RedFire2000 October 4, 2015 Share October 4, 2015 It’s time for the annual cheerleading tryouts, and Riley is determined to finally make the squad. Link to comment
ladyrott October 5, 2015 Share October 5, 2015 Here's hoping this is better than the Halloween special. 2 Link to comment
vanillamountain October 10, 2015 Share October 10, 2015 (edited) Ugh, Perez Hilton? Why? That man is the absolute worst. So obnoxious!The last 30 seconds aside though, I liked this episode. And I thought it was a good message for little kids, that just because you're not "good" at something you enjoy, doesn't mean you shouldn't pursue it. Edited October 10, 2015 by vanillamountain 2 Link to comment
RedFire2000 October 10, 2015 Author Share October 10, 2015 Perez Hilton's cameo appearance was pointless and unnecessary. Anyway, this was an.... okay episode. 1 Link to comment
Fostersmom October 10, 2015 Share October 10, 2015 So, once again, Riley acts like a complete fool and everyone at the school has to give her her way. There's a difference between keep trying and keep beating people down until they finally bend to your will. 8 Link to comment
KaveDweller October 10, 2015 Share October 10, 2015 I know it was supposed to be a joke, but I thought that coach was pretty horrible. A student wants to try out for a team and she spends the whole time talking about how bad she is and that it's already decided she won't make the team? In middle school? It also seems unfair (and unrealistic) that she'd be the only one auditioning that hasn't been on the team for years. But I thought it was nice that the cheerleaders wanted to help Riley instead of being stereotypical mean popular girls. 1 Link to comment
Kromm October 10, 2015 Share October 10, 2015 Perez Hilton being in this made my skin crawl. 4 Link to comment
RedFire2000 October 10, 2015 Author Share October 10, 2015 So, once again, Riley acts like a complete fool and everyone at the school has to give her her way. There's a difference between keep trying and keep beating people down until they finally bend to your will. I agree. The proper message should be "Try, try, try and never give up. If you don't succeed today, you could tomorrow with even more hard work." This is squandered in the end by "Well, Riley's the main character so we'll sacrifice our spots on the cheerleading squad to override the coach and get talentless Riley on." Riley isn't meeting the world, the world is catering to her every whim!! Ugh... 2 Link to comment
Skyfall October 10, 2015 Share October 10, 2015 I agree. The proper message should be "Try, try, try and never give up. If you don't succeed today, you could tomorrow with even more hard work." This is squandered in the end by "Well, Riley's the main character so we'll sacrifice our spots on the cheerleading squad to override the coach and get talentless Riley on." Riley isn't meeting the world, the world is catering to her every whim!! Ugh... Yet that's not what happened. They showed the coach that they are prone to getting hurt and that they would want someone like Riley, who has spirt and a desire to be on the team to be their alternate if they ever did get hurt for real. Link to comment
Primetimer October 10, 2015 Share October 10, 2015 Gimme a B! Gimme an A! Gimme a D! Gimme an E-P-I-S-O-D-E! What does it spell? Read the story Link to comment
FrumiusManxome October 10, 2015 Share October 10, 2015 This episode was ridiculous. The lesson of 'keep trying no matter what' is a good one. But, you also need to be honest with kids/yourself. Riley was terrible. She's apparently been trying this for years, however, she's never seen the need to practice? She could barely keep up for one thing, and back flips etc are not things you can just randomly learn. She's apparently 'so' invested yet she didn't even know the names of the moves she was supposed to do. Jenkins was right that Riley did not have as good a coach as them, but the coach does not have time to start from scratch with Riley. These girls already know how to do all of the tricks and jumps and flips. And in real life when trying out for cheerleading on this level the girls often can already do the fancy tricks. They just have to learn the dance routines. Riley could do literally nothing, but she's going to be ready to be an alternate in only a couple weeks time? And let's be even more real here; how much is little Riley Matthews even going to practice? Especially when she got in because of her 'spirit' rather than any indication of potential proficiency. Cory and Topanga once again showcase their poor parenting. Being a parent requires you to tell your kid the truth no matter how much it hurts. Cory's teacher vs father stuff was BS he used so he wouldn't have to be the bad guy. And Topanga just sat back doing nothing as per usual. And I hated the friendship nonsense. Maya absolutely should have been telling her to stop trying. She was the only person willing to tell her what she needed to hear. I hated that the others pushed into blind support. All in all, I'm most angry because once again Riley Matthews is sheltered from the harsh reality of disappointment. Are they ever going to let her not have something? On the upside, Zay was a delight. I'm always happy to see him. 6 Link to comment
