Ellie played competitive outdoor sports, soccer and softball in Georgia for over two years. Ellie and her family moved back to Iowa when she turned six and she wanted to try something new. So, Ellie went to a free trial at a new gym in town and she was hooked! Ellie started at SUCCESS Gymnastics in Ames, IA where she went from a beginner to pre-team to level 4 within a year.
The family moved to South Dakota in the summer of 2012 where she started training at Gold Medal Gymnastics in Brookings, SD. Ellie won the all-around title at the Level 5 State Championships in 2013 and 2014. Ellie skipped level 6 and moved up to level 7 in 2015. At the State Championships, she finished sixth in the all-around and fourth on balance beam. In the spring of 2015, Ellie changed gyms to one in Sioux Falls an hour away from where they live.
In 2016, Ellie competed level 8 where she won the all-around title with a 37.725 and finished first on uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise. She qualified to the Region 4 Championships on Super Team, finishing fourth in the all-around with a 37.000 and third on vault. Ellie moved up to level 9 in 2017. At the State Championships, she placed third in the all-around and second on vault and balance beam. She did really well at the Region 4 Championships, finishing third in the all-around and first on vault. Ellie qualified to the Level 9 Western Nationals in Boise, ID where she won the vault title with a 9.550.
As a first-year level 10 gymnast in 2018, Ellie placed third on vault and floor exercise at the State Championships. At the Region 4 Championships, she finished seventh in the all-around and sixth on vault. Ellie qualified to the Junior Olympic Nationals in Cincinnati, OH. In the summer of 2018, Ellie's family relocated to Wisconsin, so Ellie started training at Gymfinity Gymnastics in Fitchburg, WI. In 2019, Ellie battled an injury all last season. A sprained ankle in September of 2018 led to lots of scar tissue buildup causing her heel bone (os trigonum) to break off and the pieces getting lodged near her Achilles and also in the top of her foot. Steroid shots did not help and surgery was needed in April after Regionals to remove the broken pieces of bone causing her severe pain. Ellie was unable to compete at the Junior Olympic Nationals in Indianapolis.
Ellie trains 20-25 hours per week at Gymfinity in Fitchburg, WI under coaches J. Orkowski, Lisa Nondorf and Alcey Morenz. Ellie's long-term goal is to compete for a college gymnastics team.
