Ella Pierce '26 Recruiting Profile

Mathmatics has always been my forte and I have always been facinated by multiple scientific specialties from ecology to neuoscience.  My interests were enhanced by my ecologist Mom who took me to her research sites and I became more and more facinated with the scientific method and questioning the world around us. As I grew-up I realized I wanted to find an institution where I could be challenged academically and encouraged to use my creativity and facination to explore the world of math and science.  In addition, as an Asian person who grew up in a 90% caucasian school and community I am seeking an institution that values the benefits of diversity and differeing perspectives.  

Gymnastics fits into my facination with how things work.  I view gymnastics as the study of physics.  I  have been doing gymnastics since I was 4 years old.  I am at a 9 working on 10 level skills.  Up until 8^th grade I was in a non USAG club until the spring of 2022 (since I have a single mom and lived in an area that was not close to a USAG club) but worked consistently, at camps with USAG coaches.  I am extremely passionate about gymnastics and continue to grow my skills.  In February 2021, I tore my ACL and had reconstructive surgery.  I continued to attend practices with my club coaches so I could condition and stay connected to the club team, attended physical therapy 3 times a week for 7 months and then took an intensive 2 month return to sport physical therapy program.  At the end I passed all the tests at 100% or higher and was cleared to start tumbling at the end of December 2021. Throughout this recovery process, I gained even more appreciation for the sport of gymnastics and confidence in myself and my abilities as I became even more determined to succeed.

I am from a small town in Wisconsin and decided to try High School Gymnastics my freshman year.  I really missed the intense focus on the sport of gymnastics that comes with club teams and decided to go back to USAG club gymnastics after a successful (River Falls High School team made it to state, as an individual I made it to state in all 4 events and all-around) season was over.  What I did learn and enjoyed from the High School experience is the similarity to what I see at the collegiate level, the focus on the success of the team and the support that is generated from other gymnasts and coaches as a family.  I did thoroughly enjoy contributing to the success of my team and my school and the comrodery I felt as I competed for River Falls High School.  I learned through this and other activities such as competitive Marching Band what it means to not only contribute but also support your fellow teammates in the success of the team.

I not only have a passion for gymnastics but I am also a high achieving student.  I carry a 4.0 (highest you can have at my school) and have completed college level math classes (calculus I, II, and AP statistics and biology) and I am taking college classes at the University of Wisconsin River Falls (Introduction to Statitstics, Statistics for Business, and Calculus III). I am a National Honor Society recruit, was accepted into honors band, I am a published poet, and find passion in the art of music, specifically trumpet.  I also teach recreational level gymnastics and I am a volunteer coach for the Special Olympics (gymnastics).