Elliot Pinkerton: A Freshman with Varsity Spirit

The wrestling room feels like a hot, humid summer’s day as cheerleaders yell off dance counts and perfect their halftime routines.
When in formation, the girls seem identical, but one blonde ponytail and smiling face stands out from the crowd.
She may not be the oldest, but her positive energy and determination make her worthy of a coveted varsity spot.
Freshman Elliot Pinkerton has been cheering for five years, and her high school cheer career is off to a fantastic start by making Varsity Cheer her freshman year.
“I don’t know the last time a freshman made Varsity Cheer,” said Varsity Cheer Coach Alexandra Hamill.
Hamill has been head coach for Varsity Cheer for three years.
According to Hamill, Pinkerton had multiple traits that contributed to her making the team.
“Her enthusiasm, her tumbling skills, and her dance performance all made her score high enough that she earned a Varsity spot,” Hamill said.
However, the process to get to the top hasn’t always been easy.
“When I wasn’t at the place I wanted to be, I worked as long as I had to to get to [a] spot I was happy with,” said Pinkerton
Pinkerton’s hard work and dedication have brought her to the place she is today, but she continues to push her limits each practice.
Being the youngest on a team of mostly upperclassmen has driven Pinkerton to “want to work twice as hard” in order to “one day be as talented as the other girls on the team.”
Pinkerton is not only working hard on the mat, she’s also working hard in the classroom.
Adjusting Pinkerton’s academic schedule for long practices has been “pretty hard,” but Pinkerton still gets her homework done on time “with a couple late nights.”
Although it’s a change in pace with high school cheer, Pinkerton’s love and determination for the sport make the late nights worth it.
Outside of her daily practices, Pinkerton said she “loves to practice [her] tumbling and dancing.”
Pinkerton’s sister, Sophomore Rori Pinkerton, is also a Slope Varsity Cheerleader, who initially encouraged Elliot to pursue her love of the sport.
When Elliot began cheer in middle school, she noted that her sister encouraged her to try out for cheer.
Pinkerton loves having her sister on the team and is thankful for Rori’s help and support to improve.
While it is only her freshman year, Pinkerton plans to continue cheering for the rest of her high school career.
“Looking ahead, my long term goals for cheer are to continue to improve by learning from some of the amazing people on the team, and maybe win some competitions too!”