The Hidden Opponent

🏀🎙️ ICYMI! Catch one of our most popular podcast episodes! Jason Dane, a health and PE teacher, and Mike Zito, a licensed psychologist, join Duncan Young and Laine Whitaker, MSL to dive into the evolution of youth sports. They discuss the intense pressures faced by student athletes and share effective strategies to navigate these challenges. Don't miss out on their insights! #youthsports #youthmentalhealth #sportschallenges Tune in here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eayjMYgt

Still haven’t quite been able to find the words to describe what it meant to represent The Hidden Opponent at the Athlete Activism Summit in Louisville, Kentucky in June. I am incredible humbled and honored to have had this opportunity and am deeply thankful for the relationships I built and the growth that occurred over the 4 day summit. Sports have the power to change lives!

An amazing experience shared with others at the Athlete Activism Summit, hosted by Athlete Ally! It was great to represent The Hidden Opponent at the conference and support the goals of a safer, more inclusive sport culture for LGBTQ+ athletes through advocacy and allyship. The entire weekend, start to finish, was a blast. Green team CRUSHED it on the Day of Play, too! Thanks to everyone who made the weekend so fantastic!

More than 20 years ago, a little girl fell in love with soccer. At 4 years old, she didn’t know she was making a decision that would change her life for the better. Soccer gave me so many unbelievable opportunities and memories - from playing with my best friends to traveling the world - it was an unforgettable journey. Though I don’t play competitively anymore, I knew I still wanted to be involved with soccer and student-athletes. I learned so much about myself and the world as a student-athlete that I feel it’s important to share those lessons. I’m eager to share two upcoming opportunities: - I’ve been named a Head Campus Captain for The Hidden Opponent! I’m super excited for my 3rd year with this organization, taking on a new role to continue to pave the way in ensuring student-athletes across the board have access to equitable mental health resources. - I am also a mentor for Better Together, a supportive community among athletes in all stages of their career that focuses on relationship building to build connection. This is a wonderful chance to live out my mantra of being who you needed when you were younger. Super grateful for both of these organizations for taking a chance on me and offering me an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of student-athletes.

From her first USTA tournament in middle school through college varsity tennis, Project HEAL Blog Manager Tara Criscuolo's self-identity became intertwined with her performance on the court. While she had natural athleticism and learned skill, Tara's untreated anxiety disorder quickly became an unanticipated and devastating hidden opponent. Check out Tara's blog published in collaboration with our friends at The Hidden Opponent: at https://lnkd.in/g8CdASRE

Are you a student-athlete who attends school in Pennsylvania, Arizona, North Carolina, or Michigan? Are you passionate about serving your campus community and the importance of voter education? Look no further than the Civic Captain program! From August to November 2024 you'll be empowered with the tools to leverage your student athlete influence for civic causes like All Vote No Play Day. Learn more by visiting theteam.org/civic-captain. *** This role comes with a $2,000 stipend ***

What a gift it was to learn and laugh and love with Athlete Ally this past June at their Athlete Activism Summit in Louisville, KY 🌈 Thank you to our incredible partners at adidas for allowing The Hidden Opponent to play a part in this special weekend. We presented to 200+ NCAA student-athletes and athletic administrators, who are committed to making sport a more inclusive and safe space for all. Dancing in the rain with this group will forever be a core memory —the absolute purest joy 💚 Through sport, we have the power to change lives. 🙌 #athleteactivismsummit #thehiddenopponent #athleteally #adidas

A few more days left to apply! Join us in the 5th year of our educational ambassadorship program, the Campus Captains program. Over the last four years, we’ve had over 1,500 high school and college student-athletes from over 700 unique locations. Are you up next? ➡️

📣 TODAY IS THE DAY — join us in the 5th year of our educational ambassadorship program, the Campus Captains program. Over the last four years, we’ve had over 1,500 high school and college student-athletes from over 700 unique locations. Are you up next? ➡️ Campus Captains represent The Hidden Opponent’s mission on their school’s campus. They receive individualized mentorship and coaching through their advocacy work, and gain first access to our monthly events and educational resources. Throughout, they develop real world, professional skills and make deep and lasting connections with other like-minded student-athletes across the world. 🔗 Applications are OPEN NOW https://lnkd.in/ex6CQwfA Questions? See our FAQs, then reach out to us at admin@thehiddenopponent.org https://lnkd.in/eXqGHmJW WE CAN’T WAIT TO MEET YOU. TOGETHER, WE FACE THE HIDDEN OPPONENT 💚 #thehiddenopponent #togetherweface #campuscaptains

MEET MEMBERS OF THE HIDDEN OPPONENT AT THIS BOOK LAUNCH EVENT NEXT WEEK IN NYC 📚 🏙 Please join us at New York Road Runners for a special event with the authors of the new book, The Price She Pays: Confronting the Hidden Mental Health Crisis in Women's Sports―from the Schoolyard to the Stadium, written by Katie Steele and Dr. Tiffany Brown, with journalist Erin Strout. Books will be available for purchase and an author signing will follow the panel discussion. Date: Tuesday, June 18, 2024 Time: 6:00pm Location: NYRR RUNCENTER, 320 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019 Let’s Talk Female Athlete Mental Wellbeing with the Authors of The Price She Pays: Confronting the Hidden Mental Health Crisis in Women’s Sports—from the Schoolyard to the Stadium. Two experts in mental health are here to offer parents, coaches, and participants advice and support to help female athletes thrive in whatever sport they choose, at whatever level they compete. Katie Steele, LMFT, and Tiffany Brown, Ph.D., LMFT, are the authors of the newly released book The Price She Pays: Confronting the Hidden Mental Health Crisis in Women’s Sports—from the Schoolyard to the Stadium. Through first-hand accounts, research, and reporting, the book explores some of the biggest challenges that girls and women experience in pursuit of excellence in sports—including body image and eating disorders, depression and anxiety, mistreatment and abuse, and more. They’ll talk about where current sports systems go wrong and how we can correct course to ensure better experiences for girls and women at all stages of competition. This conversation and book launch celebration will be introduced by Erin Strout, journalist and co-author of The Price She Pays, and moderated by Christine Yu, journalist and author of Up to Speed: The Groundbreaking Science of Women Athletes. https://lnkd.in/ezCmYH28