When I was 11, I ran my first 5k. When I was 14, I ran my first half marathon. And by the next year, I was on my high school’s varsity cross-country team, beginning my college recruitment process. Then I developed a chronic gastrointestinal illness. The problem started in my brain, but I failed to…
Jackie Skalski: Trust Your Own Process
“It could be worse,” is the response I constantly gave when asked about how I felt when I heard the news that I had torn my ACL. But in reality, it is okay to feel like it cannot be worse, but is not okay to feel like that for an extended period of time. I…
Players of the NWSL Take a Stand Against the League’s Inability to Protect Players
By Zandy Soree Women in sports have had long-standing battles with power imbalances and player protection. Female athletes have often been told to be grateful for what they are given in their sport, leading to the idea that speaking out on being victimized would only hurt them. In a system that favors men (specifically, men…
Byron Jamar Terry: Bounce Back
Everybody is fighting a battle. We live in an age where our social media personas can often blind those from seeing what really exists inside of us. Sometimes, you may never know what someone may be going through. Although I don’t usually talk too much about my personal life, I am happy to share this…
Kylie Pickrell: Finding My New Home
Growing up, I always considered myself as someone who was pretty mentally tough. I constantly pushed myself and my teammates to be better because that’s all I ever knew. I played club volleyball at TAV in Texas where I was pushed to be the best. So when it came time for me to experience my…
Gena Main: Transferring For My Healing
I grew up with a suffer in silence mentality; it was always just easier to work hard, keep my head down, and keep others happy. I loved soccer so much that anytime I went through something hard, I was able to fully immerse myself in the game. It wasn’t until my freshman year of college…
Important Advice for Suddenly Single Parents
By Leslie Campos of Well Parents Although the divorce rate has been falling slightly in recent years, Crisp and Company still note that 42% of marriages in England and Wales will be legally dissolved. Divorce has a domino effect. Not only does it mean that you and your spouse are separating, it also means that…
Kenzie Brouk: Using My Chronic Illness As Inspiration
My name is Kenzie Brouk and I’m currently a senior at Trine University in Angola, Indiana, where I compete on the figure skating and synchronized skating team. Here is my story of finding my love for skating again through a chronic illness and a toxic team environment: I started skating when I was seven years…
Hristina Cvetkovic: Reflections From Beyond The Court
Some of you know me as Tina, some of you know me as Serb, and some of you know me as that tall tennis girl that’s always in the training room. I am not sure I can put everything into words to summarize the last five years of being a Division I student-athlete. I did…
Drew Clark: Bigger Than The Game
“I’m fine,” “I’m okay,” and “I’m good,” were the only three responses I had from the ages of 16 to 20 whenever a coach, family member, or friend asked me how I was doing. I actually thought I was “fine” for a long time. But after years of bottling up mixed emotions and feelings, I…
