History Film / StickIt

** If there ''were'' event finals at Nationals, calling up an alternate to compete in one of the finals after it's already started (as is done with Tricia on beam) would be wildly irregular and probably a violation of multiple rules -- alternates are only allowed to come in to replace athletes who withdraw ''before'' the start of the competition, not those who scratch in the moment. At most they could put Tricia out to do an "exhibition" routine just to give the crowd something to watch, but an exhibition routine explicitly means it's not an official part of the competition[[labelnote:*]]this famously happened to Gabby Douglas at the 2012 American Cup, where she technically got the highest cumulative score for her exhibition set but as she wasn't an official participant, it didn't "count" for medal purposes[[/labelnote]], so Tricia wouldn't be in contention for a medal even with all the other routines being scratches. Theoretically, it's ''maybe'' possible that the judges and the people running nationals conspired to disregard those rules due to the situation, but if that were the case, surely someone would have at least commented on it (if only to comment on the hypocrisy of the judges being willing to disregard a rule after being so strict with the rules for everyone else), but they never even mention this.

** If there ''were'' event finals at Nationals, calling up an alternate to compete in one of the finals after it's already started (as is done with Tricia on beam) would be wildly irregular and probably a violation of multiple rules -- alternates are only allowed to come in to replace athletes who withdraw ''before'' the start of the competition, not those who scratch in the moment. At most they could put Tricia out to do an "exhibition" routine just to give the crowd something to watch, but an exhibition routine explicitly means it's not an official part of the competition[[labelnote:*]]this famously happened to Gabby Douglas at the 2012 American Cup, where she technically got the highest cumulative score for her exhibition set but as she wasn't an official participant, it didn't "count" for medal purposes[[/labelnote]], so Tricia wouldn't be in contention for a medal even with all the other routines being scratches. Theoretically, it's ''maybe'' possible that the judges and the people running nationals conspired to disregard those rules due to the situation, but if that were the case, surely at least one of the coaches/other gymnasts would have said something like "they can't do that, it's against the rules", but they never even mention this.

* JerkassHasAPoint: It's actually pretty understandable that Tricia and some other gymnasts would resent Haley for what happened at Worlds. Yes, Haley had just learned some devastating news, but it was still a ''team'' final she walked out on, at the biggest event of the year no less, and because it's an every-score-counts format (as opposed to one that allows teams to drop a score), what she did had massive consequences for her teammates (including Tricia); this was something they would have been working towards for most of their lives, they had presumably competed their hearts out in that final, and it was all on the verge of paying off, and then at the last minute Haley yanked that out from under them (and keep in mind too that they had no idea what was going on behind the scenes that led to this -- as far as they knew, she just up and quit on the team for seemingly no reason). If she had walked out in an individual final where the only person she would be hurting was herself, it would have been different. What's more, she did it in about the worst way possible by going up to the podium and then walking out, forcing her team to take the zero, rather than withdrawing before going up which would have allowed the team to make a substitution. As for the gymnasts who weren't there to be directly affected, many of them were probably thinking they would have killed to be on that team, and from their perspective Haley got that and then just threw it away -- especially if any of them were in contention for the team, but didn't get a spot while Haley did.

* JerkassHasAPoint: It's actually pretty understandable that Tricia and some other gymnasts would resent Haley for what happened at Worlds. Yes, Haley had just learned some devastating news, but it was still a ''team'' final she walked out on, at the biggest event of the year no less, and because it's an every-score-counts format (as opposed to one that allows teams to drop a score), what she did had massive consequences for her teammates (including Tricia); this was something they would have been working towards for most of their lives, they had presumably competed their hearts out in that final, and it was all on the verge of paying off, and then at the last minute Haley yanked that out from under them (and keep in mind too that they had no idea what was going on behind the scenes that led to this -- as far as they knew, she just up and quit on the team for seemingly no reason). If she had walked out in an individual final where the only person she would be hurting was herself, it would have been different. As for the gymnasts who weren't there to be directly affected, many of them were probably thinking they would have killed to be on that team, and from their perspective Haley got that and then just threw it away -- especially if any of them were in contention for the team, but didn't get a spot while Haley did.

