Her cheer team didn't show up to their competition. But this 8-year-old decided to compete solo — and won 1st place.
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- An 8-year-old cheerleader was the only one from her Florida team to show up to a competition's call time.
- Peyton Thorsby decided to compete solo so her team wouldn't have to forfeit the competition.
- She was "scared about everything," but she ended up winning the first place prize.
An 8-year-old cheerleader was "very nervous" about performing alone after her team didn't show up to a competition.
But, not only did she save the team from having to forfeit — she also won first place.
Peyton Thorsby's teammates didn't show up for their early morning call time at their competition at the Florida State Fairgrounds, she told Fox 13 News.
"I was scared about everything," Thorsby, a member of the K-Tech Krakens from Pasco County, told the outlet.
"Nobody had come for whatever reasons they had had, and it ended up just being her that had shown up," said Peyton's mom, Nichole Thorsby, according to Fox 13.
When Thorsby was the only one to show up to the competition, her coach informed her that the team may forfeit.
"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 Thorsby told Fox 13.
Young cheerleaders across the country have made headlines in recent weeks for going it alone and persevering without their teams. In Nebraska, a high school senior competed solo after her entire squad quit. In Missouri, a high school junior is the only cheerleader left on her school's team, but she still rallied the crowd on her own.
Thorsby gave a solo performance that charmed the judges and the crowd, beating two other teams for first place, Fox 13 reported.
"I was actually shocked about myself. I didn't really know I could go out and do it by myself," said Thorsby, who smiled with her trophy, according to Fox 13. "Jesus tells me to be brave, so I just went out there and was brave and got the trophy."
Nichole Thorsby said she and Peyton's 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," Nichole Thorsby told Fox 13. The Thorsby family did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment on Sunday.
The K-Tech Krakens, Thorsby's youth cheer and football program, said on Facebook that they "could not be more proud" of Thorsby.
Going forward, Peyton Thorsby said she wants her bravery to inspire other kids.