D1 Youth Athlete of the Month: Mia Becerra Nunez
story by LIESEL SCHMIDT | photography courtesy of D1 Training Alexandria
Basketball is a sport that requires strength, agility, dynamic power and strategic thinking. For Mia Becerra Nunez, strategic thinking and the desire to improve what she physically brings to the game are what brought her to D1 Training earlier this year.
The 13-year-old attends eighth grade at Rocky Run Middle School in Chantilly, VA, where she maintains an A average. As dedicated a student as she is, Nunez does have her favorites. “I love civics, Spanish and geometry,” she says.
Her smarts off the court translate into her game through her approach to training. “I got injured playing basketball and after all of the rehab to recover from my injury, I wanted to strengthen my muscles so that I wouldn't get injured again,” she says.
Naturally, training under the guidance and expertise of the professionals at D1 gives her the opportunity to strengthen her muscles in ways that avoid injuries and is both more intentional and targeted. Understanding her goals and working towards achieving those objectives, Nunez’s training regimen at D1 focuses on weight training, flexibility and endurance.
The results she sees in her games and practices are a confirmation that these last months of training at D1 have been effective. “I started going to D1 because I want[ed] to get stronger, quicker, more agile and more athletic,” she says. “Since I started there, I've noticed that I’m stronger and I don't get tired as easily. I can play longer now, so that has made me a stronger player for myself and for my team. I enjoy playing the sport I love and now, I am playing it at a different level.”
My training has given me confidence in what I can do when I’m playing basketball as well as other areas of my life.
Off the court, Nunez has seen changes in other things, as well. “My training has given me confidence in what I can do when I’m playing basketball as well as other areas of my life,” she observes. In her spare time, Nunez likes to crochet, spend time with her chihuahua and play with her niece.