* ThreeAmigos: [[TwoGuysAndAGirl Haley, Frank, and Poot are portrayed as this.]]

* WritersCannotDoMath: On the first day of Nationals, Tricia qualifies to only one event final (floor), but somehow wins the all-around, meaning she had the highest score of the day despite finishing outside the top eight on three out of four events. While it's not technically impossible, it is ''extremely'' improbable, especially given that another gymnast (Haley) qualified to all four finals; the math on that would require things to play out in a pretty exceptional way, but there's no indication that that happened.[[note]]It ''might'' be stretched to make sense for the beam final (in which she was originally an alternate) as an injury situation that prevented her competing in the other finals -- beam is probably the least ''physically'' demanding of the four, with many upper-level JO gymnasts able to "perform" an elite-level beam routine on a line on the floor, and gymnasts have even done "no hands" routines in the past -- but if that were the case, she presumably wouldn't still be planning on competing in the floor final, and yet she is.[[/note]]

** One important aspect that the film doesn't go into is that gymnasts need to be 100% mentally capable as many of the stunts especially the vault are incredibly dangerous. Haley dropping out for unknown personal reasons might have been better received among her fellow gymnastics in reality. Simone Biles dropping out of several events in the 2020 olympics due to mental performance issues comes to mind. Simone faced zero criticism from anyone connected to gymnastics as they understood how dangerous not being mentally prepared for competition is.

** If there ''were'' event finals at Nationals, calling up an alternate to compete in one of the finals after it's already started (as is done with Tricia on beam) would be wildly irregular and probably a violation of multiple rules -- alternates are only allowed to come in to replace athletes who withdraw ''before'' the start of the competition, not those who scratch in the moment. At most they could put Tricia out to do an "exhibition" routine just to give the crowd something to watch, but an exhibition routine explicitly means it's not an official part of the competition, so Tricia wouldn't be in contention for a medal even with all the other routines being scratches. Theoretically, it's ''maybe'' possible that the judges and the people running nationals conspired to disregard those rules due to the situation, but if that were the case, surely at least one of the coaches/other gymnasts would have said something like "they can't do that, it's against the rules", but they never even mention this.

* One important aspect that the film doesn't go into is that gymnasts need to be 100% mentally capable as many of the stunts especially the vault are incredibly dangerous. Haley dropping out for unknown personal reasons might have been better received among her fellow gymnastics in reality. Simone Biles dropping out of several events in the 2020 olympics due to mental performance issues comes to mind. Simone faced zero criticism from anyone connected to gymnastics as they understood how dangerous not being mentally prepared for competition is.

** If there ''were'' event finals at Nationals, calling up an alternate to compete in one of the finals after it's already started (as is done with Tricia on beam) would be wildly irregular and probably a violation of multiple rules -- alternates are only allowed to come in to replace athletes who withdraw ''before'' the start of the competition, not those who scratch in the moment. At most they could put Tricia out to do an "exhibition" routine just to give the crowd something to watch, but an exhibition routine explicitly means it's not an official part of the competition, so Tricia wouldn't be in contention for a medal even with all the other routines being scratches. Theoretically, it's ''maybe'' possible that the judges and the people running nationals conspired to disregard those rules due to the situation, but if that were the case, surely the coaches/other gymnasts would have had something to say about it, but they never even mention this aspect.

* ConflictKiller: [[spoiler:Whatever rivalry there is between the gymnasts dies when they figure out the judges are going to dock points from their routines [[EvilIsPetty for the pettiest of reasons]], even [[RevengeByProxy having a beef with their coach]]]]. This leads to the climactic rebellion.

* EightPointEight: [[invoked]] The scores given by the judges aren't taken well by the girls. Or the audience for that matter.

* BaitAndSwitchBoss: The film builds up the rivalry between Haley and Tricia, but at nationals Tricia is superseded by [[spoiler:the judges themselves, who use antiquated rules to punish gymnasts and coaches they dislike. Tricia even joins Haley's rebellion.]]
* BigBrotherInstinct: Poot asks about Haley's well being throughout the movie.
* BikerBabe: Haley is introduced riding her BMX through a residential construction site.

