I have been more intentional about focusing on the intersection of sports and mental health in this column. As someone who is enthusiastic about sports and has worked closely with athletes at all levels, I have seen firsthand how competing in sports benefits the mental health of athletes.
Sports have been proven to help moderate mood, manage stress and prevent mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression.
A subgroup of student-athletes I have been paying closer attention to is middle schoolers.
In the past, college and professional-level scouts would not begin evaluating talented athletes until they reached high school. However, over the past few years that has changed significantly. Student-athletes as young as 11 and 12 are receiving college offers as well as opportunities to compete in professional leagues and academies.
I often wonder: How do student-athletes this young manage to balance their mental health despite the pressure and time commitment required to excel?
Kylen Lewis Jr., 11, is considered a soccer phenom by many people in Las Vegas. Last spring, he accepted a fully funded, six-year residential scholarship from San Diego FC’s Right 2 Dream Academy, and in August, he moved away from his family to San Diego.
The adjustment
Most parents would agree that sending their 17- or 18-year-old to college is an emotional endeavor. But how about if your child is only 11?
Lewis’ parents, Kylen Sr. and Jennifer, have four children between the ages of 7 and 14.
“When Junior was blessed with the opportunity to be selected for the academy, I was happy for him,” Kylen Lewis Sr. says. “However, the hardest part has been not being able to provide him 110 percent support over the phone. But he knows that if he ever wanted to come home or stop playing soccer that his mom and I would fully support him.”
Unconditional support is important, and finding ways to maintain it from a distance is not easy. The Lewis family has used creative ways not only to be supportive, but to remain connected.
“I am still adjusting to the surreal opportunity that Junior has,” Jennifer Lewis says. “I have moments where I miss him deeply, and I get stressed when he does not call me. I send him daily words of encouragement, and we try to visit him as often as possible, which helps us stay connected.”
Despite the immense amount of support, Kylen Jr. naturally misses being home with his family.
“Being away from my family and my siblings has been hard,” he says. “I miss going to school and training sessions with them, so I try to make the most of our time together when I come home to visit.”
A solid foundation
The Lewises’ Christian faith is one element of their foundation. Another core ingredient is work ethic.
“I try not to set too high of a standard for my children because they are all still incredibly young,” Kylen Sr. says. “But their successes at such young ages begin with the standard they have set for themselves through my wife and I. Not only do they excel on the soccer field, but they all excel in the classroom.”
Kylen and Jennifer are both highly successful in their respective fields of employment.
Paying dividends
The Right 2 Dream Academy understands that the mind is just as important as the body and that what happens off the field is more important than what occurs on it, which is critical for younger student-athletes.
Jennifer says she noticed Kylen Jr.’s growth immediately after he was away from home for several weeks. He has participated in community engagement opportunities such as food drives for the underprivileged, sponsored by the academy.
“Junior’s growth and level of maturity have been immense, but the gratitude he now has for every opportunity he is provided is now through the roof,” she says.
After meeting with Kylen Jr., I asked him the question I originally posed: How does a student-athlete his age balance mental health despite the pressure and time commitment required to excel?
“We have a program called mind flow, which are these daily sessions where one of our coaches teaches us how to control our mind so that we are calm during high-pressure moments on and off the field,” he shares. “To be the best, I must learn how to slow down, and that includes slowing down my mind.”
Sheldon Jacobs, Psy.D., LMFT, is a licensed mental health professional based in Las Vegas. Contact him at drjacobs10@hotmail.com.