Session 5 | Closing Remarks

Jennifer Royer: I would like to echo Kara’s gratitude. Today has been phenomenal. It seems like a year ago that we started this morning. It’s been that full of great conversation and information and resources that hopefully loop us all into the same pathway forward.

Last night at the reception, and then today in the back of this room, if you’re here in person, we had a place where you could vote for the things that were most stressful to you. We had taken those ideas from feedback we got from coaches ahead of the event. Pressure to win, no time for self, pressure from athletes or athlete families, and time away from home were the top four that we received in advance of this symposium. What is both encouraging and also disheartening is that all four of those received very similar levels of votes. I think that speaks to the fact that this is a complex issue. There’s not one single solution. There’s not one person, or resource, or tool, or mindset shift that can make this okay. We know this is a big issue. We know that this is a daunting challenge.

But what I think we heard today, what I certainly took away from today, is that sports history, just like this, is full of great upsets, and the time for that is now. We have arrived at a place where it’s okay to be brave enough to believe in something better. To know better, to educate ourselves so that we know better and we do better. Because that dreaming audaciously and facing a big foe is the moment at which something magical can happen where you can invest in yourself in a way that impacts hundreds upon thousands upon hopefully millions of the next generation of athletes. It starts here, it starts here, it starts here.

Thank you to Kara. Thank you for all of our talented experts for their gift today. One of the things that one of you put on the back wall, on that words of wisdom wall that we ask you to tell what’s working for you, and it was, “Next best action.” What’s the next thing you can do that’s in your control to put you in a better position? I think we heard that over and over and over again today. It’s not binary thinking, it’s not this or that. It’s this, and. What’s the next little thing? Today was a little thing. In the grand scheme of things, it was one day. But this one day can be the thing that drives you to the next best thing, and you’re not alone. You have a room full of people who are like-minded. You have communities who are joining us virtually, who are like-minded. You have resources. The US Olympic and Paralympic Group brought with us national mental health resources. There are handouts in the back. Access those resources. Check out TrueSport.org.

We believe that this problem requires the solution of many. It can’t be one organization. It can’t be one team. We know we’re all a part of a solution. So please, the challenge coming out of this is to not be alone. Don’t be the island. Reach out. Lean into each other. Lean into the resources that are out there.

And we have left you a little queue. I had to check with Dr. Kevin Chapman because I blanked out on the term. If you’re a visual person, if you’re somebody who likes a little mental queue, we’ve given you all pennants. And they’re cute and they’re fun, and we love good swag, so we bought them. But this is a visual queue for you. Please take this with you, put it in your office, throw it in your car, throw it in your gym bag, whatever you happen to have around, so that whatever you take away from today … And I want you to take a quick second and think about it. If you had to pick one thing from today, what is the one thing that you’re going to come back to over and over again? And I want you to get that in your head right now. And every time you see this visual queue, I want you to be drawn back to that. That one action item, that next best thing. What is your next step? Because we’re inviting you to take that next step with us because sport deserves it, our next generation deserves it, you deserve it.

Thank you for investing in today, for investing in athletes, and for investing in us. We appreciate you. Have a wonderful afternoon. Thank you. Don’t forget your snack.