** Wei Wei is reprimanded since her dancing doesn't fit traditional gymnastics style, but she uses them in a nontraditional routine at nationals to win the crowd.

** If there ''were'' event finals at Nationals, calling up an alternate to compete in one of the finals after it's already started (as is done with Tricia on beam) would be wildly irregular and probably a violation of multiple rules -- alternates are only allowed to come in to replace athletes who withdraw ''before'' the start of the competition, not those who scratch in the moment. At most they could put Tricia out to do an "exhibition" routine just to give the crowd something to watch, but an exhibition routine explicitly means it's not an official part of the competition, so Tricia wouldn't be in contention for a medal even with all the other routines being scratches. Theoretically it's maybe possible that the judges and the people running nationals conspired to disregard those rules due to the situation, but if that were the case, surely the coaches/other gymnasts would have had something to say about it, but they never even mention this aspect.

** If there ''were'' event finals at Nationals, calling up an alternate to compete in one of the finals after it's already started (as is done with Tricia on beam) would be wildly irregular and probably a violation of multiple rules -- alternates are only allowed to come in to replace athletes who withdraw ''before'' the start of the competition. At most they could put Tricia out to do an "exhibition" routine just to give the crowd something to watch, but an exhibition routine explicitly means it's not an official part of the competition, so Tricia wouldn't be in contention for a medal even with all the other routines being scratches. Theoretically it's maybe possible that the judges and the people running nationals conspired to disregard those rules due to the situation, but if that were the case, surely the coaches/other gymnasts would have had something to say about it, but they never even mention this aspect.

* WritersCannotDoMath: On the first day of Nationals, Tricia qualifies to only one event final, but somehow wins the all-around, meaning she had the highest score of the day despite finishing outside the top eight on three out of four events. While it's not technically impossible, it is ''extremely'' improbable, especially given that another gymnast (Haley) qualified to all four finals; the math on that would require things to play out in a pretty exceptional way, but there's no indication that that happened.[[note]]The only real plausible explanation is some sort of injury that took Tricia out of the other three events -- beam is probably the least ''physically'' demanding of the four, with many upper-level JO gymnasts able to "perform" an elite-level beam routine on a line on the floor, and gymnasts have even done "no hands" routines in the past -- but again, Tricia shows no sign of any such injury.[[/note]]

* DefiantStrip: A variation of this trope plays a major role in the climax. At the National Gymnastics Championships, Mina performs an incredibly complicated routine on the vault without making a single mistake, but doesn't get a perfect score because one of her bra straps inadvertently started showing, which makes her lose points. Protagonist Haley is the next to go, but instead steps up to the horse used for the vault, pulls down her leotard to show her bra strap, and taps the equipment. This action, known as a "scratch," [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight immediately disqualifies her]] (because you can touch the equipment only one time; once you break contact, you're done). The other contestants realize what Haley is doing and join the cause, with each woman stepping up, showing her bra strap, and touching the horse, forcing the judges to award Mina the gold medal by default. The gymnasts then team up to deliberately subvert the judges' archaic rules by unanimously deciding the best athlete on each event and then disqualifying themselves to ensure that she wins the gold medal.

* SpiritualPredecessor: To ''Series/MakeItOrBreakIt''.

''Stick It'' is the story of 17-year-old Haley Graham (Peregrym), a former world-level gymnast who is thrust back into the world of gymnastics as a sentence from her run-in with the law for vandalism. She ends up at Vickerman Gymnastics Academy, where Coach Burt Vickerman (Bridges) persuades her to compete in an upcoming invitational, and to use the winnings to help pay off some of the property damage. Haley's presence is badly received by her fellow competitors, and so instead of practicing with the group, she practices on her own out in the old gym. Haley likes to perform wild and extreme tricks, not "cookie-cutter routines", but has a hard time controlling them, and sticking her landings. She ends up having to go to Vickerman for help.

