‘Cheer’: Monica Aldama Explains Why She Doesn’t Make Her Cheerleaders Use Helmets or Protective Gear During Practice
Hit docuseries Cheer has brought a lot of drama to Netflix, both on and offscreen. The show follows cheerleaders at Navarro junior college in Texas. Head coach Monica Aldama established herself as a force to be reckoned with early on in the first season.
Aldama loves the kids she works with, and she pushes them to be their best. However, some critics think she may push too far. Aldama has had to defend herself on more than one occasion. She recently spoke with Dax Shepard on his Armchair Expert podcast. There, she defended her use of protective gear or lack thereof.
Some critics believe Navarro coach Monica Aldama pushes her cheerleaders too far
Almost all reality TV stars receive criticism in some form or another. Aldama is no exception. When she opened her life and her cheer practices up to the Netflix show, she unintentionally invited people to critique her coaching style. Naturally, they did. Some viewers complained she was too hard on her students.
Aldama doesn’t see it that way. She knows she pushes her kids, but she sees it as holding them to a high standard. The mother of two has high expectations for herself and passes those expectations on to her students. As Aldama has said in the past, she’s had a successful career as a cheerleader. She doesn’t need to push her students for personal glory. She’s already won awards and trophies of her own. All the pushing she does is for her students.
Not all fans worry about Aldama pushing her students too hard. Some are more concerned about the cheerleaders’ physical health. Students seem to get hurt a lot on the show, and they don’t wear protective gear.
‘Cheer’ star Monica Aldama doesn’t require her cheerleaders to wear any protective gear during practice
According to Aldama, her cheerleaders have the option to use any protective equipment they want. She even has it available for them. Aldama’s cheerleaders can grab helmets, protective equipment for ribs, face protectors, as well as other defensive gear. She explained on the podcast that they don’t like to use it because it makes accomplishing the moves more difficult.
Aldama told Shepard, “I went and got [protectective gear]. I also went and bought a little kids’ football thing that has some pads in it to protect their ribs. I’ve tried it all. I have it. They’re welcome to use it. But a lot of times they just don’t like to use it.”
Shepard compared the unwillingness of cheerleaders to wear protective gear to other athletes. He said “Listen, hockey players said the same thing. Bulls–t. They said we can’t play with the face shield. Racecar drivers said they can’t drive a car with HANS devices.”
He wasn’t buying that cheerleaders would be hindered by certain gear. Aldama agreed and stated that she can’t force her athletes to wear them.
Critics also slammed Aldama for not catching cheerleader Jerry Harris’s troubling behavior
Jerry Harris, one of Aldama’s students, was recently arrested on charges of producing child pornography. Aldama has been criticized for not seeing some of the problematic behavior Harris display before his arrest.
Harris was portrayed as a teen athlete with a troubled past on the first season of Cheer. He won fans over when he talked about losing his mom at 16, and he was always there for his teammates. Currently, Harris has pled guilty to the charges and faces up to 30 years in prison.
While some Cheer fans think Aldama should’ve seen red flags in Harris’ behavior, others defend her. Aldama had no way of knowing what Harris was doing in his private time. She was under no obligation to check his phone. During her Armchair Expert interview, Aldama explained that she doesn’t even check her own husband’s phone.
