By Kendall Pope

Nura Muhammad’s father, Gregory, recently passed away.

Although he is not here physically, he still remains a big part of her life.

“He is one of my biggest motivators now and was my biggest supporter, along with my mom,” said Muhammad, a track star as well as a volleyball player at Mountain Pointe High School.

Muhammad will start Wednesday’s first round of the 6A Conference volleyball state tournament with a heavy heart. But her strong support system at home and school is helping her cope with the loss of her dad.

Muhammad’s father always had a huge role in her athletic life. His guidance helped her land several big-time Division I track offers from schools such as Clemson, Oklahoma, Missouri and Arizona State. Now Muhammad’s siblings will take on some of their father’s roles.

With six sisters and one brother, Muhammad comes from a big family that she loves and has had a huge impact on her, she said.

“It’s very nice growing up with them and comforting to know you have a big group of supporters,” Muhammad said. “They are my biggest cheerleaders.”

Muhammad ran track just to stay in shape at first but grew to love the sport.

She grew up playing volleyball.  

“Nura is one of the best athletes that has ever attended Mountain Pointe,” Mountain Pointe volleyball coach Karen Gray said. “She is also one of the best middle hitters that our school has ever had.”

With her hops, Muhammad could have easily played D-I volleyball, Gray added.

The senior is Mountain Pointe’s record holder in the triple jump. On Nov. 9, she is planning to announce which college she’ll attend.

She has received one college offer to compete in both volleyball and track, but her love for track won out.

“I think she’s going to do great things in the future,” Mountain Pointe volleyball player Claire Kulovitz said.

Gray said, “I can’t tell you how much the team and I will miss her, but she is on her way to a D-I track career and the sky is the limit.”

A D-I college career is something Muhammad and her father wished for.

He won’t get to see her compete at that level, but Gregory’s spirit is still with Muhammad.

“He taught me that you can make every day a good day,” Muhammad said.

Dig Pink event raising money, cancer awareness

This year, Mountain Pointe High School hosted Dig Pink, an event to support the Side-Out Foundation, which raises money and awareness about cancer through the recreational play of volleyball.

“This event impacts me really, really big, because I have an aunt who is a breast cancer survivor,” Desert Vista mother Mireya Soto said. “I was able to go with her in Mexico to her last appointment and they said she is cured.”

Soto is a very strong woman who has gone through this process with her family not once but three times (her aunt, who is a survivor, her mother, and her other aunt). In October of 2015, Soto lost her mother due to cancer.

 Then, just two months later, she found out her other aunt had stage 4 terminal cancer.

“She didn’t say anything to us, because she probably didn’t want to worry us,” Soto said.

Her aunt fought long and hard until she passed away in February.

Not knowing her aunt had cancer until it was too late really hit home for Soto, and it’s one of the main reasons she supports and loves Dig Pink so much.

“All these things mean so much to me because they give ways you can help other people and ways you can find out who has cancer and how to support them, so they say something about it,” Soto said.

Mountain Pointe sophomore Claire Kulovitz is an active participant each year of Dig Pink.

Every year Kulovitz manages to sell all 25 raffle tickets for the events. She has the local businesses to thank for that, who are big donators for this cause. 

“I feel really good. Just knowing that I’m helping the cause and finding a cure for all these people,” she said.

Recently, Kulovitz’s great Aunt was diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer and had surgery performed three weeks ago. So being so involved with this event this year has especially been touching for her and her family.

Dig Pink began in 2008 when Molly West, Desert Vista’s volleyball coach, was approached from Side-Out Foundation. She then went to Mountain Pointe and decided to talk to her booster club to see if they wanted to help the foundation.

They agreed to participate.

So every other year Desert Vista and Mountain Pointe switch off on who is hosting the event.

“Our Goal is to raise 5,000 dollars per school, and we have hit 80 percent,” West said.

In the future, this foundation hopes to keep raising the bar on how much is collected for the Side-Out Foundation and to raise awareness for stage 4 cancer patients and helping them understand there is hope out there. 

 

Pope is a sports journalism student at Arizona State.