A new road for Abbey
Illinois State University made Abbey Harris an offer she couldn’t refuse.
The 17-year-old, Grade 12 student at E.L. Crossley paid an official visit in the fall to the campus located in Normal, Ill., and immediately felt at home.
“I got to tour some of the campus and I honestly just fell in love with the coaches,” Harris said. “I got to work with them two days straight so I fell in love with the coaches, the athletes. I really enjoyed the athletic facilities, the proximity of the facilities to other buildings.”
Not long after the visit, the NCAA Division 1 school called with an offer of a full-ride scholarship to study elementary education along with a spot on the gymnastics team.
“I honestly was so shocked. I was shaking a little bit,” Harris recalled. “I was home alone at the time and I think I said thank you like 20 times and then after I definitely got a little teary-eyed and called my parents right away and they were screaming on the phone.”
Even so, the school told Harris to take her time and make sure the offer was right for her.
“We talked about it for a couple of days and then I called them back and accepted,” Harris said.
Harris’ love for gymnastics began at a young age when mom, Sarah Harris, would take her to a parent-and-tot program before she even turned two.
“I’ve been doing it a long time and when you’re so young they focus so much on the basics of gymnastics — tight knees, tight toes, body shapes, handstand lines — everything that can set you up to be as successful as possible to grow older and get taller,” she said.
Harris quickly became proficient and by Grade 10 began to think seriously about competing post-secondary.
“That was my first year Level 10 where you’re doing the skills that are extremely similar to what they do in NCAA gymnastics. I started comparing what I was doing in the gym to what the girls were doing on TV and I thought maybe this could possibly happen because I started to reach that level where I was doing similar things,” she said.
Harris made the Team Ontario Tour Selection team at Level 9 just before the COVID pandemic and last year placed fifth at provincials. She also represented Ontario at nationals in British Columbia.
“It was definitely huge, especially because that’s the competition in Canada where the high performance athletes are,” Harris said. “It’s one level above Level 10 so when you’re trying to go to the Olympics those athletes are also there so they are training beside you. You’re used to these little smaller competitions that are local and then you get there and it’s mind boggling.”
Harris, who specializes in bars, works hard on her craft, spending 25 hours per week practising at Quantum Niagara Gymnastics in Niagara Falls. She also coaches gymnastics and even finds time to work a part-time job once a week.
“I found because I’ve trained so often from such a young age I’m good at organizing myself to leave time for family and friends and all that kind of stuff,” Harris said.
Harris is eager to start a new chapter in her life but is well aware it will take some adjusting.
“I think I’m a family-oriented person. I love my family so I definitely think it’s going to be a big move for me but you go there and are on this team and they are like a family. I’ll be able to create a family environment away from home but I think I’ll be on constant Face Time and phone calls,” she said.
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