A Performance 

“Their routine is gorgeous. The transitions, the choreography, it’s all very intentional, it’s like showmanship. I’ve been working with them to try to get a little bit better,” said EVO teammate Shane Wiskus of Harrison. 

Wiskus said it perfectly. Watching Harrison on floor is like poetry in motion. They are able to seamlessly combine tumbling with beautiful transitions that make the routine feel complete. After the Paris Olympics, World Gymnastics’ created new rules requiring gymnasts to create different and unique transitions as they move from one corner of the floor to the next. This has forced athletes to think outside of the box,  

“I like the direction that they’re going in with the new rules,” Harrison said. “I feel like it has created a little bit more variety. It’s forced people to think about how they do the routine, instead of just tumbling and getting to the corner. It forces them to actually think about it and make it more of a routine than just individual skills.”

Harrison has been able to help many of their teammates including Wiskus create new ideas for transitions and artistic elements. EVO is home to many of the world’s top athletes including World Champions and Olympians such as Brody Malone, Donnell Whittenburg, and Stephen Nedoroscik. Training with the athletes they grew up watching is a dream come true for Harrison. 

“It’s almost a little surreal, like that’s the person I was watching in my living room at 12 years old,” Harrison said. “I think it took me a minute to feel like I belonged with them, especially because I’ve never been on national team. Once I pushed that away I really felt like I belonged, and I felt this camaraderie and every single person we have on the senior men’s program right now is an incredible person. We have such great team chemistry.” 

Every member of the team brings a different vibe that contributes to the incredible environment inside EVO. Malone is an incredible leader, Kameron Nelson brings a whimsical energy to the gym, and Harrison loves watching the younger athletes push the boundaries of gymnastics. Wiskus has been someone who uplifts the entire squad and Harrison can go to him if they ever need support. 

 “He’s is always trying to encourage everyone to look at things from the positive perspective,” Wiskus said. “You can look at the glass half empty, or you can look at the glass half full, and he’s definitely a glass half full type of guy, and we just connected a lot, and that relationship has been really helpful for me.”

Harrison has the opportunity to train with his childhood heroes every day in the gym. Growing up, Harrison found many inspirations from female gymnasts, including Simone Biles, Aliya Mustafina, and Viktoria Komova. Most importantly, the environment and confidence UCLA’s Margzetta Frazier cultivates with her gymnastics is a huge inspiration for Harrison. 

“I feel like her whole culture and the bubble that she lives in, and that positive bubble of love and appreciation for each other is very inspiring,” Harrison said. “Then just the attitude that she goes at her gymnastics of like, such complete ownership, and she knows how good she’s gonna be, and that’s something that I feel very inspired by.”