish bottom,

coach Carly needs the whole team to master landing on theirs!

This is 'tumble suicide'!

Good, Niamh.

That was amazing, well done.

A suicide is a front somersault and you land on your bum.

They hurt a lot, that's why they're called suicides!

Yes, Ellie! Really good.

Our weaknesses this year are going to be our tumbling.

We don't have a very good ratio of non-tumblers to tumblers

so, to get a good score in the tumble category, you need to

make sure that you've got over half your team performing

a level-appropriate tumble. At the moment we don't have that.

Good, start with that and build it up.

Not everyone in the team does tumbling, I'd say

it's about half of them because it's only made for certain people.

Like, not everybody has got the right body to do it.

You've got to have no fear of going backwards or forwards.

You've got to just think, right, I've got to get on with it.

It can be really hard to be able to learn it

so only about half the team can tumble, like, properly.

But Coach Carly has a secret weapon!

Good, James.

11-year-old James is one of the team's top tumblers.

James is amazing at tumbling. He's the only boy in our team

so we need as many tumblers as we can to make it really good.

Today he's being taught some advanced tumbling skills

by top Rising Star senior cheerleader, Rory.

Today I'm teaching James to do a standing tuck, which is

a level four skill.

I honestly don't know anyone in this country, and I've met quite a lot

of people on these teams, of James's age, that can do a standing tuck.

I know a lot of people my age and in the senior teams,

but as far as juniors go, it's a very complex skill.

My favourite part is probably the tumbling.

You've got to have loads of strength to do the tumbles.

He actually came to Rising Stars and couldn't do any tumbling

so we taught him the basics and he's actually moved on,

and he's just one to watch.

When he gets older he's going to be absolutely amazing.

He can tumble, he can base, and he can fly,

which are skills which most boys don't have.

I think he's going to be massive in a couple of years on this squad,

absolutely huge.

15-year-old Eleanor is also an advanced tumbler,

but best friend Aimee doesn't find it so easy.

I'm not a very good tumbler.

I injure myself a lot at cheerleading and outside of cheerleading

because I'm really clumsy.

I can never keep my legs straight or my knees straight or my arms

and I'm just a bit all over the place.

Sometimes she struggles and looks like a bird

cos her arms and legs are, like, everywhere.

She has had a battle learning to tumble but she's pushed so hard.

She makes everybody laugh and she's a great person to have around.

She's just a character, really.

Being a cheerleader makes you feel amazing,

it's the best feeling in the world.

This season isn't going according to plan for Aimee.

Her tumbling is becoming a big problem for the team

and it's not all down to her technique.

I have Osgood-Schlatter disease in my knees,

which means that my bones grow too fast for my muscles.

It makes my knees swell up and they hurt a lot when I do exercise.

In the morning after I've had cheer, I can't walk properly.

My mum told me I should give up cheer for a bit until they've got better

but I don't want to let the team down.

It's the thing that I love doing the most.

-Which bit are we doing?

-The one that we mastered.

-Yeah, we can do that.

Regardless of how much she's hurting,

she won't let the team down at all.

We just have to keep an eye on her

and make sure she doesn't push herself too hard.

The competition is now only three months away,

and the pressure's on for Aimee and the rest of the team to perform.

So, today, I really need lots of concentration from you all.

We need to get this routine clean. Off you go.

To check on their progress,

coach Carly orders a run-through of the whole competition routine.

But Aimee struggles to keep up.

And in the middle of the rehearsal, her tumble goes horribly wrong...

..and she lands badly on her knees.

SHE SOBS

It's a huge setback for Aimee and could affect her role on the team.

It's really bad at the minute. Yeah, I'm just worried.

Aimee hit her knees again.

To a normal person it probably wouldn't hurt

but because she's got bad knees anyway, it is hurting her to

land like that, so she can't learn because every time she's landing

she's hurting herself so she's not learning to make the landing better.

She's just injuring herself more.

Let's go from the jumps.

Still in pain,

Aimee battles on with the routine for the sake of her team.

She still does get through it, she tries so hard and I have to just

admire her so much for that. It's just amazing.

But to prevent any further injury, Carly takes drastic action

and cuts Aimee's tumbles from the routine.

If it's hurting your knees, we can't do it, Aimee.

We can't do this routine without you, stunting-wise.

I would rather you not do your flick and concentrate on the stunts.

When Carly took my tumbling out of the routine

I was really, really upset. I put everything into this tumbling

and I was just so upset because I didn't really know what to say

or what to do.

She's going to rest her knees and not do her round-off flick

in the routine just yet, and we're going to build that skill back up

from a basic level to start with. Fingers crossed.

Next time:

The pressure gets too much for Unity's team captain, Lillie.

A key Ascension Eagle gets grounded.

I don't know what to say, Shola.

And two Rising Stars compete for the top spot.

It's like a challenge between Emily and Sophie.