The championship cheerleading team from Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas, had a lot of reasons to celebrate on Thursday’sTheEllen DeGeneresShow.
Not only were the student athletes at the center of Netflix’s hit sports docu-seriesCheergiven a chance to perform their high-flying routine — which won them their 14th National Cheerleaders Association National Championship title — but they were also given a major gift on the show: a whopping $20,000 check, courtesy ofShutterfly.
“We know that you have a lot of money that you have to raise to compete each year, so our friends at Shutterfly want to cheer you on,” DeGeneres said.
Their news had everyone on the stage, well, cheering — even Head Coach Monica Aldama.
“I’ve done this for 25 years and even though I thought it was a temporary job [at first], I just can’t see myself giving it up,” she told DeGeneres. “I’m so passionate about these kids and I love doing it.”
Cheerbreakout stars Jerry Harris, Gabi Butler, La’Darius Marshall, Lexi Brumback, Morgan Simianer, Mackenzie “Sherbs” Sherburn, Allie Ross, James Thomas, TT Barker, Shannon Woolsey and Austin Bayles all returned to perform onEllen,even though some have already moved on from the two-year college after the events of the series.
The cast ofCheerperforman onThe Ellen DeGeneres Show.Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.
Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.
Prior to their performance, Harris, Butler and Marshall sat down with Aldama and DeGeneres to chat about the series.
During their chat, Harris showed off his mat talk skills, and Marshall opened up about his tough childhood.
Butler — who is “cheer famous,” with over 1 million followers on Instagram — also responded to backlash her parents have received after viewers on the series questioned whether they were pushing her too hard.
“When the show came out, we all watched it together as a family. It was a really big eye-opener for all of us,” Butler, 22, said. “My parents were like, ‘Wow, maybe we do need to be more independent and let her make her own decisions for herself.’ And I really do think that it was great for me because I really started to love myself more and being like, ‘I need to be more positive for myself.’ So I’m really grateful for the show.”
Jerry Harris and his teammates onThe Ellen DeGeneres Show.Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.
“These are like my kids,” she said. “They come to me with their problems. I hear the stories. I see the tears. And I would never want anyone to feel like they were less than for how they were born. I’m really passionate about it and I want to protect them through anything.”
Cheeris streaming now on Netflix.TheEllen DeGeneresShowairs weekdays in syndication (check local listings).
source: people.com
