I Joined The #1 Cheer Team In America
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00:00 But because of the physical risk, I never allowed myself to try.
00:05 Until now.
00:08 So this week I'm going to step out onto the mat to fulfill one of my lifelong dreams of auditioning for one of the top cheer teams in the US.
00:17 Because if I don't, I'll always be wondering, what if?
00:23 So here's how this episode is going to work.
00:26 Ten days from today, I am going to try out for the University of Kentucky's actual cheer team.
00:32 And in order to make the team, I'm going to have to pass through three rounds of tryouts.
00:36 If I mess up, if I get cut, the video ends.
00:40 And so does my childhood dream of being a cheerleader.
00:43 So, because I'm a Leo, I've enlisted two world silver medalists to give me my best shot.
00:48 Thank you both so much for being here with me, pretty last minute, because in ten days I'm going to be trying out for the University of Kentucky.
01:00 The University of Kentucky is what I would consider a powerhouse.
01:04 For decades, UK has been a cheerleading dynasty, winning 24 national championships in 35 years.
01:11 Michelle should be very nervous to perform next to some of the best cheerleaders in the country.
01:16 I kind of feel like I know where you are, but let's see where you are.
01:19 So a toe touch, you said you knew that word.
01:21 Yeah.
01:22 Okay, you want to show me what your interpretation?
01:24 My version?
01:25 Yeah, your interpretation.
01:26 Okay, five, six, seven, eight.
01:27 Five, six, seven, eight.
01:28 Okay.
01:29 Hey, that was really good.
01:34 I was actually very impressed.
01:36 I have no idea what it looked like.
01:37 Everything we do is like clean, right, sharp and clean, and facial.
01:40 So as long as you're not like, even when you're dying inside, you don't show that.
01:46 Cheerleading is three sports all in one.
01:49 We have the tumbling, which is like gymnastics.
01:51 One, three.
01:53 Did you die?
01:55 We have the dancing.
01:57 We also have like power lifting.
01:59 What is this?
02:00 This is how we teach our flyers to hold their positions without killing the boy underneath them.
02:04 These boys and girls are tossing humans above their head while keeping them safe.
02:08 And you have to do it all with a smile on your face.
02:10 We got to get you out of those old shoes and into some cheerleading shoes.
02:13 Whoa, so you can catch me.
02:15 Yeah, through that little like notches.
02:17 That is so helpful.
02:18 One, two.
02:19 You're all right.
02:23 One second, I got to hit the balls.
02:24 Oh, no.
02:26 All of this is happening in milliseconds, and you don't really have time to almost think about it,
02:30 which is why we do repetition over and over so that way it becomes more of riding a bike.
02:34 Sorry, sorry, sorry.
02:36 I was like, oh.
02:37 She said, no, we're elite now.
02:40 We're elite.
02:41 And in case you guys are curious, the exact program I used to improve my flexibility during this challenge
02:46 is available on my fitness app, MKFit.
02:48 The link is in the description if you're interested.
02:50 So for the tryouts next week, I have to learn the University of Kentucky's fight song.
02:58 Show me.
02:59 Let's see it.
03:00 There's the prancing.
03:01 Oh, I can prance.
03:02 Oh, wait, no, no, no, no.
03:04 That's the beginning.
03:05 Straight into a stunt.
03:06 Being able to do the fight song is extremely important.
03:09 This is something that they're doing every single game, every single event at the school.
03:13 This is a really big dance for that school.
03:15 Hit one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, down, eight.
03:20 Kick one, two.
03:21 Cheerleading isn't just the skills.
03:23 It's being able to command the stadium to look at you and just want to get pumped up.
03:27 Go, catch.
03:28 Go, catch.
03:29 Go, catch.
03:31 We're going to try to run it with the stunts.
03:33 Michelle's going to try an elite stunt.
03:35 This normally includes some sort of flip.
03:37 Reach, reach, reach.
03:38 No, where did our arms go?
03:40 Reach.
03:41 Yes, okay.
03:42 Reach, pull.
03:43 Yes.
03:44 Okay, okay, okay.
03:45 See, we're getting closer.
03:46 That was good.
