- Netflix’s documentary series “Cheer” has been a massive hit since its release on January 8.
- The show spotlights the collegiate cheer team at Navarro College, but it also points out that many of the team members are on All Star teams as well.
- All Star cheer takes place on a spring floor, allowing athletes to do more elaborate stunts, while collegiate cheer happens on mats atop a hardwood floor.
- “It’s got a spice to it that is very showy,” cheerleader Gabi Butler told Insider of All Star.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Netflix’s documentary series “Cheer” has turned America’s attention to cheer, an often forgotten and belittled sport.
The series follows a championship-winning cheer team from Navarro College, a junior college in Corsicana, Texas, and it’s been a massive hit with audiences since its release on January 8.
The athletes featured on the show are the best of the best when it comes to cheer, and the series shows viewers their constant work at school, led by their fearless coach Monica.
Many of the Navarro cheerleaders compete on All Star teams in addition to being on the school’s team
In a recent interview with Insider, Gabi Butler, one of the stars of "Cheer," told Insider that the Navarro cheerleaders have daily three-hour practices for school.
"And depending on whether or not you're an All Star cheerleader, also people have practice Monday and Wednesday night," she said. Butler currently competes with Top Gun All Star cheer.
"We're basically cheering all day long," she said.
All Star Cheer is club cheerleading, and cheerleaders have to pay to be on those teams. The cost can be anywhere from $1,500 to $5,000 per year, according to the US All Star Cheer Federation.
But there are a few key differences between collegiate and All Star cheer in terms of the sport itself, too.
The biggest difference between collegiate and All Star cheer is the surface on which it takes place
Collegiate cheerleaders compete on hardwood floors - like you'd see in a basketball gym - with a thin mat on top of them to protect the athletes if they fall.
All Star cheerleaders, on the other hand, compete on spring floors, which offer more bounce and support.
The differences in flooring can impact cheerleaders' routines, and determines the kinds of tricks they are able to do. For instance, Double Full Twists are prohibited in collegiate cheer, while they're allowed in All Star since the floor makes it safer for athletes to attempt the stunt.
"People can do motions in All Star that they wouldn't be able to do in college," Butler said.
In addition to the tricks that are allowed, Butler also noted that All Star cheer has a different look than collegiate cheer.
"All Star is more flashy," Butler told Insider. "It's got a spice to it that is very showy."
Both kinds of cheerleading are featured on the show, though collegiate is given a spotlight because the Navarro team is the focus of "Cheer."
You can follow Butler on Instagram here.
- Read more:
- Athletes on Netflix's 'Cheer' captivated audiences with their stunts, tumbles, and routines. Here's what they're up to now.
- What life is like for a Navarro cheerleader - and yes, it is as intense as 'Cheer'
- A play-by-play look at how the 'Cheer' athletes accidentally dropped a teammate, and what was supposed to happen instead
- Watch the Navarro cheerleaders perform a full-out version of their iconic routine from 'Cheer' on 'The Ellen Show'