There is little sibling rivalry between the Cumbass kids. They get along well with each other and they look to each other for help and inspiration. For example, Kanler is president of his class, and he says he wouldn’t have run for class president if Kelsey hadn’t been vice president. “I just copied her,” he laughs. They have also inspired and impressed their family. “They put in a ton of hours per week studying and practicing. They support each other and influence each other. I’m blessed to have kids who are so involved with everything,” says Kristy. Billy echoes her thoughts. “Whatever they put their mind to, they achieve.”
As I was sitting at my computer attempting to write this feature, I honestly didn’t know where to begin. I flipped back and forth through my notes, reviewed emails, closed my eyes, tried to come up with every angle I could to get started.
I just drew a blank.
It’s not that there wasn’t enough material. Quite the contrary – in fact, there may have been too much material. Kelsey and Kanler Cumbass, the children of Billy and Kristy Moxley, and Shane and Mandy Cumbass, are two student-athletes who are very familiar to me. My wife, Heather, and their mother, Kristy Moxley, went to school together. Heather, a teacher in the Coffee County School System, taught Kelsey not once but twice (second and fourth grades; she missed teaching Kanler though the two are just 15 months apart). Our family had posed for family photos in front Kristy’s camera on more than once. Our families knew each other fairly well.
And yet I couldn’t get started.
It’s a shame, really. I’ve interviewed siblings before but I’m not sure that I’ve ever interviewed siblings with kind of resume that Cumbass 
kids have built. Kelsey, a senior, is the oldest. From the time she entered school, she was a very focused and driven little girl. “When she was in kindergarten, she said she wanted to be valedictorian,” recalls Kristy. Kelsey doesn’t remember why she was so focused at such a young age. She only says that she always felt as though she do her best at everything she attempted, and that included school. “It was something I was good at. I wanted to be the best. School was my place,” she says Kelsey. My wife remembers teaching Kelsey those two years. “I’ve never had a student like her before. She wanted to get everything – and I mean everything – right. If she didn’t know a math problem, she would get fixated on that problem until she figured it out. She wouldn’t skip it or move on. She was one of the smartest students I’ve ever taught,” says Heather.
Along with the grades came something else: Recognition. All the awards ceremonies at school. Hearing your name called out. Standing in front of your peers receiving certificates, awards, and trophies. Kelsey loved it. She was at home when she was the center of attention. “I loved the recognition of placing at the top of class,” she says in a matter-of-fact manner. Kelsey isn’t boasting or puffing herself up; she’s simply stating a fact. She was an excellent student. She received dozens of awards each year. And she enjoyed it.
Now, at the end of her high school career, she won’t be valedictorian. However, at the time of this writing, she is on pace to be salutatorian in a class that sports one of the highest overall grade point averages of any CHS class in recent memory. In fact, Kelsey’s GPA is higher than that of several past valedictorians. She has accumulated 367 community service hours, is a varsity cheerleader, a scholar athlete, class vice president, Student Council vice president, member of the National Honor Society, sits on the Junior Board of Directors for First National Bank of Coffee County, was on Homecoming Court, is a 2015 recipient of the Georgia Certificate of Merit, and she is a member and recipient of about a gazillion other activities and awards. “I don’t know where she gets it from. I didn’t put myself out there like that growing up,” says Kristy.
Kelsey certainly hasn’t been afraid of failure or taking risks. She likes things done the right way the first time. And in her mind, that often means that she would rather do things herself. “I like to be in control and I want things done in an orderly fashion. I knew from the time I started middle school that I wanted to be at the top of my class,” she says.
Through all of her activities, Kelsey found time to cheer. It was a sport that appealed to her at a young age. She wasn’t into traditional team sports – soccer, softball, swimming, running, and the like held little to no appeal to her. But cheering – standing on the sidelines, leading the crowd, dancing, being one of the centers of attention – was right up her alley. “I love the hype of cheering. It’s an adrenaline rush being on the field on Friday nights,” she says. All the things Kelsey enjoys can be found on the cheerleading squad – teamwork, communication, attention. Kelsey, who isn’t big as a minute, is one of the fliers, which means that several times per game, all eyes are on her as she flies through the air. “It gets scary up there sometimes,” she laughs.
How does she balance everything? “I have just accepted that there will be plenty of sleepless nights. You have to be patient and give up your free time,” she says.
