An eight-year-old girl won a cheerleading competition after being forced to perform solo when the rest of her squad didn’t show up.
Peyton Thorsby has gone viral for the brave effort which she said made her ‘very nervous.’
The third-grader was offered the chance to forfeit when none of her squad attended the Showcases of Championships cheer competition at the Florida State Grounds either due to illness or prior commitments.
But little Peyton, from New Port Richey, Florida, refused to do so – and was all smiles after being awarded a trophy for her performance in front of several hundred audience members.
‘I was scared about everything and I was very nervous,’ she told Fox News.
Peyton Thorsby has gone viral after competing in her cheerleading competition solo when her whole team failed to turn up. She won first prize
Peyton, pictured, said she was ‘very nervous’ to compete in the competition but added ‘Jesus tells me to be brave so I just went out there and was brave and got the trophy’
‘I didn’t really want my team to be disappointed of me for not going out there and not showing up for them, and so I made my decision.
‘I wanted to go out there, and I wanted to make my family proud and all my friends proud for myself.’
Peyton arrived at the contest for 6am with her mother Nichole Thorsby.
But they quickly realized the rest of her team, the Ktech Krakens, out of Pasco County, were not coming.
‘Nobody had come for whatever reasons they had had, and it ended up just being her that had shown up so her coach said ‘look like we might have to forfeit,’ Nichole told Fox News.
Describing the moment her daughter took home the trophy, Nichole added: ‘Me and her coaches were just crying our eyes out. I just couldn’t believe it, but just to see her out there on her own. She’s amazing.’
Peyton added: ‘Jesus tells me to be brave, so I just went out there and was brave and got the trophy.’
It comes after a Nebraska cheerleader similarly hit headlines after being forced to compete alone when her team also didn’t show up.
Peyton is pictured celebrating with her coach after her heart-warming win
The third-grader is a keen cheerleader who competes regularly with her team the Ktech Krakens, out of Pasco County. Pictured with her friend, left, and brother, right
Katrina Kohel, a senior at Morrill High School, performed a one-girl show at the Nebraska State High School Cheer and Dance Championships on February 17.
She was informed her teammates couldn’t make the competition just a few weeks beforehand.
Kohel’s rivals were so moved by her grit and determination she ended up receiving the biggest cheers of any competitor.
She also performed well with the judges, who gave her a higher score than her team has managed to attain during its prior three appearances at the tournament.
As she threw her pom poms from side to side and jumped in the air, her overjoyed fans – including fans from other teams, her competitors, and her grandparents- as the rest of the family were in Omaha watching her twin brother compete in the state wrestling tournament – clapped and cheered in support.
Kohel appeared ecstatic with her performance saying, ‘I probably had the loudest crowd involvement there … everybody was cheering with me, and it was an amazing feeling.’
After her competition, the MHS Lions posted on their Facebook how proud they were of her on a ‘job well done,’ and how she represented the team with ‘pride.’
Peyton’s performance was reminiscent of Nebraska cheerleader Katrina Kohel’s who was forced to perform alone after her squad also let her down
Kohel pictured with her Morrill Lions coach, April Ott. Her latest solo tournament appearance won her ‘team’ a higher score than it has for the last three contests
‘She did it! What an amazing routine! Thank you to each one of our cheer friends, family and fans far and near who packed the stands and cheered with Katrina!,’ they wrote.