By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

SHE’S walking away from the sport that she loves, but is now venturing into an area where she feels her participation in track and field has groomed her for the aftermath of her competitive days.

Daejha Moss, the versatile field competitor at North Dakota State University, has officially retired from competing, but will be taking on a new role as an elementary physical education teacher at Deer Creek Elementary in West Fargo, North Dakota.

“I’m excited to be able to use my studies for the past few years to good use,” Moss said. “I am a huge fan of sports, and look forward to cultivating lifelong movers through physical education.”

No doubt, Moss is just getting her feet wet, but she said she has an appetite to get to the next level in coaching and she will be using this introduction to the profession as a learning experience.

“This is definitely just a start,” she pointed out. “My dream job is to coach track and field, specifically jumps, for a Division I programme. No dream school in mind yet.”

And just how did it all get started for Moss.

“I applied for jobs in the Fargo area. I interviewed at three different schools, was offered the position to all three and made my decision based on several personal factors,” she admitted without getting into the full details.

She will officially start her new vocation on August 25, but as she looks back at her tenure as a track and field athlete, coming from Queen’s College too, she admitted that it was a roller coaster ride.

“I definitely expected more but some things just happened that were out of my control,” she pointed out. “Overall though, I am so grateful for my experience and have absolutely no regrets. It is hard saying goodbye to track and field though.” So is she really done with competing? “I am 100% done with competing in track and field,” she declared. “My last year in athletics solidified this decision. My body has completely rejected this sport now. It was a harsh reality I had to face, but we moved on.

“My goals are now to gain experience with teaching, lesson planning and instruction. So that eventually I can transfer those skills to a coaching job”

As she ventures into coaching, are there any regrets for the former outstanding junior CARIFTA medalist, who didn’t get the opportunity to display her skills as a senior athlete?

“I honestly have no regrets when it comes to track and field,” she stated. “I’ve done track and only track since the age of seven. It has taken me to so many different countries, made me lifelong friends,awarded me a full ride through a division one program where I obtained a Master’s degree in Education, and now a profession as a teacher. I can only look back on my years of track and field and be grateful for all it has afforded me.

If there were any low points in her career, Moss said it would have been her final year competing, which encouraged her to lean more towards her retirement.

“I just battled so much mentally and physically. I had to juggle graduate school, athletics and annoying injuries that came along the way,” she said. “It was the hardest year of my life. But, throughout this difficult time I’d reflect on some of my highs.”

But despite the way she ended it, Moss said there were many positive aspects that she will take away from competing, including winning the silver and bronze medals at the 2017 CARIFTA Games in the high and long jump respectively

If that’s not enough, she will cherish her performances at the 2019 NACAC U23 Championships where she produced a leap of 1.75m in the high jump for a fourth place finish, despite competing with a torn hamstring.

Moss, however, said her time spent in North Dakota will be highlighted on her resume because she was able to produce a lifetime best of 1.78m in her signature event, which has placed her as the third best high jumper in NDSU history.

The 24-year-old Moss also competed on NDSU’s 2023 victorious outdoor conference team after recovering from their heart shattering losses the previous two seasons.

Moss is the daughter of Raquel and Delvin Moss and she has five siblings - Prince and Petra Ferguson, Danielle Moss-Whymms and Diamond and Demi Moss.