Kanler, a junior who is himself on track to graduate with honors, has made a name for himself more so in athletics. He started out playing soccer and was a pretty good young player. One day, though, he found a tennis racquet at home and started hitting balls against a pump house in the backyard. “He wanted to play tennis but we really didn’t want him to. He was doing well with soccer. But he wouldn’t stop hitting tennis balls,” says Billy Moxley. Kanler would spend two or three hours per day outside, wearing out the side of the pump house and the grass around it.
Billy and Kristy finally relented and gave him their blessings to pursue tennis. It’s not like they had much of a choice; he wouldn’t quit and it didn’t take them long to realize they didn’t need to put off the inevitable. Now, Kanler is a two-time Georgia Recreation and Parks Association state champion (2013 and 2014), was a member of Coffee High’s region champion team last year, and could potentially play #1 singles this season. Kanler closed out the region title for the Trojans in 2014. He was the third player to win that day, defeating a player from Lowndes to whom Kanler typically did not beat. “He always won when we played,” recalls Kanler. “But I was able to finally beat him and close out the championship.”
The 2014 season was big for Kanler. He had played a number of USTA tournaments (and winning a few doubles tourneys along the way) and summer events through the recreation department. But winning a region title in Region 1-6A was important. It gave him a true taste of competitive tennis and motivated him even more. “I learned I could win matches I wasn’t supposed to win. Against Colquitt, I played a match that lasted three and a half hours and won. I didn’t used to win matches like that,” he says.
This year, the Trojans are in a new classification but the goals remain the same: Win region, make a strong run through the state tournament. And earn an All-Region spot. “Last year, everyone on the team made All-Region but me. I want to make it this year,” he says.
Kanler’s ultimate goal is to play tennis in college. He’s had contact with a few colleges but he still has a lot of tennis left to play before he has to make that decision. Still, he’s encouraged by the recognition he has received so far. “I have some schools I haven’t heard of send me information. They’re just checking in right now. I don’t have any offers. I hope those will come,” he says.
Special Feature/South Georgia/March 2015
Kelsey and Kanler Cumbass
Coffee High School
Douglas, Georgia
Robert Preston Jr.
Cumbass siblings: Two of Coffee High’s best and brightest on and off the field
Special Feature/South Georgia/March 2015
Kelsey and Kanler Cumbass
Coffee High School
Douglas, Georgia
Robert Preston Jr.
Cumbass siblings: Two of Coffee High’s best and brightest on and off the field
As I was sitting at my computer attempting to write this feature, I honestly didn’t know where to begin. I flipped back and forth through my notes, reviewed emails, closed my eyes, tried to come up with every angle I could to get started.
I just drew a blank.
It’s not that there wasn’t enough material. Quite the contrary – in fact, there may have been too much material. Kelsey and Kanler Cumbass, the children of Billy and Kristy Moxley, and Shane and Mandy Cumbass, are two student-athletes who are very familiar to me. My wife, Heather, and their mother, Kristy Moxley, went to school together. Heather, a teacher in the Coffee County School System, taught Kelsey not once but twice (second and fourth grades; she missed teaching Kanler though the two are just 15 months apart). Our family had posed for family photos in front Kristy’s camera on more than once. Our families knew each other fairly well.
And yet I couldn’t get started.
It’s a shame, really. I’ve interviewed siblings before but I’m not sure that I’ve ever interviewed siblings with kind of resume that Cumbass kids have built. Kelsey, a senior, is the oldest. From the time she entered school, she was a very focused and driven little girl. “When she was in kindergarten, she said she wanted to be valedictorian,” recalls Kristy. Kelsey doesn’t remember why she was so focused at such a young age. She only says that she always felt as though she do her best at everything she attempted, and that included school. “It was something I was good at. I wanted to be the best. School was my place,” she says Kelsey. My wife remembers teaching Kelsey those two years. “I’ve never had a student like her before. She wanted to get everything – and I mean everything – right. If she didn’t know a math problem, she would get fixated on that problem until she figured it out. She wouldn’t skip it or move on. She was one of the smartest students I’ve ever taught,” says Heather.
Along with the grades came something else: Recognition. All the awards ceremonies at school. Hearing your name called out. Standing in front of your peers receiving certificates, awards, and trophies. Kelsey loved it. She was at home when she was the center of attention. “I loved the recognition of placing at the top of class,” she says in a matter-of-fact manner. Kelsey isn’t boasting or puffing herself up; she’s simply stating a fact. She was an excellent student. She received dozens of awards each year. And she enjoyed it.