David- October 10, 2015 Share October 10, 2015 All in all, I'm most angry because once again Riley Matthews is sheltered from the harsh reality of disappointment. Are they ever going to let her not have something? She's about to not have lucas texas triple :) 1 Link to comment
blugirlami21 October 10, 2015 Share October 10, 2015 (edited) I think this is the first time I've been disappointed in a gmw episode. I can't believe she made the team. Cheerleading is a sport like any other and Riley showed no effort to be a cheerleader before the yearly tryout. She could hurt someone or be seriously hurt if she doesn't know what she's doing. I'm all for trying your best but Riley didn't even practice. She just assumed that she would get by on personality and eagerness alone. Wrong. So wrong. I thought that maybe they would make her mascot or something. Edited October 11, 2015 by blugirlami21 2 Link to comment
Kromm October 10, 2015 Share October 10, 2015 (edited) Didn't the show imply she's been practicing off-screen for a long time? Just not doing very well, since with some people all the practice in the world isn't going to change them being uncoordinated/non-athletic. I won't say this was the worst GMW ever (because the week before this was), but it's got to be in the bottom 3 or 4 episodes. It totally oversimplified the lessons it taught (or could have taught) and made a hash of what was communicated. Edited October 10, 2015 by Kromm 1 Link to comment
KaveDweller October 10, 2015 Share October 10, 2015 Yeah I thought it implied she was practicing, she just still sucked. She seemed to have learned all the moves in that dance, even if she couldn't pull off all the tricks in it. 1 Link to comment
Aliconehead October 10, 2015 Share October 10, 2015 I think they could have saved it for me if she had just confronted the coach and said she would be back next year and the next ect for tryouts and then have the cheerleaders jump in to help. Her putting on the uniform and telling the coach that the coach could not tell her if she made the team or not bothered me. They also could have made it more obvious that she practiced or not. Zay continues to make me love him. OT I enjoyed Rowan in Invisible Sister with Eli from BMW as her teacher. Hopefully we will see Eli on GMW 1 Link to comment
Kromm October 10, 2015 Share October 10, 2015 I thought it was a good message for little kids, that just because you're not "good" at something you enjoy, doesn't mean you shouldn't pursue it. The problem is that this is an activity that affects other people. Aside from any competitive aspect of cheerleading, there's plain old physical safety. Someone less qualified or able can actively be a danger to the others. Do they never do a pyramid, or a basket toss, or cartwheels across a court again because they now have an unreliable klutz in their midst? Sure there are ways to handle that, but doing so would almost be like if they had a handicapped kid they put to one side to wave a baton on their own. As it stands, even as an occasional replacement, Riley seems unreliable at a "job" that could hurt other people in a worst case. All because, as the show lesson insists, spirit matters more than accomplishment, and never quitting is inherently more important than prioritizing and rewarding realistic goals. If they want to teach perseverance as a lesson there were FAR better ways to do it than what they put on the page here. Link to comment
allonsyalice October 10, 2015 Share October 10, 2015 Zay totally stole this episode again tbh. (More Zay!!!) Other than that, I have to give it a rewatch, but meh. Neither good nor bad in my opinion. I've seen the show. And the Coach was mean (but she made me miss Selfie, sigh) What I will compliment, however, is that this show, imo, gets female relationships right! It's seen over and over with Riley and Maya, the girls who talked to Maya and Riley in Girl Meets Tell Tale Tot, and and now with the cheerleader girls who, by trope definition should have been awful girls, but instead wanted to give up their spots to help Riley, then pointed out the obvious.(hey, meanie coach! why don't you help train her!) Other than that, however, it was morely a forgettable episode. Link to comment
grandemocha October 10, 2015 Share October 10, 2015 Just saw the episode. One line that bothered me the most was from Riley: "Just because you say I didn't make the team doesn't mean I didn't make the team". My goodness, who taught her to think that way? Cory? Topanga? I know the audience was supposed to see the Coach as the big meanie for denying Riley the chance to be on the team, but Riley refusing to accept reality/ the coach's decision like it never even happened is just strange. She's still super cute and smiley while being full of optimism..which I do actually like about the character, but sometimes it's pushed too far. Also, isn't it almost the end of the school year for these kids? Why is Riley trying out for the cheerleading team at this point? From what I remember, cheerleading tryouts were either in the summer so that the girls could go to cheer camp and practice routines, or at the very beginning of the school year. 3 Link to comment
