The RoundHouse | 11/9/2018 11:01:00 AM

 
 
The body works best when the mind is healthy. 
 
At times, however, the mental-health aspects of college sports are overlooked, seen as unknowable or sacrificed to notions of toughness and perseverance. That attitude has changed over the years and the American Athletic Conference is adding to the conversation with its mental health initiative dubbed "POW6RFUL MINDS."
 
 "People considered athletes as strong, they can't be weak, they can't struggle with anything," said Wichita State's Ryleigh Buck, a junior on the softball team. "They're supposed to overcome everything. That's not the case. We're going to have stress and we're going to struggle with things."
 
On Sunday, Wichita State plays its volleyball "Green Game" to promote mental health. Fans can purchase Green Game shirts and free tattoos and stickers are available at the 1 p.m. match vs. SMU at Koch Arena. Throughout the school year, all sports will designate one Green Game to educate fans about the program.
 
Wichita State's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) plans the Shocker portion of Powerful Minds. It started earlier this fall with a week of activities such as yoga and relaxation, techniques to deal with stress and a session ("Love on a Leash") playing with therapy dogs.
 
"I feel like we have a generation who think this is something we need to talk about," said senior Connor Stine, a distance runner. "There are people who are starting to see the importance of it and how it can help."
 
For Sarah Willey, director of compliance and Shocker LIFE coordinator, the path to dealing with stress starts with simple actions such as putting away screens and learning how to reduce distractions.
 
"We try to teach the student-athletes that they're never going to escape the stress, but they need to know how to channel that into a positive result," Willey said. "Everybody is so distracted, so getting them just to sit down and stop and be present and breathe . . . has seemed to really be helpful and they really like that. I think it's just because they don't do it enough."
 
The mental-health week introduced them to relaxation techniques, the joys of petting dogs or sidelining problems to draw on a sidewalk. SAAC also wants its people to know how to use Wichita State's Counseling Service in Grace Wilkie Hall. Dr. Mark Green spoke to a group in October to discuss how to help teammates deal with stress and how to use the university's resources.
 
"It's getting them to understand that their physical health is just as important as their mental health and they go together," Willey said. "It's been a topic for a while now and they're starting to believe it, that they have to be able to do both and we have the resources to help them."
 
Activities such as yoga and sidewalk art also fit with SAAC's goal to expand its reach and bring the department's teams together. While there are times that a sport-specific program works best, Buck is glad to see programs that help softball meet tennis and basketball mix with track and field. It helps create friendships and helps networking for post-college careers.
 
"When you walk into study hall and the more people you know, that's a more welcoming environment," she said. 
 
Buck learned more about teammates Lauren Mills and Wylie Glover, both freshmen, when they drew on the sidewalks outside Koch Arena.
 
"It was amazing," Buck said. "There are some things you would never know about them until they chalk on the sidewalk one day."
 
For Green's talk, members of track and field, softball, volleyball and men's and women's basketball gathered in the Koch Arena recruiting room. They listened to Green, watched a video that described how best to listen and respond to a friend with a problem. They talked through examples of how to observe and deal with stress in the locker room.
 
"We want to interact sport-to-sport," Stine said. "You want to make a lot of friends."

Women's basketball's Green Game is Nov. 27 vs. Oklahoma State. Men's basketball's Green Game is Feb. 28 vs. Connecticut.
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.