WEST POINT, Ala. — West Point sophomore Ellorie Harbison is in her eighth-year cheering at Victory Cheer Academy, and she has learned so much from her experience there so far.
“My experience has been amazing. I go to a Christian-based gym, so not only have I grown in my performance and tumble skills, I have also grown in my walk with the Lord. I’ve learned to work well with others,” Ellorie said. “I’ve also learned that it takes dedication, because sometimes, I don’t feel like showing up and giving it my all, but I do because I don’t want to let my girls down. I’ve also learned that little eyes are always watching. I enjoy being their role model.”
Ellorie feels blessed to work with her coaches and has seen so much improvement in her performance from when she first started until now.
“Josh Stancil, Emily Acosta, and Krislyn Scroggins are very good coaches. I am grateful to be one of their athletes. They are very disciplined in their coaching and push us to be our very best. What I’ve learned from all of them is to never give up, push through, rely on my teammates, and most importantly, trust the Lord,” Harbison said. “When I first started, I had never done anything like this and the only skill I had was a back walkover. Fast forward to today, I have mastered multiple skills, and I’m currently working to achieve my full.”
She talked about what she has improved on the most and some goals that she is still wanting to achieve this season.
“I’ve improved the most on my running, tumbling, and stunting skills. When I started eight years ago, I had never stunted before, and now, I am a main base on my team. I am still improving on standing and tumbling skills, because they are my least favorite,” she said. “My goals for myself are to get my round-off handspring full, standing tuck on the dead mat, and for my team to win CheerSport and the US Finals.”
She feels blessed to be around an amazing team and was given some great advice from an Ole Miss cheerleader. She talked about some of her favorite achievements and memories so far in her career.
“This year’s team is very close in age, which causes us to be understanding towards each other. We are very supportive of each other on and off the mat,” she said. “I read this quote from an Ole Miss cheerleader: ‘If you can’t see yourself as a winner, then you can’t perform as a winner.’ This quote really stuck with me in my cheer life, because you have to perform to succeed. Some of my favorite achievements and memories has been getting new skills, winning CheerSport, and winning the US Finals last season.”
Ellorie has a couple of role models that she looks up to and she talked about how important it is to be a role model for the younger girls She also shared some advice for any girls that want to be a cheerleader one day, and what she has learned about herself.
“Josh Stancil always gives us good advice like, ‘Go humble quick.’ This shows that you have to have the mindset that every bad day just helps us appreciate the good days. Another one of my role models is Krislyn Scroggins. She is a very good cheerleader, and I would love to be like her one day. She is also a person who I can talk to about anything,” she said. “It is very important, because I feel like I model behavior that is expected of them. My advice to them is start by joining a tumble class, because I feel like that’s a vital part in cheering. When you get started, don’t compare your skills to everyone else’s. I have learned that you have to be considerate of other’s point of view.”
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