Injury setback launches Gophers gymnast into new creative project
When it comes to gymnastics, some enjoy it, while others like Ella Sirjord can’t get enough. But after an ACL tear in high school, and the COVID-19 pandemic impacting her senior year, Sirjord thought she would have to re-think her college plans.
For a while, Sirjord said she contemplated going to Division III to play lacrosse, but she never gave up on her original plan. In the midst of the pandemic, college recruiting was essentially non-existent. So Sirjord started marketing herself, sending non-stop videos to coaches before she eventually got the call she had been praying for.
“When [the University of Minnesota] said we have a spot for you, I thought they were calling me to say sorry, no, you’re not on the team,” said Sirjord, explaining the moment her dream came true. “So definitely it was just a rush of emotions.”
But shortly after stepping on campus, she tore her ACL, again.
Instead of sulking, Sirjord sought to keep her mind busy with iMovie on her MacBook Pro. The love began when she created a video for her senior class celebrating a COVID-19-impacted senior year.
That reaction inspired her to keep going and eventually someone from the Gopher digital team would catch wind of her work. One year later, Sirjord was creating the intro video for Gopher Gymnastics.
|
