NEWPORT NEWS, VA. – Collegiate student-athletes have been adjusting to the "new normal" of social distancing, shelter-in-place and online classes and exams with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the closure of college campuses across the nation.
The Atlantic 10 Conference is addressing these uncertain times with the A-10 Stronger Together Discussion Series, a collaborative league-wide mental health initiative that features health care professionals, clinicians or subject matter experts from all 14 A-10 schools.
"Our student-athletes are incredible young adults who have demonstrated a resilient spirit. However, this COVID-19 pandemic has created a stressful environment, elevating the anxiety level felt by student-athletes, coaches and staff. The concept of pooling our collective resources, professional expertise in the area of wellness, mental health and virtual learning is a cutting edge approach to reach our students," stated Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade. "I am grateful for the collective effort presented by A-10 credentialed professionals, health practitioners, professors and my staff for coordinating this webinar series and launching so quickly!"
The A-10 Student-Athlete Welfare Committee, chaired by Tim Kenney, Director of Athletics at St. Bonaventure University, helped conceptualize the discussion series to support or supplement the access to mental health-related services and resources. The committee is comprised of representatives from each of the 14 institutions.
"The health and welfare of student-athletes continues to be the No. 1 priority in the A-10, and not having them on our campuses presents new challenges," said Kenney. "We're all using technology to host meetings and by taking advantage of these virtual platforms we are able to provide meaningful discussions to address our student-athletes' concerns."
The first discussion, "Coping with Change", featured Dr. Derek Vigon, who serves as the Coordinator of Sport Psychology for George Mason University's Counseling and Psychological Services and Intercollegiate Athletics Department. The weekly discussions are open to student-athletes from the 14 A-10 member institutions. This week the conversation addressed coping strategies for dealing with focused attention during a crisis, and was presented by Dr. Rebecca Cook of the University of Dayton and Dr. Trisha Nash of The George Washington University on Thursday, April 30 at 7 p.m. The archive link is below.
Upcoming presentations include:
ARCHIVED PRESENTATIONS (click link below to view)
- April 23 – Coping With Change (Dr. Derek Vigon, George Mason University)
- April 30 - Creating Focused Attention During a Crisis: A Coping Strategy
(Dr. Rebecca Cook, University of Dayton; Dr. Trisha Nash, George Washington University)
- May 7 – 7-7:30 pm - Finding Closure While Coping with Grief & Loss (Dr. Rachel Turk, University of Richmond)
- May 7 - 7:30 – 8 pm - Senior Transitions (Dr. Michael Ross, and Jordan Collins, Saint Louis University)
- May 14 – Dealing with Uncertainty (Dr. Nicole Gabana, University of Massachusetts)
- May 21 - Responsibility and Resiliency: Coping as a Community (Laura Cilia, La Salle University)
- May 28 – Real Talk: An Open Discussion with Dr. Jeffrey Ng and Susannah Smedresman (Fordham University)
- June 4 - Food for Mood with Elizabeth Allred (Davidson College)
- June 11 - Confidence, Humility & Resiliency presented by Chris Clunie, Davidson College