“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” Oddly enough, I find the phrase, “everything happens for a reason,” to be sort of confusing. This comforting line is used to find reason in some of the most disappointing events that occur in our lives. At a high-point in my gymnastics career,…
Noah Melick: I am still here
I have been dreading this day for some time now, and it’s finally time to take the burden off my shoulders. After unimaginable concussions that left me disabled for a while, which led to mental health scares that could’ve taken my life, I have finally decided to hang em up. It is not worth the…
Kelsey Thoensen: I coach the human being behind the uniform
These last couple of months have left the student-athlete population with heavy hearts. How many athletes does it take for something to change? With the alarming number of student-athletes who have recently died by suicide and in honor of May being Mental Health Awareness Month, I thought it was time to stop being silent and…
Jess Schildkraut: We are athletes, but we are also so much more
We are athletes, but we are also so much more. Too many NCAA student-athlete lives have been lost in the past few weeks. I’m sharing my story in case it can help anyone going through it. I’ve been you. I see you. For much of my life, I clung to my athlete identity as all…
Nolan Tesone: Tending to My Well-Being as a Student Athlete
As a former Division 1 student athlete at the University of Louisville, my well-being and sense of belongingness were explicitly tied to my success in the pool. I was a proud All-American swimmer for our nationally ranked program, made my most fond memories along the way, and fostered a deep appreciation for what a group…
Zoe Barrie: Benched & Depressed
It was my sophomore year of college and one of my teammates and I were discussing ways to tear our ACLs. We spent close to 30 minutes discussing the ways in which we would curate a career-ending movement at practice during a scrimmage or drill to perfectly injure ourselves. Would it be in a meticulously…
Charlotte Tomkinson: Running Dangerously
I could make a long list of all the things I love about running. Here are a few. The rhythmic sound of a whole pack’s footsteps and heavy breathing. The pleasure of trying on a fresh pair of trainers or spikes. The fulfillment of having a great run when you expected to feel like crap….
Madi Sisz: Quitting Is An Option
The word ‘quit’ has a negative connotation. You quit a job: clearly you weren’t very good at it. You quit a sport: you were a failure. With the recent events in college athletics, I feel called to share my story. The mental health epidemic raging in the collegiate athletic setting is something that NEEDS to…
Olivia Duarte: Playing In Silence
This summer, I submitted an article to The Hidden Opponent about falling back in love with lacrosse after my depression consumed me. I just returned back to sports without treatment or hard conversations. I felt better and thought I was “cured.” Little did I know, this is a battle I am not done fighting. You…
Anahi Ibarra: My Journey with Anxiety
Growing up, there were glimpses of the anxiety disorder I would be diagnosed with later on in life. I constantly wanted to be the best at everything I was doing– in school, sports, and in my relationships with friends and family. I was also a worrier. I worried about everything. If I was going to…
