This story appears in FCA Magazine’s March/April 2017 issue. Subscribe today!
Hometown: Arlington, Tenn.
Class: Junior
Notes:
• Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (2014-15)
• Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2015-16)
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” – 2 Timothy 1:7
University of Nebraska junior Jasmine Cincore has loved basketball since she was young, accumulating life lessons from the sport and leaning into the flow of hard work, risk and reward. The guard from Arlington, Tennessee, has grown to love her “second home” in Lincoln, where she’s learned to balance the demands of being a Division I student-athlete while keeping close to God through prayer and the campus FCA Huddle.
FCA: How difficult was the initial transition from Tennessee to Nebraska?
JC: It didn’t dawn on me at first that I was going to be 12 hours away and not able to come home and see my family a whole bunch. As a student-athlete, you’re on a demanding schedule, and you don’t really think about that; you’re just excited for a new chapter of your life. About two weeks in I called home, crying, “Mom, I want to come home!”
The first year in Lincoln was definitely one of the toughest years I’ve experienced. You’re not sheltered anymore. You’re out here in the real world with different things like racism, drugs and alcohol, all these different temptations young adults have when they get out from under their parents’ roof. It’s just an eye-opener.
I found a group of friends who weren’t really about that, and I met (FCA staff) Robbie and Anna Trent. [FCA] is a really good group of people who are also believers and strong in their faith. That makes a difference with the people you hang around with.
FCA: What does your involvement with FCA look like?
JC: I’m part of the FCA Leadership Team, committing to lead not just on the basketball court but in life and on campus, representing Christ among people with the same mindset. It’s been a great experience and challenge to study Scripture and analyze what passages really mean with a team of people. It’s a great way to fellowship and get to know a lot of people with different backgrounds and upbringings and stories of how they came to Christ. We’re a family.
FCA: How have you seen God work in your life?
JC: In answering prayer. A lot of times when we pray for things, we get one of three answers: “Yes,” “No,” or “Not yet.” A lot of prayers become reality, and sometimes we forget that’s something we even prayed about.
Prayer is just a conversation. There’s no, “You have to do this or that.” There’s no rule. It’s time between God and me. It’s just a conversation, like talking to a neighbor. You listen, He listens, and though you may not think He’s listening, He’s there.
FCA: How has God been working on your heart?
JC: Sports are a big part of our lives and consumes a lot of our time. Sometimes we don’t know how to do that while glorifying God. You can go out and play your hardest; that’s giving glory to God and the talent He’s given you. You’re using it to the fullest but also not taking the credit; give it to God.
Sports are my guideline for life. The different things I learn there help me learn to think outside of sports.
FCA: How has your faith impacted your life?
JC: I didn’t think this would be my life right now. As an 11-year-old, I saw great WNBA or college players and wanted to be like them. It was a huge deal to me, and now my dream is being played out, which is just amazing. I didn’t think I’d be the one influencing little girls like those who influenced me. I just love being the role model that someone else was for me. It’s pouring into these girls and telling them to follow their dreams and go for it. In Christ, you can do anything.
FCA Staff Quote:
“It’s evident God has drawn Jasmine to Himself and brought her from death to life in Jesus Christ. The joy of the Lord radiates through the way she loves her teammates and strives to make the most of every second on the court. Serving on the UNL FCA Leadership Team, she has been extremely intentional in building relationships with her teammates and other female athletes to introduce them to her Savior. We praise God for what He has done and is doing in and through Jasmine.”
-Robbie Trent
FCA Area Representative
Lincoln, Nebraska
-FCA-
Photos courtesy of Scott Bruhn, Nebraska Athletic Communications