Ellie Elms: A Dedicated Cheerleader

The cheer team at Morro Bay High School consists of many talented, hard working girls. Ellie Elms, a cheerleader who has been involved in cheer since her freshman year, is one of the most inspiring people I know. She’s a 16 year old junior trying to pursue her goal of being a college cheerleader at the University of Hawaii. “If I really work on my skills like crazy, I can have a shot on the UH cheer team”, she says. 

This cheerleader manages to keep her grades up while dedicating a majority of her life to practices and football games. Ellie claims, “It is hard sometimes. School work always comes first so you really have to get everything done in class.” In cheer you learn discipline, teamwork and goal setting, all while instilling confidence. These skills set her up for work and a future after high school. Aside from cheer, one of her biggest goals is to become a dental hygienist, get married, and start a family after she graduates from UH. 

Besides cheer, she works out a lot in her free time in order to get as strong as she can. Being a cheerleader comes with many standards, and strength is a very important part of it. When stunting, Ellie is a flier which is a very scary role. She states, “I am usually a flier but I can also tumble and do my jumps really well.” Being a flier comes with a lot of responsibility and trust. Ellie explains that “it’s extremely risky trusting your teammates, especially as a flier.” She also says, “building that trust with your teammates and then doing amazing is the best feeling ever.” 

Although Ellie is very busy with her schoolwork and sports, she still makes time for her friends and family. Her every day schedule is school then straight to practice giving her very little time to have a life outside of cheer. One good trait that Ellie has is being very considerate and always making sure people are happy. She’s not one to say mean things about people, in fact she sees the good in everyone she talks to. One struggle is that it can be hard to stay drama free on the cheer team, but she still doesn't have trouble making friends since she's so nice. “I just try to be nice to everyone and be friends with all the girls so everyone stays happy.”