After tearing her ACL and both meniscuses, Hay Springs multi-sport standout Mya Turman rebuilt her confidence, reshaped her leadership, and now hopes to lead the Hawks to a big finish this season.
MARK KESZLER
Nspire Today! Feature Writer
HAY SPRINGS – When most high school athletes picture the end of a season, they think about team celebrations, memories, or the early stirrings of next year’s goals. For Hay Springs senior Mya Turman, the end of her sophomore basketball season brought something entirely different: a life-changing injury in a moment that began like any other fast-break opportunity.
“At the end of my sophomore year basketball season I stole the ball and was on a fast break layup when I went down and tore my ACL fully and both meniscuses,” Turman said. “The recovery process was long and hard. It was hard being on the bench and not being able to practice with the team.”
For a player who thrives on movement, physicality, and competition, the sudden halt was devastating. The injury ended not only her basketball season, but also took away an entire year of both volleyball and basketball — sports she has loved for as long as she can remember. The stillness of rehab stood in stark contrast to the way she was used to living her life: surrounded by teammates, sweating through drills, and competing every time a new opportunity arose.
Turman’s road back was as steep as it was emotional. ACL recoveries are notoriously challenging, but hers was compounded by damage to both meniscuses. Every step forward required patience. Every new movement required courage.
“Some of the hardest moments were trying to engage my quad again, trusting myself to jump on it, and learning to run again,” she said.
For many athletes, the most difficult part of recovery isn’t the physical pain — it’s the uncertainty. Will the joint hold up? Will the explosiveness return? But Turman never let doubt take over. Even when setbacks hit, even when exercises hurt, even when the process felt like it was dragging endlessly, her motivation stayed rooted in the same place.
“I feel like I was always motivated to get back for my senior year,” she said. “I love both volleyball and basketball and it was very difficult to miss an entire year of both.”
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