03:47 Most cheerleaders don't try elite stunts until they've at least had seven years of cheerleading
03:50 that are in their belt.
03:51 One, two.
03:58 I leave for Kentucky in six hours, and we have not perfected everything.
04:04 My bad, my bad, my bad.
04:06 Here we go, you got it.
04:07 If you're thinking too much about the skills, kind of just do it.
04:11 The hardest part of this challenge is going to be Michelle getting out of her head.
04:15 It's going to be just going out there and having a good time and performing and doing
04:19 what she's been taught for 10 days.
04:21 Let's go.
04:23 Big blue.
04:24 Even if I hit it just once in practice, that's great, but I have to be able to hit it consistently
04:29 under pressure in front of a crowd while people are judging me.
04:32 If I don't pass round one, I don't get to do anything else.
04:35 And the video's over.
04:36 If you know cheerleading, you know Kentucky.
04:41 Kentucky is the end-all, be-all of college cheerleading.
04:45 And first place, national champions, the University of Kentucky Wildcats.
04:50 I will be working with Michelle over the course of these tryout weekends.
04:53 Michelle is new to the skills that these athletes have been developing.
04:56 Basically, it's to say, "Been able to walk."
04:58 Michelle's going to really have to give it her all, or else she could very well get cut.
05:02 Kaelin, come on up.
05:04 Kaelin's number six.
05:05 Good luck.
05:06 Olivia, perfect.
05:08 You're number seven.
05:09 Come on in.
05:10 Hello, Michelle.
05:12 How are you?
05:13 Excited.
05:14 Michelle is number 24.
05:16 There you go.
05:17 Good luck.
05:18 Coach Ryan's standards are what's called the gold standard.
05:20 If you're afraid of failure, you don't deserve success.
05:23 There's my Post-It.
05:25 [Laughter]
05:26 Coach Ryan, Martin O'Connor, five-time state champion, won a national championship at Alabama,
05:30 is a cheerleader, three-time gold medalist.
05:32 This Kentucky program is in great hands with Coach Ryan.
05:35 I'm not going to stand up here and tell you it's all going to be fun, and it's all going to be easy.
05:39 Even this weekend, it's not all going to be fun and easy.
05:41 But, again, to be a part of something meaningful, you have to go through that.
05:44 She doesn't take no for an answer.
05:46 You're not going to be a mediocre athlete.
05:48 You are going to be the best of the best.
05:50 I don't have any friends.
05:52 Do I have to go make friends?
05:53 This is like high school lunch where you have to pick a table, except everyone is a cheerleader and really, really cool.
06:01 I'm going to make a friend now.
06:03 I am challenging myself to make a friend.
06:07 Hey, can I stretch with you guys?
06:09 Okay.
06:10 Cheerleading is all about trust.
06:12 The past 10 days with Michelle, we've built that bond and that trust,
06:15 and now she has to go and create this same bond and same trust in somebody that she doesn't know.
06:20 Maddie, Daniel was saying you all cheered together at Navarro?
06:23 Yes.
06:24 That's so cool.
06:25 We were rockies together.
06:26 I just went to Navarro to help me prepare for the Deck the Chats.
06:30 The world is still buzzing months after Netflix released the documentary series, Cheer.
06:34 It's a series that featured the 14-time national champion cheer team from Navarro Junior College.
06:39 Being on Cheer for me was a little different.
06:41 I wasn't really known as Daniel.
06:43 I was known as Gabby's top partner.
06:45 I was the guy who threw Gabby.
06:46 Cheer is a show.
06:47 It really showcased the athleticism of cheerleading.
06:51 It takes hours and hours of dedication, blood, sweat, and tears, multiple injuries,
06:56 and it just really showed how hard cheerleading really is.
06:58 People just think of high school sideline cheerleaders or the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders.
07:04 It's just an accessory to football games and stuff, but there's just so much more to it.
07:08 So in order to make the team, I will have to pass through three days of tryouts,
07:12 demonstrating different skills each day.
07:14 Round one, tumbling and fight song.
07:16 Round two, stretch stunts.
07:18 And round three, performing an elite stunt in front of a live crowd.
