Let’s face it, cheerleaders don’t always get the best rap for being the nice girls on the playground. And the release of “Bring It On” in 2000 didn’t exactly help the stereotype that often marks them as catty, shallow backstabbers.
Thankfully, one Missouri high school squad is slaying that stereotype with some serious team spirit that has the whole Internet cheering along with them.
When the cheerleaders from Hardin-Central High School spotted a lone cheerleader supporting their rival team at their basketball championship last month, they decided that just wouldn’t do.
Tori Adams, a student from Northwestern, was nervous about cheering alone after the rest of her team fell ill, but she still felt an obligation to be there to root on her school.
“My coach gave me the option to cheer or not cheer, and I felt like I had to be there for the team. It was a little intimidating,” admitted Tori.
Sensing her discomfort in rocking the sidelines solo, the empathetic Hardin-Central girls warmly invited Tori to cheer with them. According to Hardin-Central parent Brenda Milligan, the team didn’t leave Tori’s side all game long.