Mental health mission for Tralee students

A GROUP of students from Mercy Mounthawk are on a mission to help promote the importance of positive mental health in sport, with a particular focus being put on helping to develop support plans for injured players and those struggling to cope with retirement.

TY students Alex O’Shea, Seamus Harty and Deirdre O’Halloran are part of 12-strong group of students from the school who have developed the ‘Sport Your Mind’ campaign, which they hope will dispel the stigma that exists in sport regarding speaking about one’s mental health.

“In all types of sports and clubs, there is a physio who helps to look after your physical fitness. Usually though, there is no system or person in place to help players to stay mentally fit,” said Alex.

“You can go down to your team or dressing room and tell them that your hamstring is acting up and you’ll be looked after by a physio straight away. The problem that still exists however, with regards to mental health, is that there is an embarrassment around the idea of a player walking in and saying that they need to talk. We want to change that,” Alex added

“A sudden injury, forced retirement or loss of a cup final, these can all be isolating and challenging obstacles for sports people to handle. They are suddenly unable to take part in activities that had previously been their emotional outlet and release. It can be a very hard time for many athletes if they do not have these mental health supports in place,” said the students.

The group, who are keen to stress that their campaign will encompass all sports and not just the GAA, are currently organising a number of fundraising events.

They hope that the events, including an all-sports day, a five mile run from their school, a dodgeball tournament and an obstacle course style event, will help to show people the many challenges that can be overcome if they put their mind to it.

Mercy Mounthawk students Alex O’Shea, Deirdre O’Halloran and Seamus Harty, along with their classmates, launched a new mental campaign entitled ‘Sport Your Mind’.