07:23 And to be totally clear, I do not have actual aspirations to become a cheerleader,
07:28 but I did want to use this opportunity to experience a sport I've always felt deeply drawn to.
07:34 And in order to make sure I don't squander this opportunity,
07:37 I have to make sure I don't get cut.
07:39 We will start with girls first today, and we will go four at a time.
07:43 Standing, tumbling, running, tumbling, fight song.
07:45 Let's do this. Let's get started. Yeah.
07:50 Wow, that looks so good.
07:52 He's been cheering since he was like 8 years old.
07:59 All right, if we can get girls 1, 2, 3, and 4 on the mat.
08:04 Girls 1, 2, 3, and 4.
08:06 Here we go, number 1, standing tumbling.
08:11 Yeah.
08:16 All right.
08:20 Wow.
08:21 Take it till you make it. You land it and just hit the crowd instantly.
08:24 You guys can go ahead and take the mat with your fight song partners.
08:28 Come on.
08:29 Let's go.
08:30 I need to see that you can do the fight song at appearances, you know, at alumni events, at games.
08:35 That's fantastic that you can do all these other skills,
08:37 but you have to be able to be an ambassador for our university.
08:40 So you're going to do that fight song way more than you're going to do that backhand spring double up.
08:44 Cut.
08:45 Look how big that is.
08:46 Come on, cut.
08:48 All right, thank you guys.
08:50 I could not imagine putting that out there at anything in front of anybody.
08:54 Good God.
08:55 17, come here please.
08:57 I'm very disappointed in your fight song.
09:01 The fight song should have been freaking perfect.
09:03 The stunt should be perfect.
09:05 So what I want to see from you right now is you take your butt over there and you work on that fight song,
09:10 and you come ask me to show it to me again.
09:14 Can I have another chance?
09:15 You beg me for another chance.
09:17 Get your partner and go fix it.
09:19 Thank you.
09:20 Being the head coach at the University of Kentucky is a huge amount of pressure.
09:24 Because we're 24-time national champions and because we were unsuccessful this past year,
09:29 it's hard to read things that people say about you without knowing you.
09:32 We just got to win and then everyone will shut up.
09:34 My husband wants to beat up people sometimes.
09:38 So does my mom.
09:40 It's okay.
09:42 All right, you're about to go on.
09:43 I'm going with you guys.
09:45 Are you all ready?
09:46 I'm excited.
09:47 Big smiles, big energy.
09:49 Yeah, we got this.
09:50 All right, 21, 22, 23, 24.
09:53 Woo.
09:54 Let's go, Wildcats.
09:56 Yeah.
09:57 23, you're good standing.
09:59 [Cheering]
10:06 24.
10:09 Right down the middle.
10:10 Yeah.
10:11 Let's go, UK.
10:13 I wish everybody smiled like she did.
10:15 That was awesome.
10:16 Now time for the fight song.
10:18 Oh, I forgot we have to do that.
10:20 You're not done.
10:21 You're not done.
10:22 All right, you guys can go ahead and take the mat for fight song.
10:25 Let's go, UK.
10:27 Yeah.
10:28 Come on, Big Blue.
10:29 She's awesome.
10:30 That's what I'm talking about.
10:31 Here we go, fight song.
10:33 [Music]
10:36 All right, let's do the extension.
10:37 We got it.
10:38 [Music]
10:41 Let's go, Big Blue.
10:44 [Music]
10:49 UK.
10:50 Yeah.
10:51 [Music]
11:00 Go, Cats.
11:01 Hey, you got this.
11:02 [Music]
11:06 Let's go, Big Blue.
11:08 Extension, let's get it.
11:09 [Music]
11:11 Cats.
11:12 Look at her, she's perfect.
11:14 Let's go, UK.
11:16 Come on, Wildcats.
11:17 Still smiling and waving.
11:19 That was so fun.
11:20 I know.
11:21 You killed the fight song, too.
11:22 I had to, like, double check after.
11:23 I was like, did she just, like, kill that?
11:25 You did so good out there, and the extensions were money.
11:27 You, like, sprung off the floor.
