Coupeville Sports

Brittani Wilkinson

“I enjoy cheer, because we are like a family. A very large, 40-person family!”

Hailing from her own reasonably well-sized family, Coupeville High School junior Brittani Wilkinson knows about large family units.

An aunt to two utterly adorable little girls (the daughters of older siblings, and former Wolf athletes, Riley and Courtney Boyd), Wilkinson always brings her love of family to the field and gym, where she has it reinforced on a daily basis.

“I have cheered since my freshman year. I started cheering because I did elementary cheer and always watched the older cheerleaders and wanted to be just like them,” Wilkinson said. “Nobody ever gets put down, and we are always smiling!

“My favorite thing to do is stunt,” she added. “I love the challenge of doing new things, and the feeling you get when you do it perfectly.”

Wilkinson was originally a two-sport athlete, as she joined her older sister, one of the scrappiest of Wolves on the hard-court, as a hoops player. For a bit, at least.

“I played basketball as a middle schooler, trying to follow in my sister’s footsteps, but it wasn’t for me,” Wilkinson said. “So, I’m just a cheerleader now!”

And one who knows deep down in her bones that she is now, and always will be, an athlete when she puts on the uniform.

“We may not be running down the court or field, but we do have hard work,” Wilkinson said. “We have to work hard to perform at our best. Constantly moving, dancing, cheering and stunting.”

A huge fan of Ryan Gosling gettin’ all mushy in “The Notebook” (“Even after seeing it a million times, I cry every single time”) who generally listens to a mix of country and pop, Wilkinson also enjoys solving a few equations.

“I love math!,” she said. “I know, nerdy-sounding. But, ever since I was little, it has come naturally to me.”

With a large supporting cast, both on the Wolf squad and at home, she benefits greatly from always having someone to turn to.

“My big sister, Courtney, is always there for me, and I can talk to her whenever I need,” Wilkinson said. “No matter what it’s about, she always has the best advice.

“My mom and dad have also been a huge impact on my life,” she added. “They always support me on my decisions, and always have my back. They have helped me through so much, and I don’t know what I would do without them.”