Chalk It Up 2016

Apple, Maddy Curley, a Greene University student who edits other students’ papers, clings to a single goal: to marry her rugby-playing, somewhat dim boyfriend Todd, Drew Seeley. When Greene’s rugby team is sidelined by the Title IX rules, the squad is disbanded and Todd transfers to another school. To keep him in her orbit, Apple decides to start a women’s gymnastics team. She teams up with her roommate Cali, Nikki SooHoo — a forceful but surprisingly warm presence — and together they recruit six athletic women from Greene. Around them, Apple also meets Chet, John DeLuca, a rugby player who doubles as the teaching assistant for her economics class. With the athletics director’s approval, the new gymnastics program receives the green light, and Cali steps in as coach as the team begins to learn routines and build confidence. Apple and Chet grow closer, and a kiss seals a new, complicated spark between them.

The rugby team is allowed to compete again; Todd returns to campus and, in a humiliating moment, makes Apple fold his clothes before ending things. Heartbroken, Apple steps away from the gym and dives into dating. Without her leadership, the gymnastics team struggles and eventually disbands, and her friends, including Cali and Chet, drift apart. Then the dean learns about Apple’s paper-editing business and calls her to a hearing for violating campus policy. During this tense process, Apple reconnects with what the team and her friends mean to her, and the case is eventually dismissed. She offers apologies, and the gymnastics team is re-formed for the final competition of the season. Each gymnast shows growth through practice, and at the meet they execute clean routines. Apple closes the event by scoring a perfect 10 on the floor exercise. After the victory, Chet finds her and they share a kiss, signaling a hopeful turning point for both of them.