11:28 Like, I wasn't even expecting it.
11:30 Like, you just, like, boom, off the floor.
11:32 It's game time.
11:33 Dude, that's excited, not nervous.
11:36 Did you hear how everybody was cheering?
11:38 Because, like, the thing about, like, cheerleaders is, like, you cheer,
11:41 they're going to cheer, too.
11:42 You're quiet, they're going to be quiet.
11:43 So, you went out there, as soon as you started yelling, they were like, okay.
11:46 That's good.
11:47 I'm going to be honest.
11:48 I was disappointed in fight song today.
11:51 It was on the website.
11:52 I sent a tryout email.
11:54 You knew that you were going to have to do this fight song.
11:56 If you didn't, you showed me that we weren't worth your time.
11:59 And why would I want you on my college team if you can't act like a college-aged adult?
12:04 It's not just the skills that you do in front of me.
12:07 It's, like, the life skills that I need to see, too, for you to be a part of this team.
12:10 When we come back, Coach Strobis is going to be here, our strength coach,
12:13 when we are doing our fitness assessment.
12:15 And we will make a cut after the fitness assessment.
12:17 You're going to step on, arms start up, big jump, landing with the legs bent.
12:22 24.5, 24.9, good job.
12:27 Ready when you are.
12:30 16.8.
12:31 Oh, I'm going to go down.
12:33 Physical fitness is important.
12:34 It's a huge part of what we do.
12:35 We are athletes.
12:36 44, 45, more reps, more reps, 3, 2, 1, time.
12:45 I really wanted to see effort.
12:47 That's what I was looking for, is, like, who's going to take this seriously?
12:50 Who's going to take every part of tryout seriously?
12:52 Those are the people that I want.
12:54 My vertical jump was so bad.
12:57 Well, I mean, I just think that this gives us some, like, black and white answers
13:00 on things that are already questioning.
13:02 Is that what I think it is?
13:03 Yes, it is.
13:04 We are going to post a cut tonight.
13:07 If you are not invited back tomorrow, again, just we appreciate what you did here,
13:11 but we can't, you know, lower the program standards to accommodate everybody.
13:15 You should be willing to rise to the standards that we have set.
13:18 Cats on 3, say it loud, say it proud.
13:20 1, 2, 3.
13:21 Cats.
13:22 Thank you.
13:23 End of day 1 tryouts.
13:25 I'm about to go see if I made the cut.
13:27 Even if I make it all the way through to the end, do not worry.
13:29 I am not taking any spots from actual students who want to be on the cheer team.
13:33 I made it.
13:36 24.
13:38 And even though I made the cut, headed into day 2, I started to feel a little nervous
13:42 because I noticed that some of you are not subscribed.
13:47 So please help us get to 3 million by subscribing.
13:52 All right, guys, go ahead and start clearing the floor.
13:54 Clear the floor.
13:55 Let's go.
13:56 We are going stretch stunts.
13:58 It can be a toss stretch, hand stretch, double up stretch, a rewind stretch, anything.
14:02 Showcasing, like, that the girl is able to pull a stretch
14:04 and the guy is able to hold a stretch with a dismount.
14:08 I know you haven't done it before, but we're going to move fast.
14:11 You're a quick learner, so we're just going to get you ready for it.
14:14 You ready?
14:15 Yeah.
14:16 All right, let's do it.
14:17 Okay.
14:18 1, 2.
14:22 All right, pull stretch.
14:24 Good.
14:25 Pop off.
14:27 You went to reach for the stretch.
14:29 Instead of bringing it to me.
14:30 Yeah, which buckled.
14:31 You're going to set your side and slide it up your leg.
14:34 Yeah, just slide it up to the foot.
14:36 All right, stretch.
14:38 Good, you ready?
14:39 Yeah.
14:40 1, 2.
14:43 Yeah, that's what I'm talking about.
14:45 That's what I'm talking about.
14:46 Let's go.
14:47 You want to learn double down right now?
14:49 Yeah, sure.
14:50 Okay.
14:51 I want you to lift and close to this pocket.
14:53 The second you go elbows out, our noses are broken.
14:56 Okay.
14:57 1, 2.
