Senior Interview Cassidy ZumMallen, Jackson Prep

Cassidy ZumMallen, Jackson Preparatory grew up wanting to play every sport, but through high school, she stuck with soccer and track. She started in 6th grade and would run sprints including the 200, 4x1 relay 100, 4x4 relay, but her favorite is the 4x2 relay.

"The most memorable race I ran was actually the 4x2 relay. I remember it was during the state championship during my sophomore year, and I came to Prep as a freshman, so it was exciting to be running in a big event with other teammates."

Her response on hearing MAIS canceled spring sports season was, "I was really sad and surprised when I heard it was official that there wouldn't be a track season. I missed last year due to an injury so I wish I could be on the team one last time."

"What I like most about running is that it makes you mentally stronger. Sometimes I get in my head and start playing mind games, but running helps me push through on how fast and hard I can be until I have nothing left."

Besides enjoying track it also helped Cassidy in soccer. "A big component of soccer is fitness and track helps me stay in shape; I've noticed that my explosiveness and speed have improved in soccer due to track."

Cassidy is excited to continue playing soccer in the next chapter in her life, as she signed with Mississippi College. "I visited a ton before deciding to go to  MC; it felt like home and that the Lord was calling me to be there. I also took into consideration that the school had a great team and played well in Gulf Coast Conference." She plans on majoring in Bio Pre-Med and wants to pursue Med-School after graduating from college.

The coaches that helped Cassidy the most through her athletic career are Coach Duncan and Coach Burke. "Coach Duncan was my soccer coach and he was hard on me, but I'm glad because it showed me how good you can be when you push yourself in the sport you love to play. Another lesson Duncan taught me was leadership; during my senior season I had to step up and be a leader for the team and through that, I saw success. Coach Burke was the girls' head track coach and would always push us during practice to do our best; he taught us we could always accomplish anything we put our mind to. Besides helping me on the track he showed me that there is more to life than sports and how I'm not just an athlete."

Cassidy's advice to track athletes is to find an event that they enjoy participating in. Some might hate sprints and want to run distance and others might like running sprints and hate distance, but it's up to you to decide what you want to do. Make sure to put your best foot forward by giving it your all and you'll push yourself more when you run with your friends."