PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — 8-year-old Peyton Thorsby of Pasco County, Fla. is used to being pushed up in the air by her teammates. But recently she had to rise to the occasion on her own - and wowed the crowd in doing so. As her mom Nichole explained, when they got to the Showcases of Championships Cheer Competition at the Florida State Fairgrounds for their 6 a.m. call time, the rest of her team wasn't there.
"Nobody had come, for whatever reasons they had, and it ended up just being her that had shown up," Nichole said.
Peyton's coach of the K-Tech Krakens was there, and said they might have to forfeit the competition. But the young cheerleader wasn't hearing any of it. Having put in all the work of practice, and despite her team's absence, she said she didn't want to let them down.
"I didn't want my team to be disappointed of me, of not going out there and showing up for them," said Peyton. "And so I made my decision."
And so Peyton took to the floor alone, carrying through the routine in a solo performance that didn't miss a beat, captivating the crowd and charming the judges.
"I was actually shocked about myself," Peyton recalled. "I didn't really know, like, could I do it by myself."
Her routine wound up earning the first-place trophy.
"Me and her coaches [were] just crying our eyes out," said Nichole. "I couldn't believe it... to see her out there, doing her thing. She's amazing."
Peyton hopes her performance inspires other kids to know not to be afraid.
Jesus tells me to go out there and be brave," she said, "so I've been brave and I got the trophy."