of "nightline," the pressure is on. in the competition of a lifetime. >> she's hungry. she's tired. >> stressed. >> these parents put everything on the line. >> there's things i could be doing. but i'm doing this for you. >> so, their kids with soar. but could they be flying too high? >> any given moment, something can happen. >> that's the dangerous part of cheerleading. >> they are all-star cheerleaders. super athletes. super fearless. superstars on social media. everything they've worked for. >> do you believe in you? do you believe in us? >> comes down to this moment. this is a special edition of "nightline," "confessions of a cheerleader." but first, the nightline five." >> it's not just big. but our biggest sale of the season at jcpenney.

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good evening. i'm dan abrams. you're about to meet families that made huge sacrifices for their kids. they invested hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars. and in some cases, rearranged their entire lives. all for cheerleading. these young athletes are superstars on social media, where legions of fans follow their every move. now, it's game time.

abc's bianna golodryga headed out with them to the competition of their lives. >> the hair is part of the show. if their hair is not done it almost looks like a sloppy cheerleader out there, you know? >> reporter: today, gabby butler and her mom need every hair to be perfectly in place. >> she's hungry. she's tired. >> stressed. >> reporter: meanwhile -- >> [ bleep ]. >> reporter: michael eddie is terrified he might miss the most important moment of his life. >> i guess it's just -- >> the fact this is my last intensifies everything. >> right now, is basically do or die. >> reporter: for carly manning, the pressure is almost too much. >> i wouldn't want to disappoint people by giving up. >> reporter: for these three world class athletes, thousands of hours of training and countless injuries, have all led up to this one day. welcome to the world championships of competitive cheerleading. >> do you believe in you? >> yes. >> do you believe in us.

>> yes. >> we are -- >> the best of the best. >> we are -- >> wildcats. >> reporter: no pom-poms in sight. here the risk is high. and the stakes are even higher. >> any given moment, something can happen. >> reporter: a single miss can cost the athletes and their families everything they've worked for. >> i'm a mom that loves her kids above and beyond. and i would do whatever they want. ♪ [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: our story begins in this texas gym, two months before the world championships. where 15-year-old carly manning has been training more than half her life. >> let's go, wildcats! >> reporter: this year, for the first time, she's made it on to the wildcats. they compete at the most advanced levels. >> practices are very important. especially here. that's where you're trying to earn your spot. we're all just trying to push to be on the team.

>> reporter: her team is hoping that carly's ability to fly the record-breaking heights like this will help them win back-to-back championships. and it's not a bad bet. >> those are the medals that i've won over the years. >> reporter: carly's room is decorated with proof of her stellar track record. but for all these wins, this teenager had to make some sacrifices. >> i haven't watched tv in i can't tell you how long. i think it's been like a couple of years. >> reporter: very busy years, filled with very busy days. most like this one, start at 6:00 a.m. >> i usually have about a 16-hour day. >> reporter: first, school. and off to practice. >> basically, this is only opportunity i have to do homework unless i want to stay up really late when i get home. >> reporter: to make all this possible, she needs a chauffeur. >> carly spends as much time

cheerleading as someone would in a full-time job. >> reporter: carly's mom spends 15 hours on the road every week because of cheer. >> several times i have to remind carly, hey, i'm doing this for you. >> reporter: and with just a week to go before the world championships, the schedule is about to get way more intense. >> wildcats! >> reporter: and so are the practices. >> you come in here for the practices, including if you have mono, if you have strep. if you have a broken leg, and the bone is sticking out the side of your body, you have a smile on your face and you fake it the entire practice. >> you can do it. >> okay. >> you can do it. >> flipping, spinning, throwing girls in the air. that's the dangerous part of cheer leading. >> i broke my right ankle. i had various hamstring injuries. going to do it till my body breaks. >> one, two, three. wildcats! >> reporter: her mom, however, does believe this sacrifice does

serve a purpose. >> she learns so many lessons. she learns how to have a great work ethic. how to fully, 100% to something, which she does do. >> reporter: carly is, after all, a straight-a student. but cindy worries her daughter might be taking this dream too far. >> it's about 11:20 p.m. now. we're just getting home. if i had to give up cheer or give up school, i would give up school. >> what about your life? >> i don't know. >> that makes no sense. >> i don't know. i want to cheer. >> cheer where? >> true. >> okay. >> reporter: competitive cheer is a short-lived career. she can't go pro or win olympic glory. but surprisingly, carly has become a celebrity of sorts with almost 500,000 followers on instagram. >> that number to me is definitely mind-blowing. >> oh, my gosh. i just met gabby butler. >> reporter: gabby butler is also a celebrity.

