‘Cheer Coach Says the Most Important Thing She Teaches Her Cheerleaders is ‘Self-Accountability’

Netflix debuted the series Cheer last year. Since then, the show, shown in six episodes, portrays the season-long journey of a Texas cheerleading team. Monica Aldama serves as the coach to the college cheerleading squad. Recently interviewed about the docuseries Cheer, Aldama cites the relationships with her young athletes as the reason she continues in the job. The most important thing Aldama teaches her cheerleaders, she says, is self-accountability.

Monica Aldama, coach on the Netflix docuseries says she doesn’t need to prove herself

CNN Sport recently interviewed the head coach featured on Cheer, Monica Aldama. She discussed her role as a college cheerleading coach.

“I’ve really tried to work over the years on … just learning what I could do to fill those roles for those kids,” Aldama told CNN. After winning 14 collegiate championships, the Navarro Cheer coach doesn’t need more trophies. It’s the cheerleaders that keep her in the job. Aldama shared:

I think that’s really why I’m still here, it’s not cheerleading. I’ve won plenty of titles, I don’t have to prove myself there. It’s the relationship with the kids and the feeling of watching them succeed.

Aldama says for the ‘Cheer’ cast, it’s all about accountability

But the Cheer personality maintains her “winner” mentality. CNN reported that Aldam’s mantra goes like this: “keep going until you get it right, and then you keep going until you can’t get it wrong.”

Aldama said the key lesson for her Navarro cheerleaders is taking responsibility for themselves. The Cheer star told CNN:

Self-accountability is just such a big thing for me, because so many people in this day and age, want to shift the blame to others and just not take responsibility for their own actions.

For Navarro Cheer alums, these lessons are eternal.

“If you’ve made a commitment to be somewhere, then you should show up,” Aldama continued. “If it’s class, then you should show up. If it’s practice, you should show up. If it’s a job, you should show up.”

2020 national collegiate cheer competition is canceled due to coronavirus pandemic

Sadly, Aldama will not be able to take these lessons into the final test of the season: the collegiate cheer championship in Daytona, Florida. Earlier this month, Varsity Spirit made an announcement that all of their competitions and events were canceled for the next few weeks, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The statement read:

Varsity Spirit has made the decision to not proceed as planned with scheduled events for at least the next eight weeks. We are actively exploring all options, including rescheduling events, extending the event season, and hosting virtual events. 

Aldama posted on Instagram that she was heartbroken about the decision.

“My heart … is breaking for the lost memories and the lost time with my beautiful team,” the Cheer coach wrote. “I was not ready to say goodbye so quickly.” Aldama shared her thanks to her cheer squad:

I want to thank the kids for pouring everything they had into this entire year – for the late nights- the games- the community service- the holidays given up. They are fighters and have always given me 100%. Their routine was so beautiful and their work ethic was bar none.

However, the Cheer star isn’t used to feeling so unprepared.

“I have always been able to control the narrative and resort to plan B or C or even Z,” Aldama continued in the Instagram caption. But she promised that the Navarro Cheer team would be back and ready to compete.

“What I do know,” Aldama wrote, “is that we will be back better than ever!!!”