>> 17-year-old maddy gardner is one of the best all-star cheerleaders in the country. he was 7 years old. >> yeah, maddie, come on! >> competitive cheerleading is really more action-packed and more difficult than high school cheerleading. >> good, maddie! >> to me, it is my passion. it became my sport. and now it's my life and it's what i do and it's pretty much who i am. >> come on, guys! >> maddie trains year-round at cheer extreme in north carolina, one of the largest and most elite all-star cheerleading gyms. >> it is a big commitment to be here, you know, every day for three to four hours. i'm doing homework in the car on the way here, i'm doing homework in practice breaks. i'm taking four ap classes, so i really set high goals for myself, and i think cheerleading has really taught me that too. you know, don't settle for second best. >> do you feel like you've had to sacrifice any of your teenage years for this sport? >> i wouldn't want to be anywhere else, honestly. i mean, this is what i love to do. >> that did not count! >> her coach, courtney pope, says the ded

the team star, maddie gardner is on the sidelines with a painful knee injury. >> it's really hot.irst got hurt it felt like a hot knife. it's a milder version of that. >> i fell out of a stunt. almost tore my acl which would have been really bad. >> reporter: after missing a week of training maddie cautiously takes the mat and works through the pain. >> the more i do the worse it gets. i probably shouldn't be doing as much but it will be worth it in the end. ♪ >> oh! >> five, six! >> reporter: maddie is ready to do whatever it takes to hold onto their title. for the next three weeks the team will spend four to five days a week in the gym, practicing for perfection. >> no! >> reporter: with their coach courtney pope. >> who remembers the practice for four hours where i stood here and we fixed every single person this way snrk every step has to be in synch. >> it is not together. this is no more synchronized in the opening than it was in january when we made it up. >> reporter: every flip, flawless. >> no. it's not good enough. >> come on! >> reporter: they will do it over and over