15:01 Wait, okay.
15:03 Wait, I'm shook.
15:04 Hold on.
15:05 I'm shook.
15:06 They're not even going to see it coming.
15:08 Oh, my God.
15:09 I have to do it.
15:10 Let's do it.
15:11 Come on.
15:12 24 and 25.
15:13 Let's go, Wildcats.
15:14 Come on, UK.
15:15 Look at her.
15:16 She is already.
15:17 1, 2.
15:18 Look at that smile.
15:19 All right, pull stretch.
15:22 You ready?
15:23 Yeah.
15:24 1, 2.
15:26 Oh, she learned a full down?
15:28 Yeah.
15:29 Let's go, UK.
15:32 I'm putting hearts in my notes for that one.
15:35 I told her she didn't have to attempt a double down.
15:38 I was like, if you could get a full down, and she learned a full down in one day.
15:41 After surprising the coaches with my stretch stunt, Coach Ryan decided to surprise us.
15:47 We were told we now had just 15 minutes to learn a completely new cheer from scratch
15:52 to be performed at tomorrow's audition in front of hundreds of people.
15:56 So you'll start, you'll go, Kentucky.
15:58 Let's hear you yell.
16:00 Go blue.
16:01 Go blue.
16:02 Kentucky.
16:03 Let's hear you yell.
16:05 Go white.
16:06 Go white.
16:08 I think one skill cheerleaders really need to have is the ability to be adaptable.
16:12 Obviously, we don't control what's going on in the basketball game or the football game,
16:16 and so we have to be listening and be ready for anything.
16:18 1, 2, 3, 4.
16:20 Kentucky.
16:22 Let's hear you yell.
16:24 Go blue.
16:25 Sorry, sorry.
16:26 My feet were way too far apart.
16:27 Yeah, you're just rushing the extension.
16:29 Kentucky.
16:30 Let's hear you yell.
16:32 Go.
16:33 Breathe.
16:34 Don't stress this.
16:35 With all of this new information being thrown at me,
16:37 I definitely started to feel fatigued headed into day three.
16:40 Just reminding you that you were on the news last night
16:43 telling the public that this was happening.
16:45 First open tryout in three years.
16:49 Pressure.
16:51 There is pressure, and you should be excited about the pressure
16:55 if you want to be a part of this program.
16:57 You should be excited that you get to show off in front of a crowd.
17:01 You get to do this tomorrow.
17:02 You get to do this in front of Memorial.
17:04 It's going to be fun.
17:05 Cats on three, say it loud, say it proud.
17:07 1, 2, 3.
17:08 Cats.
17:09 And while day two was challenging, I managed to make the cut,
17:13 giving me the opportunity to live out my dream for just one more day.
17:18 All right, guys, how are you all doing?
17:22 Day three is the big day.
17:24 Michelle is going to arrive here, and the whole arena here is going to be full.
17:28 This is where you showcase everything you've been working on.
17:32 She's really going to see what it's like to fight that battle
17:35 and get that sense of pressure on her.
17:38 It's going to come down to how well she does compared to these other athletes.
17:41 I am proud of you guys that you've made it this far.
17:43 I'm excited for you that you get to do this.
17:45 I'm honestly excited for me.
17:47 I'm not even going to lie.
17:48 Just the little girl in me that grew up here is just honestly just really
17:51 humbled and overwhelmed to be here today.
17:54 Let's do this, guys.
17:55 Good luck today.
17:56 Good luck.
17:57 [Cheering]
17:59 [Music]
18:01 Come on, let's go.
18:02 [Cheering]
18:05 Cats on me, cats on three.
18:06 1, 2, 3.
18:07 Cats.
18:08 Let's go.
18:09 Let's go.
18:10 I'm so hyped.
18:11 Oh, my gosh.
18:12 Yeah, are you?
18:14 Yes, I'm kind of nervous.
18:16 You're doing great.
18:17 Thank you.
18:18 You too.
18:19 What number are you?
18:20 I'm 14.
18:21 What number are you?
18:22 24 at the end.
18:23 That's her last.
18:25 Oh, my gosh.
