"She's always cheering me on": Three-sport athlete CeCe Woods reflects on relationship with her mom
COLD SPRING, Minn. -- CeCe Woods is an athlete and always has been. She has now qualified for nine straight state tournaments in three sports -- dance, diving and track.
"It was pretty noticeable young that she had a lot of athletic talent so then you gotta be a competitive person too, she had that," said Julie Woods, CeCe's mom.
Woods is one of six children raised by a single mother, who is her rock.
"She is been the most supportive in all my sports, goes to all my sporting events, and my other siblings' events," said CeCe. "She's always cheering me on no matter what."
There are also her grandparents, who are ever present at her events.
"They're my biggest supporters as well, they always get into my sports no matter what it is -- they'll learn everything about, learn more about it than I know," said CeCe.
And there's the Rocori community -- featuring perhaps the nicest football stadium and athletic complex in the state.
"We're all so proud of it, you know," said Julie. "It's a beautiful facility -- it's got that beautiful plaza, turf, our gorgeous stadium. Everyone has a lot of pride in it."
Mom understands much -- she is a teacher at the school and then the mother of six, keeping a family bonded through the community and athletics.
"I keep them moving all the time," said Julie. "I've also been really fortunate. I've got really good kids, so that's helped. [They're] super supportive and we kind of think of ourselves as a team."
Next year, CeCe moves to compete at the University of Arizona in track.
"I've wanted to go out of state for college ever since my older sister went out of state for college -- she decided to run track too," said CeCe. "Running track at Arizona State sounded like the best option."
But what a ride it has been for CeCe, one Mom might miss.
"I'm gonna miss her a lot. I've had six kids, so, fortunately, my two youngest kids keep me busy, otherwise, I know CeCe's grandparents -- my parents -- they worry about me going into withdrawal," said Julie.