bettername2come October 10, 2015 Share October 10, 2015 cheerleading tryouts were either in the summer so that the girls could go to cheer camp and practice routines, or at the very beginning of the school year. When I was a cheerleader, tryouts were in spring, so we could fundraise for cheerleading camp and become a team before we left for camp. Link to comment
mommalib October 10, 2015 Share October 10, 2015 Farkle is my favorite character on this show. Zay is OK. Honestly the two leads I don't care for that much. Is that weird? Link to comment
Pallida October 10, 2015 Share October 10, 2015 This episode angered me. People have varying strengths and weaknesses, and working hard doesn't necessarily make someone good - and that's okay. As was mentioned above, people can get seriously injured in cheer by someone who does not have the proper athleticism and training. I would have far preferred the team recognizing that Riley has the spirit, but not the athleticism, and thought about alternatives. I think she'd make a fitting mascot. Teach kids to think about alternatives and how they can optimize their strengths. Riley obviously has no qualms with being quirky or silly in front of groups of people which is a great trait for a mascot. 9 Link to comment
benteen October 10, 2015 Share October 10, 2015 (edited) Good lord, what an AWFUL message this episode sent out. Seriously, the only lesson learned here is one of gross self-entitlement. Riley wants something so that means she's ENTITLED to have it. I used to think Maya was the most self-entitled character on this show. She wants Shawn to be her step-father so that means she’s entitled to have him and her mother be together, even if she has to manipulate them to do it. But I think Riley might have her beat. It’s frightening the fantasy world that she lives in and that her parents and friends bend over backwards for her to stay in. They are Riley’s chief enablers instead of being her supporters. After this episode, I kind of find myself sympathizing with her unseen bully from a few weeks earlier. This episode was the ultimate example of the “everyone gets a trophy” mentality and how society today seeks to shield children from the concept of failure. It’s important to always try your best and you lose nothing by trying out for something but it’s OKAY if you’re just not good enough. It doesn’t take anything away from you as a person and that simply means your talents are better suited elsewhere. That’s what Cory should be teaching in his class, not telling his students to keep punching a brick wall that’s never going to break. If Riley had learned that lesson at the end, that would have been a good one to learn. But Disney apparently things if children want something, they should get it. Even if they aren’t able to earn it. That scene where Riley was too dumb to know that she was supposed to catch that cheerleader was played for laughs but the truth is that cheerleader could have been seriously injured as a result. Schools are very mindful of that sort of thing and having a liability like Riley on the team could put her and her teammates are serious risk of an injury. The coach was right to not want her anywhere near the team. About two weeks ago, I was listening to Lou Holtz (he’s a Hall of Fame football coach for people who don’t know) on College Sports Network give a commentary on how parents do a disservice to their children by shielding them from the concept of failure. He talked about how every failure he had was ultimately a blessing because it led to something better for him. He didn’t win Player of the Year as a high school student but moved on and played college football. He got injured during his senior year, ending his playing career but leading to a chance to coach the freshman team. A few years later, after become a graduate assistant, he had a chance to return to his alma mater as an assistant coach. But the Athletic Director (I believe it was him) didn’t want to hire someone with ties to the school. So Holtz got a job as an assistant as a better school and soon was on his way to being a Hall of Fame college coach. It was a great lesson in how failure wasn’t the end of the world and could lead to something better if you apply yourself. I wish I could find the audio. That’s a concept this show clearly doesn’t believe in. You want to keep talking about the real world, show? You know what happens to people like Riley who refuse to take no for an answer and harass people at their workplace like that? They get fired and are escorted out of the building. Sometimes the police are called in. That’s the daughter you’re raising, Cory and Topanga and it’s a message of “If I want something, I DESERVE to have it” that Disney and this show is promoting. Riley didn’t earn a spot on the team. She wasn’t good enough. And it’s OKAY not to be good at something that you love. Edited October 11, 2015 by benteen 13 Link to comment
Pallida October 11, 2015 Share October 11, 2015 I generally agree with you benteen, but I do support participation trophies along with placement or achievement trophies. Participation trophies acknowledge experience and effort put in even when talent may be lacking. It doesn't take away from achievement based trophies. 2 Link to comment
