Less than 24 hours before your team’s biggest series of the season started, Patty Gasso retired to a quiet room in her home and clicked to open a Zoom link.
I wasn’t discussing strategy with the attendees or watching videos of the opponents.
She was serving as a panelist on mental health in athletics
Dubbed “Coaches + Mental Health: Creating Mentally Healthy Spaces in College Athletics,” Wednesday night’s webinar was hosted by OU. It was moderated by people from the psychological resources office of the athletic department.
But he was spurred on by Gasso.
“They have shaken me”, the american softball said the coach. “I’ve been in shock, thinking, ‘What if I was the coach on the other side? What could I do for that coach? They need help? Are they getting help?
“There are a lot of questions I have.”
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As many have become obsessed with what has been happening inside the lines at Marita Hynes Field during the Bedlam series, many in the college softball world are focusing on what is going on in the hearts and minds of players around the world. the country. The Suicide of James Madison receiver Lauren Bernett has shaken the sport. Last season, she was part of the Dukes’ magical run to the Women’s College World Series, catching for breakout star Odicci Alexanderbut this season, Bernett was having her own breakout.
On Sunday, April 24, he wrapped up a monster weekend, going 4-for-4 with a home run and two doubles in the series finale against Drexel. She hit .778 and drove in seven runs during the three-game series.
On Monday, April 25, she was named Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week.
On Tuesday, April 26, he left.
His last at-bat was a home run.
“Really sad,” OSU coach Kenny Gajewski said earlier this week as tears welled up in his eyes. “It’s sad because it’s become quite normal. That’s the sad part.”
Bernett is the third female Division I athlete to commit suicide in less than two months. she was first Stanford soccer goalkeeper Katie Meyer On March 1. then came Wisconsin runner Sarah Shulze on April 13. So Bernett.
Will she be the last?
We hope so, but sadly, the evidence suggests that it probably won’t. Data on campus suicides is hard to come by. However, the Jed Foundation, a national nonprofit organization that works to prevent suicide and improve the emotional health of young people, indicates that mental health challenges have grown steadily among college students over the past five years.
College athletes are not immune.
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Frankly, their mental health issues may be exacerbated because they are athletes.
“I think these student-athletes are pushed and pushed,” Gasso said, “and they have a lot of plates spinning and they’re trying to balance everything.”
That was something Gasso knew before the events of the last few weeks, but after Bernett’s suicide, he asked OU psychologist Dolores Christensen to meet with the team. She led the Sooners in an activity where they broke into small groups and shared how they felt.
Christensen then asked if any of the players wanted to share with everyone.
A particular feeling hit Gasso hard.
“Sometimes, I feel like I can’t breathe.”
That made Gasso think about the day-to-day life of his players. Awake. Elaborate. Eat breakfast. Maybe. Go to class. Have lunch. Maybe. Go practice. Look at the video. Enter the field. Practice for three hours. Go to a night class or work on homework.
“And it’s just over and over and over and over,” Gasso said. “As much as they’re trying to do all the right things, as coaches, we think we are, too, ‘This is how you win.'”
But as he listened to his players talk during Christensen’s session with them, Gasso took notice.
“That’s not how you win,” he thought. “We have to find better ways of doing things.”
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Last weekend, Gasso asked players to write letters to their parents and guardians expressing what those adults mean to them. But with the Sooners on their final road trip of the regular season, Gasso also wanted there to be some fun for the seniors and super seniors.
“They’re playing games, and they’re laughing, and they’re laughing so hard that security is coming into the room,” Gasso said.
She smiled.
“It was fun to see them having fun, not related to softball. They have fun winning, they love winning, but it was fun to see them have fun in another space. … It just filled my heart, and I know I have to do more things to make this more humanized than robotic.”
Gajewski strives for that too. The Cowgirls trainer has an open door policy 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
“My phone never goes off,” he said.
But he doesn’t wait for the players to approach him. Gajewski is proactive in his interaction and communication with players. Connecting with his players is one of the things he likes most about coaching, which is why he’s always criticizing them, as he calls it.
“I think they get frustrated early,” he said. “When I criticize you about your love life or your family or school or whatever, it’s not me trying to be in your business any more than you want me. I want to know, when things don’t look good, what does that look like?
Like Gasso, Gajewski asked one of the athletic department psychologists to speak with his team recently. Trevor Richardson met up with the Cowgirls earlier this week after they returned from a road trip at Florida State.
Your message?
“We’re not alone,” OSU outfielder Chyenne Factor said. “Communicate with anyone.”
Personal care is also crucial.
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Factor finds time to just sit on his couch and relax for a bit every day during the season. OU second baseman Tiare Jennings takes long walks with the windows down and the music loud.
“I think it’s just finding joy in the little things,” OSU star Kelly Maxwell said. “We don’t have a lot of time throughout the day… but we can celebrate the happy things and the little things.”
A lot of times, that has nothing to do with softball.
Find a good place to park on campus.
See your roommate has done the dishes.
But sometimes players get to the point where even that doesn’t move the needle. His mental health is poor and his outlook is bleak. They need professional help. They require an intervention.
That might be something a coach can’t provide, but a coach can step in if they know how.
That’s why Gasso wanted to do that webinar on Wednesday night. Yes, this was a great week for her and hers Sooners. Sure, she could have left those matters to another coach or at another time.
But she felt called to act.
“It is extremely heartbreaking and alarming to see what is happening across the country,” he said. “He’s just crying out for help.”
Gasso hopes that she is doing her best to respond.
We have to hope that everyone in athletics is.
Jenni Carlson: Jenni can be reached at 405-475-4125 or [email protected]. Like her on facebook.com/JenniCarlsonOK, follow her on twitter.com/jennicarlson_ok and support her and other Oklahoma journalists’ work by purchasing a digital subscription today.
Need help?
If you or someone you know is experiencing emotional distress or a suicidal crisis, call the US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline any time of the day or night at (800) 273-TALK (8255). Other resources include:
► Crisis Text Line provides free and confidential support 24 hours a day. Text HOME to 741741.
► The National Alliance on Mental Illness provides information and resources. Call (800) 950-NAMI (6264), 9 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday, or email [email protected].
