The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

ALTHOUGH they have been rivals on the field, athletes Charisma Taylor and Daejhi Moss enjoy the close friendship that they have developed off the field.

The two 18-year-old former Queen's College stars are competing in different schools in the United States, but they took advantage of the opportunity to rekindle their bond on their return home on a break.

Now attending the University of Arkansas, Taylor had to skip her freshman year as a Razorback, but she managed to compete in a couple of meets unattached.

Moss, on the other hand, has represented North Dakota State in a number of meets where she has turned in some credible performances for the Bison in her freshman year.

Coming off an injury from a stress reaction in her femur that has sidelined her for about 12 weeks, Taylor said she plans to enjoy a full indoor and outdoor freshman year. "I will go back to summer school next week, but I will be back for the Nationals," Taylor said.

"I am trying to qualify for the World Juniors in the triple jump. I did the 100m to see how well I can do.

"But I'm focusing primarily on the triple jump. I know I have some things to do, so that is what I'm concentrating on now. When I go back to school, I might just do some hurdles, but the focus is on the triple jump."

The hospitality management major said the trip would not be complete without hooking up with Moss. "She's my best friend. We've been best friends for a while now," she said. "I motivate her and she motivates me, but it's just a healthy relationship that we share."

With this being their last chance to compete together as juniors, Moss said they are both working on qualifying for the IAAF World Junior Championships, scheduled for July 10-15 in Tampere, Finland.

"It's always fun being around Charisma because we push each other," Moss said.

"We're really competitive and we fight a lot saying, 'I'm better than you in the triple jump' and she's better than me in the long jump. So we go back and forth and push each other."

Like Taylor, Moss said the goal is to qualify for the IAAF World Junior Championships and medal.

"I've been practicing very well and improving on my mistakes," Moss said. "Hopefully I can qualify at either the Junior Nationals or the Senior Nationals because I'm going to do the two of them."

"I had a good indoor season and a really good outdoor season," Moss said. "I PRed in both of my events in the long jump [and high jump. I placed second in my conference in the high jump, which was pretty good."

The highlight for Moss came at the Summit League Championships where she got second in her specialty in the high jump with a personal best of 5-7 3/4 and third in the long jump with 19-0.5.

During the season, she also did 38-5 1/2 in the triple jump and ran 12.60 in the 100m.

As she competed in the Summit League Championships that was held at the Oral Roberts One Sport Complex in Tulsa, Oklahoma, May 10-12, Moss also saw a few other Bahamians compete for their respective colleges.

They included brother and sister combo Seth and Sasha Wells as well as Kayvon Stubbs and Keivel Stubbs all at Oral Roberts University and Amelia Petterson for Western Illinois.

Wells, by the way, has qualified to compete in the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds this weekend at Sacramento State when she contests the women's 100m hurdles.

Moss missed joining her by a few centimetres, but she's confident that next year she will be included in the mix.

Calling her season a "work in progress," Moss, who is studying exercise science, said she will go back to the drawing board and eventually improve on what she achieved this year.

For both athletes, there's nothing like coming home and watching the young athletes compete in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture's Frank 'Pancho' Rahming National Primary School Track and Field Championships.

"I remember growing up and being in this meet every single year when I went to St Thomas More," Moss said. "We were not a big school, but I was a track star there. I always made a statement here at this meet.

"So coming here it's like nostalgic. Everyone is doing so well. There's always little protégés everywhere in every event. Hopefully I can see them rise up and be like a Shaunae Miller-Uibo one day or even a Daehji Moss one day."

Taylor said she's just elated to be back home because when she was away, she realised how much she was home sick.

"It's going to be hard to go back to Arkansas, but I have to do what I have to do," she said.