Junior Jo Ellis throws a punch in the Honors House. Ellis taught kickboxing classes during her freshman and sophomore years at Harding. (Photo by Amy Beene) • For junior Jo Ellis there was something about punching that big stuffed bag over and over again. Ellis, of Midland, Texas, began kickboxing more than five years ago when her high school swim team coach invited her to a kickboxing class. "I was an athlete, and my coach knew I was up to taking on new sports," Ellis said. "I have been kickboxing since my junior year of high school. I [feel] so powerful the whole time." While recent time commitments have reduced her excitement for the sport, Ellis said there was a time when kickboxing consumed her life. Ellis taught kickboxing classes during her freshman year at Harding at Mitchell's Martial Arts. She taught one-hour classes on Monday, Tuesday and Thursdays each week. The first semester of her sophomore year, she taught classes three days a week at ATA Taekwondo Academy, and occasionally taught classes on Saturday mornings. In the spring of her sophomore year, Ellis went to Chile as part of the Harding University in Latin America program and decided not to leave her love of kickboxing in the states. "I decided to take my gear with me, so my friends and I could box," Ellis said . While she was in Chile, a church in Searcy began offering a free kickboxing class to the community. "1 have been kickboxing since my JUnIor year of high school. 1 [feel] so power– ful the whole time." -- junior Jo Ellis The free class would no doubt affect the Glasses she planned to resume teaching at the Taekwondo Academy when she returned from HULA. "1 was excited at first because I thought the sport was growing, but [ultimately] it stopped my clients from attending my classes [when I returned to Searcy]," Ellis said. However, a few Harding students still took advantage of Ellis' classes. "I thought it was really fun, and I even lost a little weight," senior Lauren Hickmon said. Regardless of her limited involvement in the sport this year, Ellis still held a strong passion for the stress-reliever. "I will always love to kickbox, but right now I don't have enough time to dedicate to the sport," Ellis said. BY~fl)~LIE sophomores 1183
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