The CJA Senior 5 All-Star cheerleading team prepares for a competition in Texas, a state coach Patty Ann refers to as "the headquarters of cheerleading." The team is coming off a win in Philadelphia, but 13-year-old flyer Miranda had a major bobble during her stunt sequence. As she struggles during practices, her spot on the team may be in jeopardy. Lexi's mother Lori confronts Patty Ann about her refusal to allow parents to watch practices.
As the girls prepare for one of their biggest competitions of the season in Dallas, Jackie struggles to keep up at practice. Patty Ann talks to Jackie and her mother Dawn about Jackie's medical condition, asking if Senior 5 is getting to be too much for Jackie. Patty Ann calls on her daughter, Gina, a former Senior 5 captain, to motivate the girls for the upcoming weekend, where they will meet their Worlds competitors for the first time this season.
Coming off a rough performance in Dallas, the CJA girls are in for a rough week of practices before heading to Hartford, Conn., where they will be competing to win $25,000 toward their Worlds trip expenses. Baby May's stunt group has the captains and coaches frustrated by their constant struggles. Patty Ann calls the group in to get to the bottom of the problem and winds up counseling Jess about her performance anxiety. Meanwhile, there is a drama between the Senior 5 and Senior 4 teams, and Patty Ann has to defuse the situation.
Although the CJA team performed well in Connecticut the previous week, there is still much to improve on. The coaches bring in Happy Hooper, an icon in the cheer world, to raise the difficulty in the team's pyramid. Patty Ann is worried that flyer Baby May will not be able to handle the pressure. While the team prepares to give their new pyramid a trial run at a local competition in Trenton, the CJA moms host a Cut-a-Thon at Lori's salon to help fundraise for Worlds.
