On sun-kissed Saturday, when most college students are deep in slumber or nowhere near ready for the day, Megan Miller, and Ava Stemler, were engaging, energy-filled, beyond cordial and each a laugh-a-minute.
Truth-be-told, the two Luther College soccer standouts, are a standup comedy act waiting for a stage.
And…
If Stemler and Miller, or Miller and Stemler (they often deferred to each other) are our world’s future, it’s OK to buy in.
We are in great hands.
On this gorgeous morning, Miller and Stemler shared a reflective – an impact-filled – 50 minutes with Nicole Kuykendall, PT, DPT, Luther College graduate, and clinic manager at Rock Valley Physical Therapy’s Decorah, Iowa-based clinic.
Over a five-month span, Kuykendall, who did her post-graduate work at Des Moines University, worked tirelessly to get Stemler and Miller where they are today, one prepping for her junior season of college soccer at Luther, and the other – at 100 percent physically – ready to fight the rigors of life, managing a career, and staying fit.
The admiration the trio have for one another is obvious.
More importantly, it’s genuine.
“I played basketball my first three years at Luther,’’ said Miller, who like Stemler, has been an academic stalwart in her prep and college careers, respectively. A finalist for Luther’s female scholar-athlete of the year, Miller, from Urbandale, Iowa, has accepted a sales post with Waukee, Iowa-based Holmes/Murphy. She began work shortly after graduation selling employer benefits.
“I played soccer in high school, so I switched to soccer this year (at Luther),” added Miller. “Truth be told, soccer’s a sport where you can be as physical as you want. I liked that part, even though it can take a toll on your body. Switching to soccer took a different physical toll on my body. I’m tall (6-feet-1 inch) and wasn’t as physical as a guard in basketball where there were smaller girls guarding me. In soccer, there is no such thing as a “touch” foul.’’
The combination of hoops and soccer took its toll on Miller, physically wearing her down.
It was Kuykendall, who helped her find the path to 100 percent and a fresh start to a future of better health. A path the ever personable and upbeat Miller, a forward for the Norse, says will help her with the rigors of real life.
“There were a number of things that Nicki helped me with,’’ Miller said, noting she also suffers from Ulcerative Colitis (UC), a chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that also must be dealt with. “It’s been a lot about fitness and getting back to 100 percent. In addition to therapy, Nicki has helped me find a path to running, which has been great for me. I just did five miles (the day before). Running is something I want to be part of my life. I think I was only supposed to do two miles – sometimes things get lost in translation – but if not for Nicki I wouldn’t have been able to do any of it. Besides being a great therapist, she is a great listener, an amazing human being and she is a lot of fun. It was so important for me to have someone like her help me adapt to the right pace in the future. Nicki is smart and is always there for a pep talk.’’
Stemler, a midfielder and equally personable and upbeat as Miller, began her path back to the pitch with a December 2024 surgery to repair the labrum in her hip. Post-surgery, she sought the help of Rock Valley’s West Des Moines (EP True) clinic and Danny Shuda, PT, DPT, OCS, CMT.
When it was time to return to school, Stemler, grateful for all Shuda’s work, was excited to learn Decorah was home to a Rock Valley site. The bonus was a compassionate, caring, and gifted therapist and clinic manager in Kuykendall, who happened to be a Luther graduate.
“SICK!!!!!! That was the first thing I said when I learned Rock Valley was in Decorah,’’ said Stemler, who is studying to be a nurse and is expected to be 100 percent for the 2025 Luther soccer season.
The bonus, Stemler – with a huge nod from Miller – was Kuykendall.
“First, Nicki is a great physical therapist,’’ Stemler said. “She is knowledgeable in her field, and she understands. By that, I mean she listens to you and how you are feeling before doing anything. And I/we trust her. She never assumes, treats you as a person, not just a number or someone she has to get through the clinic. She understands when you are running late and there are other things tugging and pulling at you. If you are struggling, she never makes you feel like a baby. She is unbelievable in understanding the mental health side of things and is always there for you. Rock Valley has been phenomenal for me.”
Modest to a fault, Kuykendall said finding one’s niche in life has been a blessing. Being a member of the Rock Valley family, in a town that has played a positive role in her life and meeting impressive people like Stemler and Miller, are bonuses.
“With Ava, it’s been a matter of improving her strength post-surgery, working on all movements that will allow her to perform athletically – but also have better overall health and deal with the physical nature of soccer,’’ said Kuykendall. “With Megan, it’s been about improving strength, function and finding her a path that will allow her to do the things she wants and reach her health goals in life.’’
On a personal note, Kuykendall says Miller and Stemler have worked hard but done so with the perfect mix of dedication and humor.
Lots of humor. Lots, and lots of humor.
“That they have made it fun and interesting might be an understatement,’’ Kuykendall said of the two. “They have been great. They have been challenged, but they have responded to all that we have done to make them better and done so with the best attitude. They have certainly made working together fun for me. I have been fortunate to work with several Luther athletes and would love to continue to that.’’
Pointing to Miller and Stemler sitting across from her, Kuykendall paid the two athletes a huge compliment.
“For all the great things they are about, you can’t forget Ava and Megan,’’ she said. “And you wouldn’t want to. What we do as therapists is about relationships.’’
By: Johnny Marx, Rock Valley Storyteller