The track team has shown support for the mental health of athletes in remembrance of a fallen Dover Eagle on Wednesday, May 1.

Senior Jamari Robb was a member of the Dover Eagles track team whose life was lost too soon. Schools are coming together to honor his remembrance and the importance of mental health. Community members set up a GoFundMe to help support his family and raised over $12,200 of a $30,000 goal on the first day.

Parents in the Dover area designed t-shirts for athletes to wear at sporting events, which the Susquehannock track athletes took part in.

Mental health in sports is very important for senior Robert Rosul and offers an outlet to relax after a day of stress. 

“Mental health in sports to me means offering an outlet to relax and take off the day’s stress through exercising with friends,” Rosul said. “It also builds self-esteem and confidence through feeling accomplished after a tough workout.”

Senior Jada Stoneberg believes that over the years society has prioritized mental health not only with athletes but also in everyday life.

“I think that it has become a more known subject, and people now pay more close attention to it,” Stoneberg said.

Rosul knows how to balance mental health while also staying focused during track. 

“It’s important to not dwell on a bad race, but instead, learn from it,”  Rosul said. “For instance, you can think about what caused your poor performance (bad sleep, for instance) and take steps to improve for next time. In track, you have multiple races in one day, so if one of them goes poorly, you have to just dust it off and think positively for your next race. There have been several times in track where I didn’t run very well during the mile, but then did great in the two mile an hour or two later.” 

According to Dr. Monica Sainz via American Public University, the father and coach of Serena and Venus Williams believes that the sport is 70% mental. 

“Generally, athletes can self-identify that they have mental health concerns because they may be dealing with the emotions surrounding a physical injury, depression, or anxiety,” said Sainz in the piece. 

Freshman Logan Trimble understands what mental sports means to him.

“For me, it means leaving some of the stresses from the day and getting to do an activity that you love,” Trimble said. “Mental health in sports is also how to navigate the ups and downs of a sports team and how to deal with the wins and the losses.”