Stumble: Courteney Potter Names Madonna as Alternate

With the Daytona cheerleading championships looming, junior college coach Courteney Potter (Jenn Lyon) faced an impossible problem: she had added members to her squad and now had one cheerleader too many. Only 16 can compete, so Courteney held “mat tryouts,” scoring routines that included jumps, partner stunts and a basket toss to decide who would be an alternate.

Back at home she tried to pare the roster by placing the team’s faces on popsicle sticks. Her husband Boon E. Potter (Taran Killam) objected when he saw Sally (Georgie Murphy) separated from the others—he’d grown attached after Sally had briefly moved in with them when Courteney found out she was living out of her car.

Sally stumbled in early rounds but, thinking of Boon as a father figure, managed to nail the difficult basket toss. Madonna (Arianna Davis), who had founded the college’s original team, then froze, fell during her routine and ran out, saying she’d gotten “the yips.” Courteney ultimately designated Madonna as the alternate.

courteney potter, daytona championships, junior college, cheerleading, mat tryouts, basket toss, alternate, yips, madonna, jenn lyon