By Alora McClure Posted June 9, 2022
Jovi Kuskie was selected as Athlete of the year. She runs cross country and track and plays basketball. In her senior year alone she won state for cross country and basketball.
Kuskie has been playing sports from a young age. She started playing basketball at the age of seven but really enjoyed cross country this year.
“My favorite sport this year was cross country,” said Kuskie. “It just had a different feel this year, it is my senior year and I just had more adrenaline in me and I felt I had something to prove.”
Her favorite thing about being a three-sport athlete is many things. She knows that to get where she wants to be, she has to put in hard work and dedication.
“It just feels great to know that all my hard work took me somewhere,” said Kuskie. “It was rewarding to know that my work was valued.”
Her previous coaches had only wonderful things to say about her. They all commended her on her hard work and leadership skills.
“Jovi is a determined individual,” said basketball coach Jesse Zamudio. “She is goal-oriented and driven to complete her goals. She leads both, verbally and by example, and is never afraid to get the work done.” Zamudio was Kuskie’s coach her senior year. Jovi is the hardest worker and one of the most competitive players Zamudio had coached.
Though Kuskie had to miss out on basketball her junior year due to COVID, she made the best of every situation. She is in sports medicine and has excelled in the class. While she had a different coach this year for basketball, she made the best of it.
“We always knew that Jovi would show up with a high shooting percentage, great defense, and the fewest turnovers for the night,” said former basketball coach Melanie Thurmond. “We also knew that Jovi would never run out of gas, which meant trouble for who she had to guard and who was guarding her.”
Thurmond coached Kuskie during her freshman and sophomore years.
“I have a couple of great memories,” said cross country coach Kitty Norcutt. “We had so much fun during our Olympic competitions and our team dinners.” Norcutt coached Kuskie her freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior years and enjoyed every moment of it.
Kuskie is proud of what she has accomplished through her high school career and she is excited to see what is in store for the following years. Kuskie gave a lot of gratitude to all of her coaches, friends, and her family. She knows that they helped her get to where she is now. She signed with the College of Idaho for cross country and track.
