Emma Fagone’s drive to make the Lake Region cheerleading team strong has been contagious.

“Her teammates look up to her as a leader and someone who is always there for them,” Coach Brittany Perreault said. “Emma has been focused on bettering herself and this team and it really shows.”

Coach Tianah added, “Emma keeps amazing me every day with all the changes we had to face this year. She has taken them and excels at everything we give her. She definitely takes a part in making this team feel more like family.”

In recognition of her strong work ethic, determination, commitment and good sportsmanship, Emma is this week’s Boosters and Hancock Lumber “Player of the Week.” Each week, a Lake Region athlete is recognized for his/her dedication (does more than what is asked), work ethic, coachability and academic good standing. Recipients receive a specially-designed T-shirt, sponsored by Hancock Lumber.

The Fagone File

Name: Emma Fagone

Year in School: Senior

Hometown: Naples

Parents: Kristin Nolette and Jim Fagone

Sports you play: Fall and winter cheerleading

Q. Why did you choose to cheer? I chose to cheer because it was something I knew I always wanted to try. I tried many other sports and found this was the one I was best at.

Q. What is the most difficult part of cheering? What I find is most difficult is being confident right before a competition and telling other girls not to worry when I’m holding back all of my worries.

Q. What do you enjoy the most about the sport? I enjoy how much this sport brings the team together these past four years. I’ve experienced four different families and it brings me joy.

Q. What do you feel you need to work on and why? I feel that everyone, including me, needs to work on confidence and teamwork. If these don’t get fixed, it affects the whole team.

Q. Why is teamwork important? With cheering, teamwork is the most important part. When one person misses practice, then it affects everyone else who went to practice! Teamwork is also important because everyone needs to put in 110% effort because you win as a team and lose as a team.

Q. What is the biggest impact your coach(es) have had on you? Brittany (Perreault) has been around coaching me since my freshman year. The biggest impact she has had on me was my junior year when she announced I was a captain and told me how proud she was of me for stepping up to help and really growing as a cheerleader.

Q. How do you want people to view you as an athlete? I want people to look up and see me as a leader and someone who works hard for what they want.

Q. Ten years from now, when you look back on your high school sports career, what do you think you will remember most? In 10 years, I think I will remember the best times I can in cheering such as getting ready to go out on the mat with my team, performing and just every happy memory.