she even has groupies. >> it's such a nice feeling, like, in my heart. it really does make me feel good, even though sometimes i'll get a little annoyed. or i'll feel like overwhelmed. >> reporter: this kind of fame is not what drives her to keep flipping. >> one and two and three and four. >> i love performing and just doing my best. and being with my team. and making memories out of it. >> reporter: and she has a lot of them. she's been cheering since she was 8. because of her extraordinary flexibility, this florida girl was rekruted by one of the most elite teams in the country, based in california. >> gabby is addicted to cheer. she loves it from her soul. it's like her oxygen. >> reporter: to further gabby's cheer dreams, her mother made a difficult decision to split up the family. moving across the country, leaving her husband and two other children behind. >> living away from my husband and my children is extremely hard. we're a tight-knit family.

so it's basksly basically taking our hearts and putting them on the other side of the country. i think it's funny how you hate doing your hair. >> reporter: their home away from home has become an accidental cheer house. debbie is den mom to a handful of teenagers at any given time. >> it became the grand central station home. >> reporter: here they eat, breathe and sleep cheer. but it's pretty tight quarters. they're all forced to get very close. sometimes debbie has to sleep on the couch. >> i'm a mom. not a cheer mom. i'm a mom who loves her kids above and beyond and i will do whatever they want. >> we need to finish this. >> reporter: in order to raise a star like gabby, she must manage every last detail of her daughter's life. >> i'm completely stressed out now. >> reporter: from what to pack. >> i don't work. this is my job. >> reporter: to the color of her nails. >> let me see. just a little more. they tumble. you know what tumbling is? >> if it was up to me, cheerleading would be slicked-back ponytail with natural makeup.

>> reporter: unfortunately for gabby and her mom, cheer involves a lot of primping. >> can you not touch my face. >> gabby seriously, my back is out. you know this. if i have to move your head one more time, i'm not going to do it anymore. i can honestly say i have fought more with my children than anything, over hair. >> no. no, no, no. >> reporter: and it's taken more than just an emotional toll. how much money would you say over the years, you've spent on supporting your daughter in cheer? >> we're in the hundreds of thousands as far as money goes in the last few years. >> reporter: a lot of the money is spent on traveling to competitions. luckily for this cheer family that's split across the country, it's a perfect excuse for a reunion. >> i'm seeing my dad and my sister for the first time. i'm really excited. i haven't seen them in like forever. >> it's very much about being together as a family.

and enjoying the time and supporting each other. >> we make a big sacrifice. we're doing it because we love it. ♪ >> reporter: gabby is getting made up yet again. this time, for a photo shoot, where she meets up with fellow cheerlebrity carly. >> i always wanted to meet you, too. >> i have always wanted to meet you, too. >> reporter: they can be casualties of their own fame. just like real celebrities. >> people do definitely see things on instagram and twitter and jump to conclusions really fast. that comes with stories and rumors and things like that. >> reporter: carly and her boyfriend, matt, are the reigning cheer couple online, with a dozen sites devoted to their relationship. >> that makes me feel so bad for celebrities, honestly. >> i used to be at magazines and say, i can't believe she did that. until i was in this situation, where i was under a little microscope. >> reporter: but they are still kids, exposed to the danger that

can come with this kind of attention. when you read comments, that people say, get in my bed -- >> that's a little over the edge. >> reporter: does it bother you that there's so much sexualization of the sport? >> cheerleading is one of the most sexual sports. i think. you have cheerleaders walking around in half-tops with their stomachs showing. >> we don't dress that way for attention. we dress that way because it's our wardrobe. >> i love him being a cheerleader. >> reporter: michael is also a buddy cheerlebrity but he's not your typical cheerleader. >> he's a football player. but he was better than the cheerleaders that were cheering for him. >> i've done so many sports. this is the hardest sports i've ever done. >> reporter: he actually turned to cheer because of football. >> i wanted to learn how to do a back flip if i ever scored a touchdown. football is like a brotherhood. but cheer is performing. it's doing it in front of a

crowd and feeling like a rock star for 2:30. >> reporter: being a male cheerleader has its challenges. >> at first i didn't want anyone to know i was a male cheerleader. if anyone asks me, i'm going to own up to it. >> reporter: michael eddie's family had little trouble accepting his decision. because they were already a cheer family. his sister was, in part, his inspiration. >> i thought cheer was one of the things that girls did. once my son was involved -- i saw the conditioning that they had in the cheer program. i developed a lot of respect. for cheer. >> reporter: now, at 19, michael eddie is about to age out of his team. so, the upcoming world championships are his final hoorah. >> got a third-consecutive world title i want to win. i have to be a good leader on my team. >> lits let's go. everyone's coming. >> don't want to be distracted right now. this is my last year.

i want to make it solid. >> reporter: for gabby and michael eddie, it's their last chance to practice at home before they have to defend their world title. >> do you guys want to end? do you want to feel confident? but they're not looking like the champions they're known to be. >> this already should be perfect. there's no reason this stuff should be falling. >> reporter: after three mistakes, coach eddie had had enough. >> three, four mistakes in one section is not acceptable. go running to cool off a little bit. hopefully i can cool off a little bit, as well. >> definitely punishment. >> training time as the day that counts is finally here. everything is on the line but what if things go wrong. >> right now it is basically do or die. to the finish line. tting in life, it's how you get there that matters most.

