- When new students can't get onto their college cheerleading team, they form their own squad and prepare for a cheer off.
- Dean Sebastian wants to safeguard the perks of a college with a champion cheer-leading squad, so he instructs ruthlessly ambitious and tyrannical captain Tina, who was preparing her sycophantic buddy as successor, to mentor in stead a freshman talent, Whittier. After jumping trough hoops in every sense, she however draws the line at having to dump her buddy Monica and calls the bluff of the classical threat 'or you're out'. So they and Greg, the gay leader of the male cheerleaders on whose shoulders the antics rest literally, pull out and form a rival squad, which welcomes campus misfits and social outsiders, including inventive smart-aleck Derek, yet also enters the national championship.—KGF Vissers
- College newcomer Whittier tries out for and joins her new college cheerleading squad to relive her high school days as head cheerleader. But when she and her best friend Monica are unable to stand being around the tyrannical and snobbish squad captain, Tina, Whittier and Monica quit and vow to form their own cheerleading squad made up of college campus misfits and social outcasts for a competition to see which squad will represent the college for the national cheerleader championship.—Matt Patay
- Whittier (Anne Judson-Yager) arrives at the California State College hoping to join the national champion varsity cheer-leading team. She meets up with her friend from cheer-leading camp, Monica (Faune A. Chambers), and they're both impressive at the tryouts. Dean Sebastian (Kevin Cooney) has cut funding to many college programs including the book club, ballet, martial arts, music and theatre. Only 2 programs have survived without a cut, which are football and cheer-leading (Officially the team is known as the "Stingers"). This makes most of the college students hate the cheerleaders.
Head cheerleader Tina (Bree Turner) is ready to ask Whittier and Monica to join the team, but Greg (Bryce Johnson) (who is a member of the selection committee) goes a step further, telling Tina that Whittier will be the next head cheerleader. This angers Tina's pal Marni (Bethany Joy Lenz) who had the position staked out. At the urging of Dean Sebastian (Kevin Cooney), Tina goes along with the plan, taking Whittier under her wing. Sebastian was secretly watching all the auditions and wants the college to win the state finals this year as well, like they have been doing for the last 7 years. This has tripled alumni donations to the college and made Dean rich in the process. Just last year he upgraded from a 1988 Jetta to a 2003 Passat. Dean is clear that Whittier is the future, and to sacrifice Marni if required, whom he considers to be a brown-nosing mediocrity.
Whittier meets Derek (Richard Lee Jackson) a campus D.J. who immediately takes an interest in her. Derek works 3 jobs to support his studies as his dad won't support him (as he wanted Derek to become a doctor). They kiss.
Tina is very demanding and controlling. She won't let any other team member have any say in how the team is run or how the routines are designed. No individuality is encouraged or accepted on the team. Tina controls even what her squad eats and won't accept even an ounce of fat on anyone. Tina wants her team members to strive to be better in every aspect of their lives and be proud to wear the cheer-leading uniform. Tina has a thick manual of rules, and she expects her entire squad to follow them religiously. Tina warns Whittier that Derek is not the type of boy she should be dating. Tina says it looks bad on Whittier and could scuttle her chances to be the head cheerleader of the squad after her. Tina also wants Whittier to distance herself from Monica, whom she calls a sinking ship.
Monica is bothered by Tina's meddling, as now Whittier starts to comment on Monica's habits like eating burgers or not sticking to the routine. Monica says that she is only sticking it out till she can make it a dancer on JLo's next tour. Whittier's first performance in front of a live audience is a major hit and Tina is very proud of her. She invites Whittier to a house party and sets her up with a stud named Todd (Chris Carmack).
Whittier momentarily lets her cheer-leading ambition get the better of her and betrays Derek. Derek had come to Tina's party and Tina tells Whittier that DJs are at the bottom of the social ladder at college (football players, basketball players, soccer hunks, lacrosse studs, fraternity presidents, fraternity keg masters, guys with car parking passes, guys with cars, student union activists, literary magazine squares, pep-band dorks, campus ministers, school mascots, and then way at the bottom campus DJs) and not desirable for a career. Whittier dumps Derek in front of Tina.
Then, Tina, upset with Monica's sassy attitude, punishes her with a tough routine which leads to an injury. Tina then wants Whittier to punish Monica, but she refuses. Tina forces Whittier to choose between her friendship and the squad. Whittier and Monica get fed up and quit Tina's tyranny (with Greg quitting the squad too but is forced to stay as he would lose his cheer-leading scholarship), but Whittier's school spirit cannot be suppressed. Whittier realizes that she is a cheerleader at heart.
With Monica's help, she gathers up the outcasts from the drama club, the dance club, and other groups that have lost their funding because of the squad and forms a ragtag squad of her own, determined to battle the varsity squad for a spot at the national championship. Whittier found them protesting in front of the Dean's office. She gets them to sign up by offering a chance to beat the varsity cheer-leading team, whom they all hate.
It's tough going as the new squad doesn't even know the basics of cheer-leading. Whittier and Monica have to work very hard and very patiently to get them to work coherently. Whittier also apologizes to Derek and gets him to record a new rhythm tune for the new squad. The new tune from Derek brings the squad together and delivers their first coherent public performance at a croquet tournament. Tina takes notice and points out that only one team can go to Nationals.
The matter reaches Dean Sebastian, who favors Tina's team. But Whittier threatens protests and a complaint to the board. So, Dean agrees to Whittier's demand of a competition between the 2 squads in front of the entire school. But the competition is in 2 days' time, which is not enough for Whittier to get her squad ready. Whittier incorporates elements of martial arts and ballet into her routine to play on the strengths of her squad.
The two teams end up competing for the spot at nationals, with Whittier's squad ultimately winning. Tina's squad delivers a flawless yet "traditional" performance, while Whittier's squad had an edge with streaks of individualism that the crowd loves and adores. Afterward, Whittier offers Tina a spot on her squad, a position that Tina initially refuses but ends up wanting. Tina ends up sucking up to Whittier and Monica, deciding she wants to be on their squad after all, while Marni comically throws a fit.
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