i just met gabby butler. >> reporter: gabby butler is also a celebrity.he 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

. >> reporter: today, gabby butler and her mom need every hair to be perfectly in place. >> she's hungry. she's tired. >> 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 problems with injuries have 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. >> 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