Showcase Q&A: QND’s Hummel discusses continuing Mizzou legacy, Eric Church music and love of BLTs
The fourth annual Muddy River Showcase takes place June 21 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. The girls game will tip at 2 p.m. with the boys game to follow at 4 p.m. General admission is $10.
QUINCY — Since Lauren Hummel was raised in a family that bleeds black and gold, one might think attending the University of Missouri was a birthright and an expectation.
But she never felt the pressure to become a Tiger legacy.
“I didn’t feel like I had to go there,” said Hummel, a recent Quincy Notre Dame graduate who was a two-sport standout for the Raiders. “Honestly, I wanted to go there. Going to football games from the time I was little, I always loved it there. I didn’t really see myself going anywhere else.”
A recent campus visit for freshmen orientation reaffirmed her decision to make Columbia, Mo., her college home.
“I really like the atmosphere there,” Hummel said.
It’s an atmosphere that feels like home. Her parents, Chad and Camissa Hummel, met while attending Mizzou, and her older sister, Ella, recently completed her freshman year at Ol’ Mizzou.
“They talk about how great it was and is,” Hummel said. “I can’t wait to be a part of that.”
Before moving into the dorms in Columbia, Hummel gets one final time to represent the Raiders in the fourth annual Muddy River Showcase, taking place Saturday at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center.
A starter on both the QND volleyball and basketball teams, Hummel recently chatted with Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman about listening to all types of music, Hula Bowls and her love of tomatoes and BLTs for this Muddy River Showcase Q&A.
Q: Were you able to spend time on the Mizzou campus with your sister during the past year?
A: This past spring, I went down and stayed in her dorm room and I went to one of her business law classes to see it out and decide if this is really the route I want to take. And I loved it. I loved the dorms. I loved the campus. I just loved it.
Q: So does that mean you’re going to study business?
A: Yes, I am. Honestly, that has changed a lot for me. My whole life I thought I was going to be in the medical field. Recently, as college gets closer, I realized the medical field might not be for me. I took a couple of classes and I wasn’t as interested as I thought I was. I took a couple of business classes and I loved it.
Q: Do you know what you want to do with a business degree eventually?
A: I’m not sure right now because I have two years to decide which route I want to take. But I always thought about going to law school after I get my degree. So that could be something I do.
Q: What has you excited about playing in the Showcase?
A: I can’t wait to play with the girls again. This might be my last official game that I get to play in, so this is really exciting for me. Getting to play with Sage (Stratton), Karly (Peters) and Lauren (Miller) one last time is just really cool. I think it will be a really fun game to watch and play in.
Q: What did you enjoy most about playing basketball at QND?
A: I loved the team. I don’t think there was any other team like ours. We were so close-knit and we had team bondings every week. We knew everything about each other, like our strengths and weaknesses. I just loved playing with them. The atmosphere at QND was also great with the band playing and everybody coming and supporting us. It was a great atmosphere and great school to be a part of.
Q: Did you have a favorite moment of your basketball career?
A: I loved our bus rides. We would always connect to the speakers on the bus and Ari (Buehler) would play music and we would all sing. Last year, we went to watch Abbey (Schreacke) play at Western Illinois University, and we were all up and dancing while (QND coach Eric) Orne was driving us. It was so funny.
Q: Did you ever get Orne to dance?
A: He’s not the best dancer, but if you play him a song that he likes, he definitely will dance.
Q: What kind of music would you play?
A: We listened to a lot of country music, but anything from country to Katy Perry to anything really. We played oldies. Everything under the sun.
Q: What about you? What’s your favorite kind of music?
A: I love music. I have a playlist for everything. I have a country playlist. I have a rap playlist. I listen to everything, but I think my favorite is going to have to be country.
Q: Do you have a favorite artist or favorite song?
A: My favorite artist is Eric Church and my favorite song is “Springsteen.” He’s so good and he doesn’t have a bad song.
Q: How much fun was volleyball considering your team had a ton of success?
A: This past season was obviously different with a new coach and a new atmosphere. She made it so much fun. I even got to switch positions. My whole career I played middle, and she let me switch to outside and I loved that so much more. It was just so fun. The volleyball team before games in the locker room, we would play music and all dance and have so much fun.
Q: Which sport are you going to miss more?
A: Probably basketball because it’s been my favorite forever.
Q: You mentioned having to go to work today. Where do you work?
A: I work at Hula Bowls.
Q: What makes Hula Bowls special?
A: I love working there because, honestly, it doesn’t even feel like a job because I love all the girls who work there. We have so much fun when we work. It’s a win-win because I get to have fun and get paid.
Q: For anyone who has never been to Hula Bowls, what would you recommend?
A: I would definitely recommend the traditional bowl. It’s the most basic one, but it is definitely the best for a reason. I get honey on it, and I usually get no blueberries and I sub pineapple.
Q: Do you not like blueberries?
A: I just like pineapple better. I don’t have a problem with blueberries, but I just like pineapple that much.
Q: When you have free time, what do you like to do for fun?
A: I really like to be active whenever I’m not working, so I will go to the gym and rock a workout or I’ll play sand volleyball or pickleball. Anything active is what I really like doing?
Q: With nutrition being important, do you have a favorite meal?
A: Yes, I do. I really like BLTs.
Q: What do you like about BLTs?
A: I’ve always loved bacon, and I love tomatoes. I will always cherry tomatoes just by themselves. I feel like all of it together, especially with the bread toasted, just makes it perfect.
Q: What’s the perfect kind of bread for a BLT?
A: Definitely just crispy bread. I like it crunchy. I like it toasted.
Check out more of the Muddy River Showcase Q&As at the links below:
Payson Seymour’s Blake Schwartz
South Shelby’s Callie McWilliams
West Hancock’s Lewis Siegfried
Quincy Notre Dame’s Alex Dance
Central-Southeastern’s Lauren Miller
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