At the invitational, Haley does fabulously, but is judged not by the difficulty of her tricks, or her technique, but on small, minor infractions. She even notes to the other VGA girls, "It doesn't matter how well you do. It's how well you follow their rules."

Haley and her teammates eventually make it to the National Championship. When one of the girls, Mina (Maddy Curley), is denied her rightful '10' for the reason of having a bra-strap showing (an ancient and rarely-invoked rule, only brought up because of Mina's coach), the other girls band together in an attempt to fight the judging system. As a whole, they choose who has the best routine for an event, and allow that girl to do her full routine, while all others forfeit their chances, effectively choosing the winners and breaking the system.

* JerkassHasAPoint: It's actually pretty understandable that Tricia and some other gymnasts would resent Haley for what happened at Worlds. Yes, Haley had just learned some devastating news, but it was still a ''team'' final she walked out on, at the biggest event of the year no less, and because it's an every-score-counts format (as opposed to one that allows teams to drop a score), what she did had massive consequences for her teammates (including Tricia); this was something they would have been working towards for most of their lives, they had presumably competed their hearts out in that final, and it was all on the verge of paying off, and then at the last minute Haley yanked that out from under them (and keep in mind too that they had no idea what was going on behind the scenes that led to this -- as far as they knew, she just up and quit on the team for seemingly no reason). If she had walked out in an individual final where the only person she would be hurting was herself, it would have been different. As for the gymnasts who weren't there to be directly affected, many of them were probably thinking they would have killed to be on that team, and from their perspective Haley got that and then just threw it away -- especially for anyone who was in contention for the team, but didn't get a spot while Haley did.

* JerkassHasAPoint: It's actually pretty understandable that Tricia and some other gymnasts would resent Haley for what happened at Worlds. Yes, Haley had just learned some devastating news, but it was still a ''team'' final she walked out on, at the biggest event of the year no less, and because it's an every-score-counts format (as opposed to one that allows teams to drop a score), what she did had massive consequences for her teammates (including Tricia); this was something they would have been working towards for most of their lives, they had presumably competed their hearts out in that final, and it was all on the verge of paying off, and then at the last minute Haley yanked that out from under them (and keep in mind too that they had no idea about what caused this -- as far as they knew, she just up and quit on the team for no reason). If she had walked out in an individual final where the only person she would be hurting was herself, it would have been different. As for the gymnasts who weren't there to be directly affected, many of them were probably thinking they would have killed to be on that team, and from their perspective Haley got that and then just threw it away -- especially for anyone who was in contention for the team, but didn't get a spot while Haley did.

* JerkassHasAPoint: Tricia and some other gymnasts resenting Haley for what happened at Worlds. Yes, Haley had just learned some devastating news, but it was still a ''team'' final she walked out on, at the biggest event of the year no less, and because it's an every-score-counts format (as opposed to one that allows teams to drop a score), what she did had massive consequences for her teammates (including Tricia); this was something they would have been working towards for most of their lives, they had presumably competed their hearts out in that final, and it was all on the verge of paying off, and then at the last minute Haley yanked that out from under them. If she had walked out in an individual final where the only person she would be hurting was herself, it would have been different. As for the gymnasts who weren't there to be directly affected, many of them were probably thinking they would have killed to be on that team, and from their perspective Haley got that and then just threw it away -- especially for anyone who was in contention for the team, but didn't get a spot while Haley did.

* TheLadette: Haley is a rebellious, sarcastic, motorcycle-riding {{tomboy}} who, when she's not doing gymnastics, usually wears baggy pants and men's shirts.

** Wei Wei plays "Come Baby Come" by K7 while performing her beam routine. This is doubly inaccurate for two reasons: one, gymnasts don't ''have'' music while performing on the balance beam, only on the floor routine. Secondly, the music that gymnasts choose to perform to is not allowed to have words - only instrumentals are allowed.
*** This could double as a moment of ScrewTheRulesTheyBrokeThemFirst for Wei Wei, knowing and not caring her routine music couldn’t allow for lyrics due to the rules, as it is alluded to by Haley earlier on during her voice-over narration. Wei Wei just wanted to use the music she liked, and if everyone else was damning the rules, then why not her?
*** The music was pretty clearly not an official part of the competition; Wei Wei rigged her personal music player to start playing it during her routine (as opposed to floor music which is given to the judges on a CD and they cue it up before the routine). It's not an authorized use of music, and in reality, doing this would probably result in some major deductions if not outright disqualification, but Wei Wei probably figured she wasn't going to beat Tricia in the eyes of the judges anyway, so she might as well just go up and make it as awesome as possible.
** The music is playing in her head since the iPod was left on the bench with the headphones still plugged in.

