Our Athlete of the Week is Ella Rinehart, a senior cheerleader for the Wolves.

What was your inspiration behind joining cheerleading?

I wanted something to do, and cheer got me involved in the school, and having a great set of teammates that always have my back.

What is your favorite memory from cheer?

Nationals last year, where we placed ninth out of I think 109 teams. That was pretty cool.

What was your favorite moment from this season?

Honestly the team dynamic. I’ve never had such a close and tight knit team so honestly every competition with them was one of the best moments I’ve had.

What have you learned over the years from cheer?

Just to be perseverant. Take one thing at a time, and enjoy all the little things. Even when it seems hard, just keep on persevering.

What is your favorite hobby outside of cheer?

Working out.

How do you balance school and athletics? Has it ever been hard?

Trying to get homework done during my off. Time management really. I mean, there’s times where I have so much cheer going on, and I try to work out that I just add too much on top of each other, and obviously it’s really hard to balance school with workouts and all the outside activities.

Do you plan on doing cheer in college? If not, what are your plans for the future?

I would love to. Hopefully at Indiana or CU (Colorado University). If I don’t cheer, I’ll probably join a club sport in college. I plan to major in either biology or kinesiology.

Do you think cheer is a sport? Why?

I do. Sideline cheer that can be debatable. Competitive cheer, definitely. The hours we put in, all the tumbling, being able to throw people in the air. I think you have to be very athletic for that.

How did nationals go? What held the team back?

Not as well as I hoped, but that’s part of sports. You’re gonna have ups and downs. I think mental toughness had a lot to do with it. I think that’s something all athletes struggle with. You know, just being able to handle pressure. That’ll just come over time.

How do you think you specifically performed?

I made some mistakes, so that was a little disappointing, especially for my Senior year, but hopefully my cheer journey will continue.

What else should people know about you?

My favorite animal is a turtle.