Mental health, in many cases, is depicted as one’s emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Mental health affects how people think, feel, act, and how they handle stress. In today’s culture, mental health has taken a front-row seat in youth athletics.
Especially in young athletes, taking care of their minds proves to be of high importance.
Madeline Sazma, one of Prior Lake High School’s Morgan’s Message ambassadors, said, “It’s important to talk about mental health because many people don’t know the first steps to approach it or all of the tips and tricks to help their mental health.”
So, what exactly is Morgan’s Message? Morgan Rodgers, a Duke University women’s lacrosse player, was the inspiration behind Morgan’s Message. Morgan was only 22 years old when she died by suicide on July 11, 2019. After her tragic death, Morgan’s Message was born.
Morgan’s Message is a non-profit that strives to amplify stories, resources, and expertise to strengthen student-athlete mental health. Through ambassador programs at high schools and colleges, a podcast, and social media, the team at Morgan’s Message builds a community by and for athletes through peer-to-peer conversations and provides a platform for advocacy.
The ambassador program has grown immensely throughout high schools in Minnesota, and three young female athletes decided to bring this program to Prior Lake.
Madeline Sazma, Tali Baldzicki, and Madeline Malmberg are the Morgan’s Message program leaders at Prior Lake High School.
“I saw it as an opportunity to grow unity and build a community within my school that supports each other no matter what,” Sazma said.
When becoming ambassadors, these girls took on the role of advocates for student-athlete mental health on the PLHS campus.
One of Morgan’s Message’s biggest goals is ending the stigma around the words ‘mental health.’ Especially after COVID-19, recognizing the significance of a healthy mind is extremely important.
The PLHS group meets every other Tuesday to talk about different topics pertaining to keeping mental health strong and how to improve it each day.
Tali Baldzicki, PLHS junior and Morgan’s Message ambassador, said, “We stress to equalize the treatment of physical and mental health and to end the stigma around mental health.”
The balancing act of athletics, academics, and mental health is also a topic the three ambassadors enjoy focusing on.
“Good time management and setting time away for myself to decompress is what I find the most beneficial,” Sazma said.
The benefits of bringing Morgan’s Message to Prior Lake High School are indescribable as well.
Heather Pierson, head coach of Prior Lake Girls’ Lacrosse and the Morgan’s Message advisor said, “Being able to discuss, open up, and go through the highs and lows of a season or life in general as an athlete is important.”
Having many young athletes in a shared safe space where they can all come together and support each other is a blessing we have at Prior Lake High School.
By bringing more light to mental health in the Prior Lake High School community, it will also hopefully spread to the youth of our communities as well.
“It helps the players learn about the importance of mental health and how to strengthen theirs,” Baldzicki said.
Being an active participant in mental health training teaches us that we are more alike than different.
“Almost everyone, if not everyone, deals with some variation of mental health, and learning the best ways for you is what I’m truly passionate about,” Sazma said.