Perfect Xero October 11, 2015 Share October 11, 2015 This episode angered me. People have varying strengths and weaknesses, and working hard doesn't necessarily make someone good - and that's okay. As was mentioned above, people can get seriously injured in cheer by someone who does not have the proper athleticism and training. I would have far preferred the team recognizing that Riley has the spirit, but not the athleticism, and thought about alternatives. I think she'd make a fitting mascot. Teach kids to think about alternatives and how they can optimize their strengths. Riley obviously has no qualms with being quirky or silly in front of groups of people which is a great trait for a mascot. That's where I thought they were heading, Riley's spirit would impress the squad/coach and they'd offer her the role of mascot. Couldn't believe that they had her make the team, even as an alternate, when she was shown to be comically unqualified. The other cheerleaders could have offered to help her train for the next year's tryouts after practices if they needed a teens solidarity against evil coach ending. 3 Link to comment
FrumiusManxome October 11, 2015 Share October 11, 2015 Something else that has been bothering me. Aren't they in 8th grade? They'll be going off to high school next year/season anyways. Which means Riley who just joined what I'm going to assume to be late in the fall (since we just had the Halloween special) isn't even going to be on team that long anyways. Why did they waste an episode on this? She'll literally have to repeat this all over again next year with a different coach and team who haven't spent years observing her 'spirit'. Link to comment
StaceyNotStacie October 11, 2015 Share October 11, 2015 I really didn't like this episode. She was very entitled. She reminded me of the people who can't sing for crap that try out for American Idol and get all offended when they don't make it to Hollywood. She was almost like the Disney Channel's version of Sue Heck where she has to try out for everything just for the sake of trying out for everything. I'm wondering how she ended up with a uniform. You'd think that they wouldn't get uniforms until they actually made the team. I really didn't like this episode. She was very entitled. She reminded me of the people who can't sing for crap that try out for American Idol and get all offended when they don't make it to Hollywood. She was almost like the Disney Channel's version of Sue Heck where she has to try out for everything just for the sake of trying out for everything. I'm wondering how she ended up with a uniform. You'd think that they wouldn't get uniforms until they actually made the team. 2 Link to comment
benteen October 11, 2015 Share October 11, 2015 That's where I thought they were heading, Riley's spirit would impress the squad/coach and they'd offer her the role of mascot. Couldn't believe that they had her make the team, even as an alternate, when she was shown to be comically unqualified. The other cheerleaders could have offered to help her train for the next year's tryouts after practices if they needed a teens solidarity against evil coach ending. Not to mention the girls who have been involved in cheerleading that long and were that serious about it wouldn't want dead weight like Riley around. 1 Link to comment
KerleyQ October 11, 2015 Share October 11, 2015 The main thing I got out of this episode is that I really kind of want a Riley/Zay pairing. 1 Link to comment
coyotedelmar October 11, 2015 Share October 11, 2015 While I thought the episode was decent, had some laughs, etc. I agree with most people in not liking that Riley made the team, even as an alternative. There was a point in the episode I was hoping she'd realize it wasn't really for her, when she and the coach had that one-on-one talk and the mentioning of how the girls on the team dedicate their life to cheerleading. It's a sitcom, so a bunch of stuff isn't shown, but it didn't seem like Riley had that level of commitment to cheer. Instead she kept going at it, sigh. The second was at the end, I agree that having her become the mascot would have been better then having her as an alternative. Hell, it'd even work with the classroom lesson, Edison (likely) didn't keep trying to do the same damn thing that didn't work 10,000 times, he tried something different each time. Riley asking about being a mascot would have been great, it'd be a different way for her to still be involved and use her talents, and send a better message (imo). To nitpick a bit, those cuts (The ones where they froze the frame, like when Riley was just thrown) were awful. If you aren't/can't have her do stunts, then show reactions from other people or something (with the sound), but yeah it didn't work. Loved Zay, as usual, and probably was the best of the episode for me. 1 Link to comment
StaceyNotStacie October 11, 2015 Share October 11, 2015 I was disappointed that they showed Zay doing through the window. After the first week, I wanted his "gimmick" to be that he always goes through the front door and arrives with food. 2 Link to comment
peachmangosteen October 11, 2015 Share October 11, 2015 The main thing I got out of this episode is that I really kind of want a Riley/Zay pairing. I had this exact same thought! Zay is amazing tbh. I am loving him. I've only see two eps with him. I need to find the others to watch just for him. 1 Link to comment
