Sept. 30, 2009
Freshman outside hitter Ariel Turner sat down with purduesports.com to chat about inspirational people, calculus and her dream of skydiving someday.
Let's start at the beginning. What brought you to Purdue from Colorado?
Well, definitely all of the coaches; they were a huge part of my decision. And also the engineering school; that is what initially got me interested. Then, coming here and meeting all the coaches and the players solidified it.
You were really highly touted coming out of high school, ranking as the No. 17 player on PrepVolleyball's list of Senior Aces and being named a Fab50 player by Volleyball Magazine. Were there other options you considered?
Purdue was the best fit. There was really no other school that had both the academics and the volleyball program like they have here.
Among your accomplishments you say some of your proudest are leading your high school team to two state tournament appearances. What was that experience like and what made them so special?
I am proud of it mostly because we weren't that good of a team, but everyone played together and came together really well even though we didn't have that much talent. We still stepped it up and got really far.
Talking about academics. You obviously have done very well academically and plan on majoring in engineering at Purdue. Have academics always been something you prided yourself on?
Ever since I was little my mom always pushed me to be the best in academics. Learn whenever you can, always do the extra credit parts in the homework. It is fun for me. I like academics a lot. So, to come here and be able to excel in that more as well as getting better in volleyball is a lot of fun.
You say you can do calculus in your sleep. They say there are math/science people and English/history people. Is that just how your mind works?
I am definitely a match/science person, pretty much anything that is logical. I had a really good calc teacher in high school. I had her three of the four years which was amazing. She was the best teacher. I think that really helped. I also got a lot of reps and I understand it really well.
Your favorite quote is "The key to a vital life is an eagerness to learn and a willingness to change." What does the quote mean to you and how does it affect your attitude and approach to life and volleyball?
I think you have to live your life progressing forward. You can't get to a certain point like graduating high school or college and just stop. You have to keep changing and evolving as a person throughout your life. I think, for me, right now coming from high school to college is a big step in the process. I am taking the next step and evolving now and keeping going. You are always pushing yourself to be better than what you were yesterday.
Take yourself back the two months to when you arrived on campus, do you feel like you have grown and learned a lot since then?
Oh wow, that seems like so long ago. I don't know if it is a lot, but I have learned the system and I know now how everyone else is going to play. I don't know if I have learned a lot about the sport, necessarily -- there are some fundamental skill things I have learned -- but mostly it is learning the system here and how to interact with everyone else on the team.
It seems like the more you play, the more the court is opening up to you. Do you feel that way?
I feel like the past couple of weekends have been leaps and bounds from the first couple of games we played because everyone is starting to trust each other and figure out what is going on.
Did you envision yourself getting game-winning blocks and leading the team in kills like you have as a freshman?
No. I have done that throughout high school. So, I guess, in that sense it is what I have always done, but I didn't imagine coming in as a freshman and being given the opportunity to do that. I think that is the biggest thing is just getting the chance.
Your mom is the person you look up to the most. What have you learned from her?
I have learned everything from her. She has pretty much been my role model. It is a lot like that quote before... she always teaches us to keep going, to keep pushing and being the best person you can be.
You say you couldn't live without your mom or your sisters. What is your favorite thing to do together?
We like going up into the mountains to a cabin that we have and walking around. Just being up in the mountains together is the best thing. We go hiking, sometimes we ride our bikes or go rock climbing. We hang out on the porch and do Sudoku puzzles together. We also like to cook together.
Speaking of family, you say you have the smartest dog in the world. What makes her so smart?
She is the best dog ever. When we go up in the mountains, there are no fences or anything, but she knows exactly where she can and can't go without us telling her. She knows when someone is sad or happy. She knows when it is bedtime, she knows to go to bed. he understands sentences, not just commands. She is a miniature labradoodle, apricot colored, named Chloe.
Your favorite song is "My Wish" by Rascal Flatts. What makes that song so special to you?
"My Wish" by Rascal Flatts is my favorite song because of the messages it sends about staying positive, respecting yourself, and having dreams. Although there are many songs that also convey these ideas, this song is special to me because it was played at the service of one of my friend's mom's after she passed away from breast cancer. During the time when she was sick she always kept a positive attitude and stayed in as much of her previous life as she could. She fought the cancer bravely for many years and through that became a huge inspiration to many people. So, now whenever I hear the song, I think of her and that is what makes the song really special.
You are from Denver, so how did you become a Colts fan?
Peyton Manning. He is the smartest player in football. The Broncos played them five years ago or so and we were watching Manning play and how he controlled the team and the way he was so smart about everything he did. I love that about football...thinking about the plays.
So, were you a Denver Broncos fan before that and converted?
It is not a conversion; I like both of them. But, this past year with the Broncos has kind of been rough. Shanahan getting kicked off and Cutler leaving, there is just no one on the Broncos left. I still like the Broncos as a team, but right now I don't like what's going on.
Tell me about England and Germany and why you would like to visit those places?
That is where my mom's side of the family is from. My mom's mom is mainly English, so she has relatives over there. We have relatives that came from there in the 1600s and I just really like the culture. Then, my mom's dad was from Germany, so we have always had German food. I also really like the language for some reason, though I have never studied it. I have never been out of the country, so I really want to go there.
How did you become interested in singer/songwriter Jim Croce? I'm pretty sure you weren't born when most of his famous songs were written.
My mom is a big fan, so she exposed me to it. She may have advised me a little bit, but I think he is a brilliant song writer, but the words that he uses are amazing... If you have heard "Time In a Bottle," it is just incredible that he writes it and sings it. And the words that he uses resonate really well with me.
Your favorite movie is "The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons," which is kind of old school as well. Is that what you like about it?
I like that it is out of the box. It is a different way to look at life. It is just putting someone in a completely different position and watching how their struggles are different from everyone elses. It is just a different twist on life.
So, I understand that you would like to go skydiving? Tell me about that.
I've always been more of a daredevil than the rest of my family. It just sounds like it would be so much fun and so free. I have always loved airplanes too. When we would go to air shows, I would always watch the parachuters. I never really wanted to parachute, but just thinking of falling through the air, that would be so cool I think. Maybe if I go out of the country I could do it, because my mom wouldn't want me to. She is not a huge fan of that. It probably won't happen for a while.
With 13 matches under your belt, give me the player's perspective on how things are going and how the team is feeling?
I think we are gaining a lot of confidence as we go along. We are starting to come together and play together more. I think that we still have a lot of work to do, obviously like finishing close matches, which was kind of an issue this past weekend. But, I think that playing Michigan and being as close as we were was a big step forward. I think now we know we can play at a really high level and we will just keep getting better from that.
Finally, fast forward four years, what do you hope to have accomplished at Purdue?
I hope that we are a better program than we are now. I think it is definitely possible with eight freshmen that by the time we are seniors, we are going to be really, really good. We will be experienced and we have every position, so I really confident that when we get there, we are going to be good. I just hope we can keep pushing ourselves to be better every game and every season.
