On this episode
If you love cheerleading and gymnastics, this is the episode for you. In thus episode we sit down with High Point University Cheerleading Coach Sydney Smith to discuss some of the most popular sport documentaries on Netflix. We talk about shows like Cheer, Last Chance U, Athlete A and Icarus.
​
Time Outline
0:00- 0:40 : Carsyn introduces our special guest for the episode, Sydney Smith, the head Cheer coach at High Point University.
:50-1:05 : Madison gives a background summary of the TV Series Cheer.
1:20- 4:00: Sydney gives a break down on how the cheer competitions work.
4:10- 5:40 : Madison brings up how intense and competitive these competitions are portrayed on the show. Sydney brings up that competitive cheer is very time consuming even at a young age.
5:45- 7:20 : Carsyn mentions that sometimes people do not view cheer as a sport. This sparked a conversation about how intense cheerleading is as a sport. Sydney and Carsyn tell a story about their close interaction to cheer accidents.
7:22-8:00 : Madison asks the question “Since you guys spend so much time together are you guys like family?” Carsyn and Sydney say yes and go on to explain. They talk about how in the show the drama is shown a lot but it does happen in real life as well.
8:03-8:38 : Sydney brings up the mental aspect of the sport and that the coaches priorities have a lot of effect on it. Are you looking for a program that is just out to win or is cheerleading your safe place? She said if you want the family dynamic you have to nurture it.
8:38- 9:40: Sarah brings up a show she used to watched call Cali smohead that is similar to Cheer. She talks about how intense and cutthroat the team was. Carsyn then relates the intense environment to the real-life cheer.
9:42- 10:30: Sydney starts to talk about mental aspect of the sport, and everyone chimes in. Carsyn relates it to her own experience.
10:33- 12:50: SPOLIER ALERT(do not listen if you haven’t watched Cheer Season 2) We talk about the seasons drama with choreographer and coaches.
12:54- 14:10: Sarah brings up she didn’t even know that community colleges had sports. Sydney brings up that she found out that community colleges had sports with the show Last Chance U.
14:13- 15:30: Madison asks if anyone heard of Navaro before the show. They knew who Gabby Butler was. They start to talk about who is broadcasted on TV.
15:34- 17:49: Madison brings up that there is not much Cheerleaders can do after college. Carsyn and Sydney give their input on this topic.
17:55- 19:16: Sarah asks what type of cheer they like the best. Competition is Carsyn’s favorite but football is a close second.
19:15- 21:19: Sydney talks about how she works for UCA. They start to talk about the connection between football and cheerleaders. Sarah talks about how much she loves watching stunts.
21:21- 25:35: Madison asks of they liked Monica’s coaching style. They then get into talking about the backgrounds of the players on the show
25:38-29:40: Sydney brings up the personality tests and says that almost everyone in the cheerleading world is orange. They have big personalities and bring everyone up. They also get into things getting personal.
29:44- 31:22: Sarah asks if it is hard getting used to a new stunt group.
31:24- 38:25: Madison asks if everyone has seen Athlete A. They talk about how you must mentally prepare sometimes to watch a show like that. They bring the conversation to Jerry and about his accusations of pedophilia.
40:00- 41:18: Madison brings up the documentary Icarus
​