It's a Mental Game before one enters the Game

Alyiah Wells getting ready for the opposing teams serve. Photo Credits at the courtesy of Raven Young

Mental Health has taken a toll on many, including athletes. Alyiah Wells takes a step back from the University of Alabama’s Volleyball team to focus on Mental Health.

Instagram post made by Alyiah Wells about resigning from The University of Alabama Volleyball team.

Alyiah Wells a former Middle Blocker for The University of Alabama Volleyball team recently stepped away from the team on September 15th, 2021. Wells made a statement thanking her family, friends, and the Tide Nation for all their support in her decision. Athletes have more experience than just the average college student. Athletes are prone to experience more injuries, social scrutiny, and overtraining.

This article will discuss leading key factors of mental health in athletes of color as well Alyiah Wells's experience with playing for The University of Alabama.

EQUAL TREATMENT

Collegiate athletes come from a variety of different backgrounds and are then joined together by the team they soon call a new family. However, each player puts on their own shoes and walks their side of life from the morning, to the start of class, the opening match, and going to sleep at night. In laymen’s terms, experiences vary from person to person and can sometimes even have an effect on the player’s performance. Alyiah Wells says to prevent these matters from occurring coaches should have former Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training.

“I think people just need to have the experience and just being overall educated on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion when it comes from knowing how to treat athletes especially athletes of color and if your not the same race as your athletes you should be able to connect and know the certain things they go through on a day to day even if they can’t understand first hand,” Wells said.

The University of Alabama’s Student Government Association started a Diversity Equity and Inclusion certificate plan three years ago under Demarcus Joiner. The programs goals are to create an inclusive community for all where students will learn about race, LGBTQIA+, disability, etc.

According to the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine, “Eighty percent of NCAA athletes experienced some form of hazing(bullying) during college while 42% of these same athletes reported a history of being hazed in high school”. Also, many of the incidents were not reported leading with nearly 60% to 95% alone in the NCAA.

DETECTION IN ATHLETES/ DEPRESSION AND SUICIDE

Depression and Suicide are serious stressors that affect all college students. Nearly 27.3% of college students report clinical depression over a five-year time span. However, according to the American college of sports medicine, “sports medicine and sports psychology practitioners and researchers have turned their attention to this important issue, as past notions that athletes have reduced mental health issues due to increased levels of exercise have come under scrutiny in the popular media”. While, depression symptoms may be low in athletes they are still prone to experience depression after possible injuries and even during pratices/ trainings.

Alyiah Wells say to take a stance and evaluate the experince one has had so far in their desired sport.

“Athletes are people and I feel like we deserve to be treated fairly and its already hard enough being an athlete and I had to take a stand as far as all athletes mental health and to know that if we are treated unfairly that we have the right to put our mental heath first,” Wells, said.

Therefore, these challenges can be triggered for not only athlete but also nonathletic students.

RESOURCES

The University of Alabama offers resources such as the Counseling center, Student Health Center, Women and Gender Resources Center, and free online self help.

Due to high mass in calls and appointments from the Counseling Center. Residential Assistants give their perspective on how they are to deal with students who might experience mental health illness.

Kailia Pouncy, a residential assistant for Presidential Village says they go through adequate amount of trainings to better suit all students.

“Throughout the school year, we conduct programs that offer students various methods for handling stress or conflicts in their living environments, along with preventing it or reaching out for help. We also get experience doing QPR training which essentially prepares us for interacting with students who are dealing with immediate crisis or experiencing suicidal thoughts,” Pouncy said.