I bribed my daughter $1,000 to do back-flips: The competitive mothers fuelling the cutthroat world of child cheerleading



A mother has admitted to doing whatever it takes to ensure her daughter succeeds in the competitive world of cheerleading, even if that means bribing her $1,000.

Bonnie Crow appears on TLC's show Cheer Perfection, which reveals just how cutthroat the sport is; filled with competitive mothers who are unapologetic about living vicariously through their daughters, and overly tough coaches.

After ABC's JuJu Chan confronted Mrs Crow about the bribe, she said: 'I just wanted to encourage her better, and I thought, people bribe their kids all the time. My daughter loves cheer, she works really hard at it, it's something she wants to do.'

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Cheer Perfection: TLC's new show reveals just how cutthroat the sport is, with competitive mothers who are unapologetic about living vicariously through their daughters, and overly tough coaches

The show follows Cheer Time Revolution in Sherwood, Arkansas, where cheerleaders are like royalty and Alisha Dunlap, co-owner and coach, is queen bee.

'If you fall again, I'm going to replace you,' she is seen saying to her daughter Cambry, age five, a cheerleader. Before adding later: 'Stop, that is the worst basket toss I've seen in my life.'



Dozens of young girls (and therefore their mothers) are trying out for the coveted silver youth squad, and Ms Dunlap helps them succeed through an overly tough training style.

She said: 'I try to be tough, I try to be strong, I try to be a leader. hard work pays off.'



Previously she told Good Morning America : 'These kids know me so well. It doesn't even bother them... I think they like to get me excited. They know I care.'

When asked whether she ever gets mad at her mother for yelling at her, Ms Dunlap's eldest daughter, Cassidy, age ten, said, 'Yes. Yes.'

Pushing too hard? Some of the young girls are afraid they will get in trouble if they don't perform to their mother's standards

Living vicariously: The mothers on the show say they see nothing wrong with living a cheerleading life through their children

Tryouts: The show follows Cheer Time Revolution in Sherwood, Arkansas, where cheerleaders are like royalty and Alisha Dunlap (right), co-owner and coach, is queen bee

Mrs Crow said: 'I wasn't a cheerleader as a child and I don't see anything wrong with living through your child.'



Ann Robinson, mother of ten-year-old Torin, said she agrees.



'I wasn't given all the things that Torin was given as a child. If she wants to do cheerleading, I want to make sure that she has the very best.

'Torin played softball this year. And everybody got a trophy. Well, that's not fun to me. I want to know that my kid is number one,' she explained.



Ms Dunlap explains that cheerleading seems so intense because 'the kids can do so much, so much more than even they know they can do. So with a little bit of a push, give them a little bit of drive, they'll be great.'

Cheer perfection: Mother Bonnie Crow is unapologetic about living vicariously through their daughter and admitted to bribing her $1,000 to do backflips

Competition: Dozens of young girls, including Torin (left) and Cassidy (right). try out for the coveted silver youth squad, with Ms Dunlap helping to coach them through an overly tough training style

Tough slog: The new reality TV show that takes viewers behind the scenes of the all-American sport that is not for the faint of heart, pushing girls to extremes

In one scene, Mrs Crow pushes her daughter Elena to perform a specific move during a tryout, however she falls, and lands on her head.



The mother said, 'I expect a lot from my daughter. We spend a lot of money at cheer. And when she did that, I was very upset with her. … I expect my daughter to do good. And that was not going to cut it.'



She added: 'I knew she wasn't [hurt]. These floors have plenty of padding. She was fine.'

When ABC's Juju Chan asked the girls privately if their parents push them to do things they don't want to do, they all said in unison: 'Yes.'



Ms chan asked why, and one young girl explained: 'They're worse worse than the girls at my school, with all their drama.'



Cheerleader Brooke Ashworth,13, who was diagnosed with a fractured vertebrae, said: 'When you're in cheerleading, you have to suck it up and get over any pain."



'I knew if I kept saying that I couldn't do it, or I didn't want to do it, I would get in a lot of trouble for it.'