Shaun Cosby thought about quitting track and field during his sophomore year at Northeast Lauderdale.

Now a senior, Cosby decided to give the sport a try in his freshman year and initially took a liking to it. When he was a 10th grader, though, Cosby questioned whether or not it was worth the time and energy, and he gave serious consideration to walking away before his mother, Lena Gray, convinced him to stick it out.

In hindsight, Cosby is glad he still does track and field for several reasons, one of them being somewhat of a surprise. In January, Cosby received an invitation to compete in the Down Under Sports Tournaments on the Gold Coast of Australia as a representative of Mississippi. 

“My first reaction was, ‘This is confusing,’” Cosby recalled. “I was very skeptical at first, but then I told my mom, and she said, ‘All of your hard work has paid off.’”

Once Cosby confirmed that the Down Under Sports Tournaments were a real thing, he decided there was no way he would pass on such an opportunity. With the tournaments taking place July 6-16, Cosby has not only become more dedicated to his training, but he’s also begun raising money for the trip.

“It’s really made my heart pump,” Cosby said. “It made me want to train even more. Even though I’m on spring break, I want to train. I don’t want to go unprepared. I want to represent the people that helped me get there and represent Mississippi in a good light.”

Despite briefly flirting with the idea of quitting as a sophomore, Cosby has grown to enjoy track and field over the course of his high school career. He competes in the shot put and discus throw, and Cosby said he likes the individual nature of the sport.

“It’s all based on yourself,” Cosby said. “If you don’t want to push yourself more, you won’t get any further. Yes, you have good coaches, but it’s ultimately up to you. If you don’t want to win or don’t care about it, it’s going to show.”

Traveling abroad is nothing new for Cosby, as he was born in Spain to a military family and has visited other countries as well. Cosby has never been to Australia, though.

“It’s another country to cross off my list, and I’ll be getting to see it while I’m young,” Cosby said.

Right now, Cosby is increasing his total spin on his discus throw, lifting weights and focusing on being more agile on his feet. That should benefit him both for his senior track and field season at Northeast Lauderdale and this summer when he competes in the tournaments. Juggling the preparation, fundraising and schoolwork is admittedly difficult, but Cosby said it hasn’t stressed him out too much, especially since he’s excited to compete on behalf of both Meridian and the state of Mississippi.

“When you first think about it, it puts some stress on you, but later on you realize that for them to invite you, you have to be doing something right and be good at what you’re doing, so it gives you a little bit of a drive,” Cosby said.

Cosby attended Northeast Middle School in the seventh and eighth grade before moving up to the high school, and he said he’s looking forward to representing the Trojans on an international stage.

“It would give us more light,” Cosby said. “We’re not the biggest name out there, so putting our name out there more would be good for our school.”

With a trip to Australia coming up following his graduation in May, Cosby said he’s grateful to his mother for talking him out of quitting track and field a couple of years ago.

“She’s been there for me through everything,” Cosby said. “My mom hasn’t missed a sporting event of mine, and if I’ve ever needed something, she’s tried her best to help me. She’s my biggest motivator.”

The total cost of the trip will be approximately $4,000, and Cosby said he’s raised about one fourth of that. He said the deadline for him to pay is May.

“I need help because this is something I really want to do, which is why I’m asking so many people (to contribute),” Cosby explained. 

If you want to donate, Cosby said he can be reached on his cell at 601-686-3837.