Bushland High senior wrestler overcomes severe neck injury

BUSHLAND, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) — Bushland High School senior, Norma Salomon, is on a high after placing 5th at the UIL State Wrestling Competition.

“It was very exciting, it was like a once in a lifetime type thing,” Salomon explained. “It’s a big deal and I don’t know the last time we placed so its a big deal for the girls.”

It means even more for Salomon who recently overcame a severe injury. Back in May of 2018, she was involved in a four-wheeler accident that derailed her wrestling journey.

“We were playing you know riding four-wheelers and we decided it was fun to race,” she explained. “My brother had stopped in front of me and when he stopped I didn’t want to run into him because my nephew was on there and when I did I hit a big dip and I had hung onto the four-wheeler and it landed on top of me.”

Salomon was airlifted from Clovis to Lubbock, where she spent five days in the hospital.

“The muscles in my neck had hyper-extended so it was weak,” she said. “I was in a neck-brace for two weeks.”

Two weeks turned into a year for Salomon’s recovery, forcing her to sit out her entire junior year. Determination and grit made her comeback even stronger.

“It was scary at first to be on my neck be or anything,” she described. “It was very nerve-wracking and after the first practice I was ready and I knew that this was what I was coming for.”

In her senior year, Salomon not only placed 5th in the state, but she was also a district and regional champ in her weight class. Now she is ready to take her wrestling career to the next level.

“I’m hoping to go to college and continue my wrestling career, hopefully, I’ll get my degree in occupational therapy and keep going from there.”