Student athletes succeed off the field
Nobody questions a student athlete taking the time to recover from a sprained ankle or broken wrist. Injuries such as those come with a clear understanding that they cannot be ignored. However, student athletes do not only experience an immense amount of stress and strain put on their physical bodies, but also have mental health needs that require recognition.
The pressure associated with being a committed student athlete and juggling an extensive daily routine can create intense emotional responses which are amplified by the demand for performance. Cassie Huber, senior, who will play lacrosse at Eastern Michigan University this fall, feels that her ambitions in life often result in her stress. “There’s a lot that I want to pursue and push myself towards, but with so much on my plate, it gets overwhelming and can be stressful,” Huber said.
Managing the school and sporting environment can lead to student athletes developing mental disorders as well as imbalances in other areas of life. Gabriel Dominguez, senior and soccer player at NPHS, finds it hard to interact with some of his other personal hobbies aside from soccer. “It gets super difficult to manage classes and practice because practice takes out a chunk of my day and it gets exhausting physically and mentally. When I get home from practice I want to eat and then sleep, not go and do hours of homework,” Dominguez said.
Despite efforts to bring awareness to mental health in sports, a negative repertoire persists when it comes to the consideration of the emotional welfare of athletes. Varsity soccer head coach Eric Sanford, who has been at NPHS for 14 years, is working towards breaking this stigma.“I strive to instill in my players that it’s okay to miss practice if you are behind in work or have a lot on your plate,” Sanford said.
The time, energy, and effort that students put into developing skills in their chosen sport as well as school leaves little room for individuals to maintain an overall positive state, constituting to m0tivation burnout. Mental Health Clinician at NPHS Paige Pensivy said. “Burnout of motivation is inevitable and it is best to help students understand that they should accept where they are at currently and assess themselves appropriately.” Mental well-being may be defined when an individual can realize their own potential, can cope with the normal stresses that life may throw at them and can work productively to better themselves.
Emotional knowledge in sports has the ability to foster many benefits, such as building responsibility, accountability, and teamwork which transcend high school.“In playing a sport for so long, it gives you a new perspective on how to function as a collective group, seeing how much I can push myself to be better, a lot of constructive criticism and losses, how to be a good teammate and friend, and creating goals for myself,” Huber said.