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♪ ♪ oh, yeah [ male announcer ] discover your new orleans. start exploring at followyournola.com. we're back, now, as our cheerlebrities get ready for the ultimate competition. training time is over, as the day that counts is finally here. no more time for practice. and definitely no more time for mistakes. for those seeking scholarships, it's do or die. but everybody's hungry for gold. and there can only be one winner. here, again, is abc's bianna golodryga. >> reporter: after a year of training and thousands of miles of travel, the world championships are finally here. >> we've been traveling for almost eight hours today. and still haven't slept. >> reporter: this is their last practice before they all take

the floor. >> i'm glad we're having this last practice so we can make sure we're really confident going into worlds. >> reporter: flying through their routines with perfection, they are on a high. >> five. >> reporter: praying for victory tomorrow. >> won't be beat. >> won't be beat. >> reporter: the morning of the finals -- the butler family is off to a rough start. >> you need one like that is what you're telling me? it is very much chaos right now. >> she's hungry. she's tired. >> stressed. >> so much to do. they have to have their hair and makeup done. it's a project. >> you didn't realize there's an actual art to doing this. >> you look beautiful already. >> the biggest competition of the year, they trained all year for this. >> can we just fold it over? please. >> that's the job of a cheer dad to try to keep the sanity in all this chaos. >> what time is it?

>> wildcats will meet in one hour. i'm more excited than nervous, i think. i'm just ready to go. >> i'm just nervous. i'm so nervous. i'm just, like, since i woke up this morning, just have butterflies. >> reporter: with his team waiting, michael eddie is suddenly in crisis mode. he can't find his credentials. without it, he can't compete. >> what did you forget? are you really? >> [ bleep ]. >> i don't have my thing to get in. >> are you kidding me right now? >> just wait five minutes. i'm not going to get to defend the title for a four-peat. seven years comes down to today. oh, my gosh. it's stressful. >> reporter: carly has nerves of steel. the pressure never seems to shake her. >> i'm thinking about the routine and wa i need to do to be my best today. >> reporter: all the work these families have put in is on the line. >> your adrenaline is rushing and your anxiety and your heart's about to pop out of your chest and you feel like you're going to vomit. and hope and pray they can handle the heat.

>> reporter: the best of the best are all here. >> people are always saying, you're going to take a three-peat. you guys are going to take a three-peat. constantly. it's like, my gosh. stop saying that. we're so superstitious. >> reporter: soon enough, michael eddie and gabby take the floor. >> we're not holding anything back. we're going to fight to the very end, no matter what happens. we will fight. >> reporter: and they do. they nailed their routine. up next, carly's team, the wildcats. they're competing in a different division. >> today, i just want to go out there and just kill it. >> reporter: for carly, michael eddie and gabby, the years of hard work pay off. both teams win gold. the high of victory is short-lived. for these athletes, cheer is everything. gabby is deciding whether to keep living apart from her family. >> it's a possibility that i won't go back. at the same time, it's a possibility that i will. it's kind of like a 50/50.

>> she's going back. i'll tell you that. she said the same exact thing last year and look what happened, she's back again. >> reporter: michael eddie is grappling with aging out. >> it's an addiction. you're away from it, i want to work my butt off for a championship. or for something greater than myself. >> i'm addicted to cheerleading is something i'm going to want to do until i'm too old to do it. i think i want to do it until my body breaks. >> reporter: for "nightline," i'm bianna golodryga, in dallas, texas. next on "nightline," we're going to the crossfit games. millions of americans pushing themselves to extremes. but is site really safe? really safe?ight like a vise. (man) when i can't go, it's like rocks piling up. i wish i could find some relief. (announcer) ask your doctor about linzess-- a once-daily capsule for adults with ibs with constipation or chronic idiopathic constipation.

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♪ tomorrow night on "nightline," it's the extreme fitness trend with millions of disciples. crossfit gospel has members pushing themselves to the limit. but are they pushing too far? ♪ >> this may just be the most extreme fitness competition on >> another nan the top five. >> he is on a quest to be the fittest man on the planet. >> don't try to get caught up looking left and right. you are better off keeping your head down. cross fit has become a national sensation, millions of americans are obsessed with the high-intensity strength training program and it's hard to argue with a body of evidence like this. crossfit is also accused of pushing people too hard, too fast, no matter the

consequences. devotees insist the exercises aren't to blame. >> the exercises are safe when applied with coaching and instruction. >> reporter: now they are competing in the ultimate smackdown, the crossfit games. >> that's tomorrow night. we go inside the crossfit games where they'll crown the fittest man and woman. make sure to tune in right here on "nightline." make sure to tune in right here thanks for watching abc news. "world news now" is coming up soon with overnight breaking news. tune into "good morning america" tomorrow. and as always, we're o

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