Marysville’s girls soccer team fundraises for mental health awareness

Marysville High School’s girls soccer program has raised more than $4,400 in an effort to assist mental health awareness.

In total, the Lady Monarchs were able to garner $4,445.20 in donations during September that will be going towards Mental Health and Recovery Board of Union County (MHRBUC).

 In a statement, the organization’s board member Jake Fishman and interim director Holly Zweizig accepted the check.

“We are incredibly grateful and inspired by these amazing young women and their generous gift,” Zweizig told the Marysville Journal-Tribune. “We recognize that there continues to be an increase in mental health concerns nationally after the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The interim director added students are often “more at risk” for mental health struggles but “often go unrecognized.”

Marysville’s varsity girls soccer team presents a check to the MHRBUC after a successful fundraising season.

“When students lift up the importance of mental health awareness, the message is amplified among their peers,” Zweizig said. “Congratulations to the MHS Ladies Soccer Team.”

Every season, the Lady Monarchs put in efforts to fund raise for a cause shared by its membership. In previous seasons, they have raised funds dedicated to address breast cancer awareness for the month of October.

According to MHS head coach Courtney Weikart, the seniors organized the Kick for the Cure game in October. However, this year, the team chose to schedule the fund raising game in September due to a lack of home games.

“The seniors decided they wanted to start a new tradition,” Weikart said, adding the funds raised could go towards whatever the team wanted. “This year, they decided on mental health.”

“Not only is mental health super prevalent in this day and age… being a senior, I wanted to switch it up a bit,” MHS’ Leah Brown shared. “I hope this becomes a tradition.”

While raising money, the team displayed a calendar for September with each day amounting to a dollar value, for instance, Sept. 1 amounting to a $1 donation.

The team also sold wrist bands and T-shirts for the cause.

When it comes to sports, institutions such as The Ohio State University have made strides to address the stigmas around mental health struggles when it comes to its athletes.

According to the Wexner Medical Center, common struggles athletes face may include concentration problems, performance anxiety, choking or seasonal slumps.

For decades, athletes have been instructed to develop a mentally-tough mindset. World-class athletes such as Simone Biles put mental health in the spotlight during the 2021 summer Olympic games. 

In Ohio, the state legislature has proposed avenues to try and address mental struggles in athletes.

House Bill 492 looks to require school athletic coaches to undergo mental health training. The legislation, as of June of this year, underwent a motion to reconsider, passed in the House and was introduced to the Senate this year, according to the Ohio Legislature.

The bill’s primary sponsors include Mike Loychik of District 63 and Gail K. Pavliga of District 75. Co-sponsors include Sara P. Carruthers, Mark Fraizer, Diane V. Grendell and Beth Liston.

Weikart said the Lady Monarchs continuously discuss “taking care of yourself” along with mental struggles that come with competing in sports.

“There is so much going on,” Weikart said about the balance of school, life and athletics. “They obviously really care about it… I’m just proud of them.”

“Mental health is super important to me, whether it’s a career path or just going to therapy myself,” Brown said.

The senior Lady Monarch noted the discussion around mental health can be “super uncomfortable” for some.

“In order for people to finally realize that this is an issue, people need to have the uncomfortable conversation,” Brown said. “I think people my age are willing to talk about it.”

According to the Ohio School of Wellness Initiative’s data from 2020-21, 31% of students surveyed shared they experienced anxiety, 24% experienced depression, 25% reported mental health challenges and 16% detailed seriously considering suicide.

In Union County, the statistical data has been experienced at a local level as well.

According to the analysis of the 2021 Ohio Healthy Youth Environments (OHYES!) Union County data, 28.2% of students shared they experienced anxiety, 20% reported experiencing depression, 42.3% reported experiencing psychological distress in the two weeks prior to the survey, 13.8% reported seriously considering attempting suicide and 13% of students shared four or more adverse childhood experiences.