Lisa Ellison
(Level 5′s)
Birthday: October 30th, 1972
Where were you born? : Illinois
Where did you first learn gymnastics and/or work with kids? : I started competing in second grade at the Naperville YMCA. I started coaching with my first pre-school classes at a club in Naperville at age 15 and fell in love with coaching.
Where do you live now? : Sugarhouse
Where did you go to high school and what were your activities? : Naperville Central HS. Four year varsity gymnastics.
Where did you go to college and what did you study? : University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, B.S. Animal Sciences
Outside of GTC, where do you work? : Utah’s Hogle Zoo
What do you do for fun? Hang with my husband and friends, read, movies, make jewelry and knit.
When you are not at GTC where are you/what are you doing? : At the zoo or at home enjoying time with my husband
Is there a project/cause/business you would like to promote? : Bowling for Rhinos. I had an opportunity to visit Kenya, Africa in February 2011. It was an incredible experience. We stayed at a place called Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. There we learned about all of the animal conservation efforts they are making as well as the impact they make on the surrounding communities. They work hard to educate adults and children, help provide clean water, help women start businesses, and much more. After I learned all that Lewa does for the incredible wildlife AND people, I could not resist helping raise money for Lewa. Bowling for Rhinos is a fundraiser that occurs every spring/summer sponsored by Utah’s Hogle Zoo.
What’s a fun fact about you that not many people know? : One of my favorite parts of working at the zoo is that I am able to train with many different species of animals. Just like coaching gymnastics, I can be on cloud 9 after a great training session. Training is my passion whether with animals or kids.
Favorite movie? : My Best Friend’s Wedding
Favorite book? : Poisenwood Bible
Favorite food? : PIZZA!
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? I will be working at the zoo in our new Africa exhibit. And, coaching level 5’s at GTC with Wendy Smith winning state championship!
My name is Lisa Ellison. I grew up in a great town called Naperville, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. I have a brother who is 4 years younger than me. I am a proud aunt to two children. I moved to Salt Lake City in 1999 to work at the Utah’s Hogle Zoo. I met my husband at the zoo, as a coworker said we should go out because we were both vegetarians. We were friends first, and have been married since 2002. Growing up gymnastics was my life. I started with a gym and swim class as a tot and started competing in second grade. I went onto high school gymnastics and then onto college club gymnastics. I started coaching at age 15 and started coaching competitive gymnastics my junior year in college. I can remember the day when my boss asked me to coach the level 5 team. It made me proud then and I am still so proud of who I am as a coach. I love to learn. With coaching you never stop learning even if you coach the same level year after year. Plus, I have the privilege of working with one of my best friends. Together we make a fantastic team. I am so lucky to have not one, but two great professions. I am surrounded by cool people and cool animals.
