A Maine high school only has one cheerleader on its squad but that isn’t stopping her from showing enough spirit for football games.
Kaitlyn Berthiaume was the only cheerleader to try out for the Messalonskee cheer team in Oakland, Maine.
‘A lot of the girls on the team last year weren’t able to do it this year for personal reasons or they just didn’t want to,’ she said to WGRZ.
‘I love it. I love the sport. So I was like, “Hey, I’ll do it. I don’t care if I’m standing there by myself.”‘
Kaitlyn Berthiaume was the only cheerleader to try out for the Messalonskee cheer team in Oakland, Maine
‘A lot of the girls on the team last year weren’t able to do it this year for personal reasons or they just didn’t want to,’ she said
And the cheerleader still enjoys cheering for her high school team but admits she misses a crucial aspect of having teammates.
‘I love stunting, you can’t really stunt with one person,’ she added.
But Berthiaume loves the advantages of being solo – she was unanimously voted captain and is never out of sync.
The cheerleader stated: ‘There’s no one to compare me to so if I mess up, it’s just me, no one can know.’
Coaches Maila Couture and Annie help the lone star stretch and workout during practive. They’ll cheer extra loudly at games to lend Berthiaume vocal support
Coaches Maila Couture and Annie help the lone star stretch and workout during practive.
They’ll cheer extra loudly at games to lend Berthiaume vocal support.
‘What we were shocked about was how the community was going to perceive her,’ said coach Maila Couture. ‘We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback. Coach Annie and I definitely want her to know that she has a much big influence than she realizes.’
Berthiaume is proving to be a role model for the small town that she lives in but the cheerleader definitely has her doubts.
‘I am nervous all the time!’ she explained. ‘I shake, I sweat, but I get out there and I just smile, and I fake it until I make it.’