18:26 All right, first up we've got male number one.
18:30 Go, Team Blue.
18:33 Come on.
18:34 Go, Team Blue.
18:36 Let's hear it.
18:37 Go, Team Blue.
18:40 Now the coaches, they're watching for a floss.
18:42 They're watching to see if you've improved from day one to last day.
18:46 Go, White.
18:47 Go, White.
18:48 Go, White.
18:49 [Cheering]
18:51 That might be the best Kentucky we've heard all day.
18:53 She could have done a little more.
18:54 Yeah.
18:55 But she was loud.
18:56 Come on, y'all.
18:58 Smack.
18:59 [Cheering]
19:03 Oh.
19:04 [Cheering]
19:08 I've gone through a transfer to perform an elite stunt,
19:10 so I'm trying to do a front handspring up,
19:12 and we cannot get it to be consistent.
19:14 [Grunting]
19:17 Just squeeze a little bit more when I grab you.
19:20 Like you're coming in good.
19:21 When I'm going to lift you, the squeezing is stopping,
19:24 and then like I can't throw through.
19:26 Okay, got it.
19:27 Like I'm just like throwing, and like you're just like flopping over.
19:29 Got it.
19:30 [Breathing]
19:32 You got it, girl.
19:33 Come on.
19:34 This is easy.
19:35 [Cheering]
19:40 Okay, okay.
19:41 Pop off.
19:43 Oh, my God.
19:44 Okay.
19:45 We're getting better.
19:46 It's getting better.
19:48 [Breathing]
19:52 I'm definitely not confident about it right now.
19:59 And this is like a really dangerous thing to do.
20:02 [Cheering]
20:08 Come on, Michelle.
20:09 You got this.
20:10 You got it.
20:12 Push.
20:13 Yes, ma'am.
20:14 Okay.
20:15 All right, make sure you push them back.
20:20 If you stop in that handstand, it's going to cause harm to them.
20:23 So make sure you're shooting back.
20:24 Why don't you relax until we go, all right?
20:26 Don't overdo it.
20:28 21.
20:31 [Cheering]
20:34 [Breathing]
20:44 Number 24.
20:45 All right, let's get it.
20:46 Let's go, Daniel.
20:47 Let's go, Michelle.
20:49 [Cheering]
20:56 Let's go, Wildcats.
20:59 Let's go, Wildcats.
21:02 Yeah, let's go, Wildcats.
21:04 Come on, Kentucky.
21:06 I think she's nervous.
21:07 Ready.
21:08 One, two, three.
21:10 Let's go.
21:11 Kentucky, I love you.
21:13 Yeah.
21:14 Go blue.
21:15 Go blue.
21:16 Kentucky, let's do it.
21:19 Yeah.
21:20 Go white.
21:21 Go white.
21:22 Kentucky, all together now.
21:25 Go blue.
21:26 Go white.
21:28 Go blue.
21:29 Go white.
21:30 Go blue.
21:31 Go white.
21:33 Let's go, Wildcats.
21:34 [Cheering]
21:36 She's got great energy.
21:37 Yeah.
21:38 Everybody ready?
21:39 24.
21:40 Hut.
21:41 Hut.
21:42 [Cheering]
21:44 What?
21:45 What a save.
21:47 She learned that like in two days.
21:49 What?
21:50 Because she didn't do that day one.
21:51 She's never done two back handsprings until today.
21:53 No, Daniel said she had never done two back handsprings.
21:55 She never did.
21:56 She did it before.
21:57 She did.
21:58 She keeps doing stuff and doesn't tell me she's doing it.
22:00 I'm just as surprised as everybody else is.
22:03 24.
22:04 Hey, let's go.
22:05 Come on.
22:06 I hope someone in the crowd is yelling for Michelle.
22:07 They love her.
22:08 Go, Michelle.
22:09 Push.
22:10 Yeah.
22:11 [Cheering]
22:14 That's what I'm talking about, fam.
22:15 This is fun.
22:17 Whenever you're ready, 24.
22:18 Good front hand.
22:19 Relax, okay?
22:20 Okay.
22:21 Whenever you're ready, we're going to do it, okay?
