Continuing the conversation

Last week, within an on-campus study dealing with athletics and body image, a good friend of mine shared Hannah Halvorsen's Breaking the Silence video (it's now up on FasterSkier.com too). While certainly appropriate for the study's discussion, the video really, really resonated with me. I have to say that it is powerful to see your fellow teammates, role models and worldwide competitors sharing their own challenges and ways in which they seek peace with themselves and their quest for athletic achievement. As a far too prevalent yet hardly talked about issue, I admire Hannah's simple, yet thoughtful, approach to raising awareness on the subject. If anything, now that it has "broken the silence" it gives friends, teams, programs, etc. a common ground from which to start a conversation, which is usually the most difficult part.  

Earlier this year, we used this podcast to jump start a similar conversation within the women's cross country team. The podcast, mediated by Julia Hanlon, features professional runner, Lauren Fleshman, and clinical psychologist, Dr. Melody Moore. Again it hits hard. Lauren speaks freely about her own experiences, while Dr. Moore offers tools and resources with which to begin to combat the issue. However, once again, part of the power of the podcast ended up being it's ability to act as common ground for us (runners and coaches) to build from.


Personally, I have found it freeing to talk more openly about this topic. Whether hypothetically, voicing my own insecurities, or trying my best to support a teammate or friend, I have no doubt that a continued discussion is at least part of the answer. While Hannah's video was limited to female athletes and the cross country team's discussion was limited to the women's team, I also caution the idea that this is solely a female-specific issue. Everyone is susceptible and everyone is part of the answer. We really have a great opportunity to continue the conversation and support one another within the Williams Ski Team, and the greater nordic community.

I'll leave you with my favorite quote mentioned in the podcast above: "Comparison is the thief of joy."

Hannah

PS: It SNOWED yesterday. That's exciting.