BONUS – Download a Free Copy of this Blog in PDF Format HERE 

To tie in with Bell’s Annual Let’s Talk Day I thought I would share why I believe that we truly need to foster the conversation regarding mental illness and how it is leading to what I feel are totally unacceptable suicide rates for todays youth.

Did you know that suicide is the number 1 cause of death of teenagers ?

Do you know why?

Due to the fact that kids today lack the resiliency of past generations, now more than ever kids today are struggling with everything they have to deal with.

In a 2013 study conducted by the American College Health Association they surveyed close to 100,000 students across 153 campuses in the USA.

At some point over the last 12 months;

• 84.3 percent felt overwhelmed by all they had to do
• 60.5 percent felt very sad
• 57.0 percent felt very lonely
• 51.3 percent felt overwhelming anxiety
• 8.0 percent seriously considered suicide

8% = Approximately 8,000 considered suicide ! As far as I am concerned, One is too many.

The reason that the issue is very personal to me is one of the young players I coached in High School Rugby committed suicide 2 years later on the same day that my son and all his friends were celebrating their high school graduation. The inference is M wanted to send a message to his older classmates (he was in grade 10, 15 years old at the time)

The day after that tragic day I remember talking to my son and he shared that the news went viral on all their forms of social media at the dance making what should have been a moment of true celebration a sombre evening in lieu.

No one truly knows why M took his life at such a young age, but he is not the first that did so in the very same school both my kids attended.

Another was a girl in grade 11 (16 years old), a few years back, who played for the girls rugby team and was found in one of the classrooms by a custodian at the school Monday morning.  The reasons that were shared she took her life, was due to the fact she had been bullied in school and on the rugby team.

Another young girl who was in kids musical theatre group took her life at 15 years old, also rumours (no note) was that she had been bullied in school.

Yet another tragic example, was one of my brothers best friends from high school, although well beyond his high school years, only a few years after getting married and becoming a father took his life in his early 40’s. At his service, they focused on how he was an amazing athlete, still an avid skier and mountain biker and he had run a very successful real estate business so all of us were in shock why.

In every instance, all that we heard were rumours or nothing at all as to why the people took their lives other than references pertaining to mental illness.

When I shared the sad news about the player I had coached to my brother who had lost his really close friend only a couple of years back, he texted me;

“Mental illness is EVIL”

He could not have nailed it on the head any better, both of us have lost people we knew either as friends, coaches and it does not appear to be getting any better any sooner.

This is why I have tweeted and sent out to all social media for everyone to take the time today to support Bell’s Let’s Talk Campaign.

A couple of other initiatives to help those in need I also wish to share;

1. The Personal Sport Record – a new software platform that I believe will be a game changer in terms of how we measure fundamental movement skills as well as core skills in specific sports. One of the features recently added  “Tell Someone”, an anonymous reporting tool for those suffering any form of harassment in sport (bullying, sexual harassment or abuse, hazing) so that it can be dealt with sooner than later to reduce the traumatic affects kids deal with.

For more information on the Personal Sport Record, visit their website www.personalsportrecord.com

2. Please sign up for the Free End Bullying and Stop Abuse Summit starting this coming Monday, February 5^th to hear from several guests (myself included) talking about their personal experiences with bullying and abuse. Two of the USA gymnasts that were victims of Larry Nassar who has been sentenced to 40+ years imprisonment will share their personal stories among many others.

To register for the summit, click on the logo below and it will take you to the registration page.

The fact that it has only been a few weeks since I wrote “Make it Safe 2018” and shared all the other sexual harassment and abuse scandals that had come to light including USA Gymnastics,  Canadian Alpine Skiing, USA Swimming, Penn State Football, UK football among others and stated “ what program is next?”

Are there any other sexual predators that we don’t know about YET ?

Two others have come to light just in the last few weeks since I wrote the article;

Canadian Speed Skating (CSS) – Michael Crowe, Head Coach of CSS has been released only a few weeks before the Olympics and is under investigation for sexual harassment by CSS, but ex US speed skaters have come forward regarding sexual relationships they felt pressured into also

Canadian Gymnastics – to say I was sick to my stomach this morning when I opened the sports section and the rumour I heard while at Sport for life summit last week is in fact true, yet another coach of the Canadian Gymnastics program has been charged with several counts of assault to a minor, Scott McFarlane, 28.

This just over a month since the news that the National Team Director for Gymnastics Canada, Dave Brubaker, faces multiple sex-related charges.

Now more than ever, we all need to work together to bring the game back to the kids … where it belongs.

BONUS – Download a Free Copy of this Blog in PDF Format HERE 

I was at the annual Sport for Life Annual summit this past week, both as a presenter and attendee and had the opportunity to interact with several hundred attendees from 14 countries including Egypt, Caribbean, USA, Canada and others.

I also had the opportunity to sit in on several great presentations including the introduction of Canadian Tire’s expanded program thru Jumpstart, a $50 Million incremental funding to provide inclusive opportunities for youth with disabilities.  The first of many projects already committed to was a playground that has been completed as a result of funding from Jumpstart in my home province, in Nanaimo.

My return flight to Vancouver ironically I sat beside one of the summits Emcee, Olympian and Olympic Badminton coach and we talked about all the various sports initiatives in Canada and worldwide.