Now, at the end of her high school career, she won’t be valedictorian. However, at the time of this writing, she is on pace to be salutatorian in a class that sports one of the highest overall grade point averages of any CHS class in recent memory. In fact, Kelsey’s GPA is higher than that of several past valedictorians. She has accumulated 367 community service hours, is a varsity cheerleader, a scholar athlete, class vice president, Student Council vice president, member of the National Honor Society, sits on the Junior Board of Directors for First National Bank of Coffee County, was on Homecoming Court, is a 2015 recipient of the Georgia Certificate of Merit, and she is a member and recipient of about a gazillion other activities and awards. “I don’t know where she gets it from. I didn’t put myself out there like that growing up,” says Kristy.
Kelsey certainly hasn’t been afraid of failure or taking risks. She likes things done the right way the first time. And in her mind, that often means that she would rather do things herself. “I like to be in control and I want things done in an orderly fashion. I knew from the time I started middle school that I wanted to be at the top of my class,” she says.
Through all of her activities, Kelsey found time to cheer. It was a sport that appealed to her at a young age. She wasn’t into traditional team sports – soccer, softball, swimming, running, and the like held little to no appeal to her. But cheering – standing on the sidelines, leading the crowd, dancing, being one of the centers of attention – was right up her alley. “I love the hype of cheering. It’s an adrenaline rush being on the field on Friday nights,” she says. All the things Kelsey enjoys can be found on the cheerleading squad – teamwork, communication, attention. Kelsey, who isn’t big as a minute, is one of the fliers, which means that several times per game, all eyes are on her as she flies through the air. “It gets scary up there sometimes,” she laughs.
How does she balance everything? “I have just accepted that there will be plenty of sleepless nights. You have to be patient and give up your free time,” she says.
Kanler, a junior who is himself on track to graduate with honors, has made a name for himself more so in athletics. He started out playing soccer and was a pretty good young player. One day, though, he found a tennis racquet at home and started hitting balls against a pump house in the backyard. “He wanted to play tennis but we really didn’t want him to. He was doing well with soccer. But he wouldn’t stop hitting tennis balls,” says Billy Moxley. Kanler would spend two or three hours per day outside, wearing out the side of the pump house and the grass around it.
Billy and Kristy finally relented and gave him their blessings to pursue tennis. It’s not like they had much of a choice; he wouldn’t quit and it didn’t take them long to realize they didn’t need to put off the inevitable. Now, Kanler is a two-time Georgia Recreation and Parks Association state champion (2013 and 2014), was a member of Coffee High’s region champion team last year, and could potentially play #1 singles this season. Kanler closed out the region title for the Trojans in 2014. He was the third player to win that day, defeating a player from Lowndes to whom Kanler typically did not beat. “He always won when we played,” recalls Kanler. “But I was able to finally beat him and close out the championship.”
The 2014 season was big for Kanler. He had played a number of USTA tournaments (and winning a few doubles tourneys along the way) and summer events through the recreation department. But winning a region title in Region 1-6A was important. It gave him a true taste of competitive tennis and motivated him even more. “I learned I could win matches I wasn’t supposed to win. Against Colquitt, I played a match that lasted three and a half hours and won. I didn’t used to win matches like that,” he says.
This year, the Trojans are in a new classification but the goals remain the same: Win region, make a strong run through the state tournament. And earn an All-Region spot. “Last year, everyone on the team made All-Region but me. I want to make it this year,” he says.
Kanler’s ultimate goal is to play tennis in college. He’s had contact with a few colleges but he still has a lot of tennis left to play before he has to make that decision. Still, he’s encouraged by the recognition he has received so far. “I have some schools I haven’t heard of send me information. They’re just checking in right now. I don’t have any offers. I hope those will come,” he says.
Sidebar:
There is little sibling rivalry between the Cumbass kids. They get along well with each other and they look to each other for help and inspiration. For example, Kanler is president of his class, and he says he wouldn’t have run for class president if Kelsey hadn’t been vice president. “I just copied her,” he laughs. They have also inspired and impressed their family. “They put in a ton of hours per week studying and practicing. They support each other and influence each other. I’m blessed to have kids who are so involved with everything,” says Kristy. Billy echoes her thoughts. “Whatever they put their mind to, they achieve.”