notinbtnet October 11, 2015 Share October 11, 2015 Almost, show, almost. Could have been a great episode if (as mentioned) (1) Riley got cut, realized it was ok to love something that you suck at, and move on (could also be mascot, yell leader, etc) and (2) cut all scenes with Perez Hilton. 3 Link to comment
CheetaraThunder October 12, 2015 Share October 12, 2015 I had this exact same thought! Zay is amazing tbh. I am loving him. I've only see two eps with him. I need to find the others to watch just for him. Funny thing is, people are starting to love the idea of Riley/Zay together. Its not just you... Zayn fits perfectly with the core 4. They better bump Amir to the main cast next season. Link to comment
RedFire2000 October 12, 2015 Author Share October 12, 2015 To nitpick a bit, those cuts (The ones where they froze the frame, like when Riley was just thrown) were awful. If you aren't/can't have her do stunts, then show reactions from other people or something (with the sound), but yeah it didn't work. Yes, what the heck was that all about. It reminded me of the scene in Girl Meets Sneak Attack when Farkle had his finger in Maya's nose. You never even SEE Farkle's finger in Maya's nose. You just have to assume... Did Sabrina Carpenter refuse to let anyone's finger in her nose? It was just so awkward and weirdly directed. Link to comment
Rowsdower October 15, 2015 Share October 15, 2015 Something else that has been bothering me. Aren't they in 8th grade? They'll be going off to high school next year/season anyways. From "Girl Meets Father" (season 1, episode 4): Riley: "Look at that ninth-grade woman! She's putting on makeup. We're going to be ninth-grade women someday!" Maya: "This thing goes to ninth grade?" As to why a middle school "goes to ninth grade" (if, in fact, it does), I have no idea. Junior high schools sometimes do, but they've become fairly uncommon in the United States (and regardless, this is explicitly a middle school). Link to comment
Skyfall October 15, 2015 Share October 15, 2015 Stop trying to use logic on a Disney show! Link to comment
AmandaPanda October 16, 2015 Share October 16, 2015 Just watched this episode and I didn't hate it. Yes, Riley was a terrible tumbler, but her dancing wasn't completely awful. Considering she probably only had a day to learn the steps, I thought she did fairly well. I actually saw potential in her. Maybe it's because I'm an elementary school teacher and believe everyone at least deserves a chance to learn. I thought she also made a good point about possibly needing an alternate in case someone got hurt, which is a real concern in cheerleading. I don't know. I laughed out loud a few times. I loved the addition of Zay. Overall, I thought this episode was pretty good. 1 Link to comment
methodwriter85 October 27, 2015 Share October 27, 2015 I honestly thought the episode was going to end with them making Riley the mascot. It actually would have been perfect. (Although really, she's an "alternate" but it basically seemed like an honorary position than something real.) Link to comment
dmmetler September 10, 2016 Share September 10, 2016 On October 9, 2015 at 11:22 PM, KaveDweller said: I know it was supposed to be a joke, but I thought that coach was pretty horrible. A student wants to try out for a team and she spends the whole time talking about how bad she is and that it's already decided she won't make the team? In middle school? It also seems unfair (and unrealistic) that she'd be the only one auditioning that hasn't been on the team for years. But I thought it was nice that the cheerleaders wanted to help Riley instead of being stereotypical mean popular girls. Not sure on NY, but in TN, middle school cheer can be quite competitive. You usually need to have at least a back handspring to be considered, and many of the girls will have been on cheer teams and taking tumbling classes for years. That RO-BHS-BT combo the girls were doing on day 2 really isn't uncommon here. Usually there are tryout instructions posted and they will explicitly say not to try out if you don't have X skills. That can narrow the field a lot. However, most schools will have a "spirit squad" which does a lot of the "cheering at games"-and is full of girls like Riley. There are also National Youth Athletics Association programs, like Champion Force, Young Champions, ActivStars and Champions in Motion, which are cheer programs for girls who want to cheer, but don't want to put in the time, which don't do nearly as much tumbling or stunting, but still allow that experience. Riley, who picks up on choreography, but simply doesn't have the cheer skills yet, would be an asset to such a team. Riley also could have made a Pom team, which does the dance parts and often can compete at a pretty high level, but doesn't tumble or stunt. Most middle schools have those. Heck, Riley doesn't qualify, but many all-star gyms and NYAA programs have teams just for kids with special needs, and such teams go all the way to Nationals and Worlds. I wish they'd shown Riley finding a way to be a cheerleader, while also acknowledging what the coach said in passing-that it's more than just wanting to do it-that girls who have back tucks and similar tumbling skills in middle school didn't start in middle school. They started much, much earlier. Link to comment
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