22:23 Come on.
22:27 [Cheering]
22:31 Pull it.
22:32 Yeah.
22:33 Okay, finish.
22:34 Go.
22:35 All right, platform.
22:36 Platform.
22:37 You ready?
22:38 Oh, wait, okay.
22:39 Good, that's platform.
22:40 You ready?
22:41 One, two.
22:43 There you go.
22:44 Yeah.
22:45 All right, full stretch.
22:46 You ready?
22:47 Yeah.
22:48 One, two.
22:51 Hit the U.
22:53 Go, Wildcats.
22:56 Good job, girl.
22:57 How was that?
22:58 Oh, my God, we did it.
22:59 I was so scared.
23:00 We only hit it like three times before.
23:03 Hey, it all matters what you do out here, right?
23:05 Even though it wasn't the best, you still stayed up there.
23:08 Thank you guys so much for coming.
23:09 We are going to take about 45 minutes to an hour,
23:12 and then we will announce our teams.
23:13 Thank you.
23:14 [Applause]
23:19 I just feel like a big exhale.
23:21 I literally thought I was just going to come here and look so bad,
23:24 and I probably did.
23:26 But I literally just feel this huge release of like, oh, my God, I did it.
23:30 And I learned so much.
23:32 Every like stunt or tumbling pass, you're like, "UK!"
23:35 As loud as you can.
23:36 Because I have to distract them from what they just saw.
23:39 I'm going to start doing that.
23:40 You were a cheerleader.
23:42 The crowd loved you.
23:43 The team loved you.
23:44 I loved you.
23:45 Coaches loved you.
23:46 So, no, this was a blessing to have you.
23:47 And we're so grateful that you chose Kentucky to come work with us.
23:51 So your hope is to make Blue Squad?
23:53 Yes, yes.
23:54 I think that's everybody's hope.
23:56 Of course, yeah.
23:57 Yeah.
23:58 All right, first I just want to get started by thanking everybody who came out today.
24:02 Let's hear it one more time for everybody who went through this process.
24:05 [Applause]
24:07 We are going to go ahead and start with our Blue Squad females first.
24:11 First up, number one.
24:13 Maddie Hayes.
24:15 [Applause]
24:17 Number three.
24:19 Number 14.
24:21 Number 11.
24:22 Number three.
24:24 And our last guy on the Blue Squad today, number 13.
24:27 [Applause]
24:30 Guys for the white spot.
24:31 First up, number 23.
24:33 Number 18.
24:35 [Applause]
24:37 Number 10.
24:38 Number 20.
24:40 Number 15.
24:41 Number 22.
24:43 And last we have number 12.
24:45 [Applause]
24:49 Number 24, please come forward.
24:52 You really impressed us.
24:54 I think our team can learn an awful lot from your confidence.
24:58 And I think your performance scores actually had you very close,
25:02 closer than we, I think, thought going into this.
25:05 But obviously just with the skills, I mean, the tumbling is--
25:08 it's hard to learn to flip your body if you haven't been doing it.
25:11 We do a standing tuck in our fight song.
25:13 You know, that's something that we're doing in the fourth quarter,
25:15 in warm-ups, when it's cold.
25:17 I just don't think that, you know, that we're there yet.
25:19 But just definitely wanted to take the time to say thank you so much for doing this.
25:22 And you did impress us, but you will not be able to be a part of this team.
25:27 That's okay.
25:28 I'm going to leave it to the professionals.
25:29 [Laughter]
25:31 [Applause]
25:34 Y'all, I knew I wasn't going to make the team.
25:36 I was just genuinely overwhelmed at the thought of having fulfilled one of my childhood dreams.
25:41 And though I wasn't skilled enough to pass all three days,
25:44 I did get to feel like I was part of the team,
25:47 even if it was just for a short while.
25:50 And as mentioned before, if you are interested in the flexibility program
25:53 that I followed to help me prepare for this episode,
25:55 it's all linked below in my app, MKFit,
25:58 where you can also find all of my nutrition guides, favorite recipes,
26:01 and best practices for my health and fitness.
26:04 So if you want guidance on your own journey, check out the link below.