The reason Malyka Abramson joined cross country in the first place was because of her mom.
“She had a lot of success running for Wabash High School and running cross country was a tradition in her family,” said the fifteen-year-old.
Abramson decided to carry on her mother’s family tradition in the seventh grade, when she joined the cross country team at Avon Middle School North. She didn’t consider that she could become a competitive contender after a childhood dedicated to soccer, basketball and softball.
“I never believed that it was something I wanted to really compete in until my first race where I finished second for my team… and then threw up at Coach Clark’s feet,” said the sophomore at Avon High School. “That race showed me just how much I was holding back, and what I could do if I just let loose.”
Letting loose is exactly what she did, as Abramson became the Hendricks County Middle School Champion in the 1600-meter and 2400-meter runs in 2010. But not all has smooth sailing for this Anderson, Indiana native. At the beginning of her freshman cross country season, Abramson woke up with an excruciating pain in her right hip.
“I thought it was just because I had slept on it wrong,” Abramson reminisced. “I told my coach, and we decided to have it checked out by our school trainer.”
For the longest time, Abramson did not know what was causing her hip pain. After visiting Dr. Kraft, a sports medicine physician, Abramson discovered that she had iliac apophysitis. This is a mechanical overloading injury which causes an inflammation of the growth plate in runners’ hips.
“I went to a physical therapist to help deal with it,” said Abramson. “I have to be prepared to cross train when it flares up to prevent it from getting any worse, and now my family and Coach help me keep tabs on it.”
As an athlete, Abramson says that her hip condition is the biggest obstacle she has to overcome. It will always be something to be concerned about as it has the potential to greatly hinder her performance as a runner.
“The doctor said that it is something I will eventually grow out of, but until then I h ave to stay up on my icing and cross training,” said Abramson. “Most of the time, the pain only bothers me after a run; very rarely does it flare up while I am running.”
As an individual, Abramson has to battle the anxieties that hit her full-force as she prepares before competing in a meet.
“I have had to overcome the amount of nervous pressure that I would put on myself before every race,” she shares. “It has gotten to the point where I would be dry-heaving before we even get to the line.”
Abramson says she sought help from a sports psychologist who “helped me calm down and focus on my performance before a race.”
After all the training she has put in this summer, Abramson hopes to have a stellar cross country season and make up for her personally disappointing showing at the 2011 Indiana State Cross Country Meet. Her hip condition flared up for the first time during that race, placing Abramson ninety-eighth in the race with a 20:17.10, almost a minute-and-a-half slower than her race at the Carmel Semi-State Meet the week before.
“It would mean nothing without the bond and support of my team,” said Abramson, “[as well as] the large amount of support from my parents, siblings and extended family; they have come to every single one of my meets since seventh grade and are planning on doing the same this year.”
Although the sophomore has three more years left before her high school graduation, the future member of the class of 2015 has been researching, planning and comparing universities that offer courses in graphic design, industrial design, architecture, and mechanical or aerospace engineering. She also hopes to find a coach that will help her excel at the college level so she can continue her running career.
Said Abramson: “God has blessed me with a passion for running and I would like to see how far I can develop it into college and even further into the future.”
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