* BikerBabe: Haley is introduced riding her motorcycle through a residential construction site.

* DefiantStrip: A variation of this trope plays a major role in the climax. At the National Gymnastics Championships, Mina performs an incredibly complicated routine on the vault without making a single mistake, but doesn't get a perfect score because one of her bra straps inadvertently started showing, which makes her lose points. Protagonist Haley is the next to go, but instead steps up to the horse used for the vault, pulls down her leotard to show her bra strap, and taps the equipment. This action, known as a "scratch," [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight immediately disqualifies her.]] The other contestants realize what Haley is doing and join the cause, with each woman stepping up, showing her bra strap, and touching the horse, forcing the judges to award Mina the gold medal by default. The gymnasts then team up to deliberately subvert the judges' archaic rules by unanimously deciding the best athlete on each event and then disqualifying themselves to ensure that she wins the gold medal.

* EvilIsPetty: It's made perfectly clear that the judges in the finals deduce points out of incredibly persnickety reasons (half a point for bra strap allegedly showing even when it's impossible for the film's audience to see that, for example) or, in Haley's case, sheer spite (they deduce points from her routines [[RevengeByProxy because they don't like her coach]]).

** ''Both'' of Haley's parents, Joanne's Mom, and Haley's former coach. And don't get us started on the judges at finals. Unbelievable.

** Actually, Haley's dad isn't that much of a Jerkass. As her mom said, he called every elite gym in the country, and paid extra for her education, trying to get her back into a sport she once loved.

* TheLadette: Haley is a rebellious, sarcastic motorcycle-riding {{tomboy}} who, when she's not doing gymnastics, usually wears baggy pants and men's shirts.

* MandatoryUnretirement: Haley was forced back into Gymnastics after getting into trouble with vandalism, though mot everyone seems happy she is back. She shocked everyone after she scratched out of Worlds, basically screwing her team and teammates like Tricia, which she takes heat for when she comes back. See RetiredBadass. It's understandable that she quit [[spoiler: after finding out her coach was having an affair with her mother.]] though she kept that to herself
* ParentalSubstitute: The Coach. What else are they for? Teaching? Psht.

* PlatonicLifePartners: Haley's relationship with Frank and Poot. The simple fact that she doesn't have a love interest is actually one of the things people compliment this movie for.

* UsedToBeASweetKid: Haley's Dad says this almost verbatim to her.

* DefiantStrip: A variation of this trope plays a major role in the climax. At the National Gymnastics Championships, Mina performs an incredibly complicated routine on the vault without making a single mistake, but doesn't get a perfect score because one of her bra straps inadvertently started showing, which makes her lose points. Protagonist Haley is the next to go, but instead steps up to the horse used for the vault, pulls down her leotard to show her bra strap, and taps the equipment. This action, known as a "scratch," [[ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight immediately disqualifies her.]] The other contestants realize what Haley is doing and join the cause, with each woman stepping up, showing her bra strap, and touching the horse, forcing the judges to award Mina the gold medal by default. The gymnasts then team up to deliberately subvert the judges' archaic rules by unanimously deciding the best athlete in each contest and then disqualifying themselves to ensure that she wins the top prize.

* RealityIsUnrealistic: Creator/MissyPeregrym is well over the average height of a female gymnast (which is ''4'9"'') at 5'6", but while this makes it harder, it's not ''impossible'' to compete at that level at her height, and there are some gymnasts of that height who compete and have success at the elite level -- take for instance Nina Derwael, who, at 5'7", is a two-time world champion and Olympic gold medalist on bars.