Whether it is running the track field or performing with her fellow pommies, Ella Gunkel is there. For many people, bringing sports from their childhood and teenage years to college-level and beyond is a strenuous task that numerous do not succeed in. However, for Ella Gunkel, this is more than just a dream.

She has been dancing since age four and is trained in a variety of different styles. She started dancing competitively when she was seven where she immediately fell in love with it and has continued her journey through dance since. It was in her sophomore year when Ella joined the pom team.

All of her hard work over the past three years has paid off because Ella is one of the newest official members to the University of Arizona’s pomline. While it may be common for girls to audition for college pom teams, it is an exceptionally difficult audition process. This did not stop Ella though, as she persevered through the audition and came out on top.

The road to being an official college-level pommie has been a long one for Ella.

“To train for my audition there is a lot of prepping that goes into performing and looking my best,” Ella explains, “I worked with a program called dance college prep that allowed me to work with the captain of the U of A pomline. In addition to her preparation, I have done a lot of at-home workouts in the past few weeks and stretched every day to maintain my flexibility.”

Not only did Ella need to stretch and workout every day, but leading up to the audition she had to, “eat really clean: mainly fruits, a lot of vegetables, and protein.”

All of it paid off in the end with Ella’s place on the pomline.

According to head coach, Tenneal Howard, “Ella is a hard worker is who pushes through adversity, she was a strong leader on our team and very dependable,”

“We are so proud of her growth over the years,” says assistant coach, Alesandra Barth, “and she by far has the best toe-touch in the state.”

Ella is known to have the best toe-touch in the state. Both Coach Howard and Coach Barth agree that Ella wowed the crowd on more than one occasion with her incredible jump. It is also because of this that they would often give her the spotlight to show off her talent.

The coaches and the entire pom team are all incredibly proud of Ella and wish her the best future.

Ella has stated that she is considering dancing for an NFL team after college, she would particularly love to be a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. However, until then Ella will study nursing and specialize in neonatal nursing.

While Ella has made many memories performing for the school’s pomline, she will make many more with U of A. Good luck Ella, your future is beaming with opportunity!