SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Only two teams claim the Summit League title, thus punching their ticket into the NCAA Tournament. The league has partnered with JLG Architects & Sanford Health on a project to provide a mental health room for athletes, coaches, and team-personnel to use.
Sanford Health sports psychologist Dr. Josefine Combs says athletes at events as high level as the Summit League tournament maybe dealing with a busy mind dealing with a range things on and off the court.
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“When there’s a lot of internal noise like my thoughts go really fast, I’m kind of trying to anticipate trying to plan or even just past games, something that might not have went as planned that can stick with me, can kind of keep my my thoughts ruminating and circling about the same thing,” Sanford Health neuropsychologist & sports psychologist Dr. Josefine Combs said.
The Zen Zone room located at the Holiday Inn City Center provides athletes with a calming break space and sensory-stimulating experience to help deal with the stressors that may come with the Summit League Tournament.
“We have a variety of tools and experiences that help them with that. So we have like worry stones, fidget spinners, as well as intentional tools that they can utilize. Positive affirmations, pens, workbooks,” Sanford Health Lead Program Development Specialist Brittney Nathan said.
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The athletes can take workbooks with them to further their practice.
“So it covers stress, anxiety, stigma and then through it, each user gets to learn a little bit about the topic at hand, and then it’s intentional coping strategies and activities to help them,” Nathan said.
Sanford Health even created playlists for the athletes.
“Music playlists curated just for them to help motivate them, to help them with some mindfulness. And we even have a YouTube playlist filled with body scans, progressive muscle relaxation opportunities,” Nathan said.
And how the Zen Zone may help…
“So having that space can help tap into healthy coping mechanisms to deal with those kind of stressors in a in a busy mind,” Dr. Combs said.
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Some may be wondering why the Holiday Inn instead of the Denny Sanford Premier Center.
“We wanted to meet them in that relaxing space in their natural home for the week. So after a meal, before a game, they can come in here, build up, get ready for what they need to do, and then take it over to the court,” Nathan said.
“We’re once removed because we’re not on a campus and so we need to be unique in how we can activate, and think and engage student athletes in and around their mental health and well-being because it’s important,” Summit League Commissioner Josh Fenton said.
JLG Architects’ efforts to support the mental health of student athletes began during last year’s Summit League.
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“They reached out to us and said we deal with a lot of student athletes, dealing with not only of the pressures of being an athlete, but also being a student and how that comes together. Is there something we could do to think outside the box on creating mental health focused spaces at our tournament venues,” JLG Principal Architect, Healthcare Studio Leader Todd Medd said.
This year Sanford Health’s Sioux Falls team joined the project to further amplify the impact of the private room.
“Stanford is a client of ours so we work a lot with them. We do a lot with trauma informed design. We do a lot of evidence based design as architects in the healthcare space and in the mental health space. So we brought all of that information to bear in how we designed the space,” Medd said.
“These athletes are working so hard to get to this moment and there’s so much excitement, but there’s also a lot of stressors. This is a pivotal journey in their athletic career, so we are happy to step in and provide them with tools and guidance,” Nathan said,
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And the conversation doesn’t stop at events like the Summit League tournament because mental health is just as important as physical health in order to perform well.
“It is very acceptable to do an ice bath after hard workout or to get a massage or to do stretches. It should become just as normal to take care of your mental health, to take care of the mental stress and strain that comes with high performance,” Dr. Combs said.
For resources to help connect athletes with mental health professionals in the community, you can visit the following links:
The Helpline Center
Sanford Sports: Mental Performance Training
Sanford Health neuropsychologists & sports psychologist Dr. Josefine Combs
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