At the World LTAD symposium, he made a presentation about the development of LTAD in India and shared some of the pictures of their playgrounds and they literally had no equipment, used water bottle to draw lines and improvised so they could be active which is one of the biggest challenges facing the countries 1.3B people. He and the other Global leaders in attendance shared as a result of India’s development system for their athletes, they have been challenged to win medals at the worlds most prestigious event, the Olympics, winning only 2 in Rio and a total of 28 in the 24 games they have participated in since 1900.

In the last couple of years, however, they have invested significantly in developing various Physical Literacy programs in various states across India so they build from the ground up as a feeder system for their top level programs.

More to follow on both fronts in the weeks to come as I digest all of the notes and screen shots that I took at the various presentations, but on the weekend I had the opportunity to watch NHL Allstar game where they shared insight on the great Willie O’Ree, the first ever black man to play in the NHL as a member of the Boston Bruins who was acknowledged at a recent Bruins game to celebrate the 60 year anniversary.

Below is the video clip when the Boston Bruins shared his story prior to game with their long term rival Montreal Canadiens

“If you think you can, you can. If you think you can’t, you’re right”. Willie O’Ree

Willie is also the long term chair for the NHL’s diversity program, which is now promoting the importance of inclusion for all to play the game of hockey.

#Hockeyisforeveryone

The initiative was one of declarations of principals launched by all the hockey federations world wide, and even received praise from current Pope Francis.

Below are some of the other great pioneers who were the first to break the colour barrier in other professional sports.

Harry Lew was the first professional African-American born player to sign a professional contract, in new England in 1902 approximately 40 years before the NBA was formed.  He played professionally for over 20 years and then became a general manager.

He set the way for the Boston Celtics to the be the first team to draft a black player, Chuck Cooper, in the second round, Earl Lloyd in the ninth and Harold Hunter in the 11^th round of the first draft in 1950.

Had the path not been set by Harry and the first 6 in the NBA in 1950, perhaps we would not have seen the likes of Michael, Kobe and Steph?

Jackie Robinson (#42)

Jackie broke the colour barrier in Major League Baseball when he started at first base for the then then Brooklyn Dodgers (later to be the LA Dodgers) in April 15^th, 1947.

When he was signed, the Dodgers were heralded for ending racial segregation in professional baseball that relegated players to the Negro leagues since the 1880’s.

In 1997, the MLB “universally” retired his infamous 42 jersey number and in April 2004 started their inaugural Jackie Robinson Day where every player on every team wears 42 in tribute of his contributions to permit all those to follow after him.

Kenny Washington

Kenny Washington is the Jackie Robinson of the NFL, in the early inception before the merger in the 60’s, there was an unwritten understanding that would not allow African Americans into the league.  Ironically, Kenny also was a multi-sport athlete and while at UCLA his team mate on the football and baseball teams was none other than Jackie Robinson.

Although his coach felt he was a better baseball player, he pursued playing football professionally for many years and FINALLY was offered an NFL contract years after he graduated from UCLA when he was 28 in 1946.

Like Jackie, he had to endure the name-calling, dirty plays thru his entire career but unlike the MLB and now the NHL, his contributions for overcoming the racial barrier are not widely known.

As now the NHL, NBA, FIFA (Below) and MLB have recognized those that were instrumental in breaking the colour barrier in their sports, Perhaps it’s time for the NFL to do the same?

European Football – Arthur Wharton – Born in 1884 and first ever black man to play professional European football in the early 1990’s.

Arthur was the first to receive a contract to play European Football, rugby union, cricket and the first to run the 100 yards in 10 seconds.  His position, goal, and was infamous for challenging shooters either by hovering at one end of the goal or hanging from the top post to make saves due to his outstanding athleticism.

He now has a commemorative statue in his honour in front of the FA’s offices

All these great men had to deal with a lot of adversity to permit all those that followed to be included in their respective sports.

Although we have made significant inroads globally to ensure that youth sports are inclusive for all, we still have a lot of work to do.

Another area that we need to address, is creating the environment of inclusion for indigenous peoples, I had the opportunity to hear insight from several at the summit of the various challenges we still have as a of today to ensure indigenous people have the same opportunities as others to play at the highest level of their respective sports.

One that I heard speak at a conference Fall 2017 I was also presenting at was Waneek Horn-Miller,  Mohawk member of Kanawake. She shared how she aspired to participate in the Olympics and how her mother ensure that she and her sisters had every opportunity to pursue their dreams.  She started swimming at the age of 7 and went on to lead Canada’s female water polo team to Gold in the Pan am games in 1999, co-captain of the 2000 Olympic team (finished 5^th) and bronze in the 2001 FINA World Championships.

She was a member of the national program for 9 years but was dismissed and Waneek subsequently filed a racism claim that the coaches, players were insensitive towards her aboriginal culture and thru arbitration all parties were required to undergo Aboriginal sensitivity training.

Not only was Waneek a pioneer thru sport, she personally had to overcome extreme adversity at 14 years of age at the Oka camp where her proud people protested development plans for a golf course and condominiums on their ancestral land and on the 78^th day she was stabbed by a soldier’s bayonet as she was carrying her younger sister beyond the fencing that surrounded the camp.

As a result of the protest the federal government agreed to purchase the pines to ensure no development would take place.

We all could learn from the likes of Willie O’Ree, Waneek and all the pioneers who had to overcome various forms of adversity to set the building blocks for others to play professional sports or representing their countries in the Olympics.

They all deserve our thanks, not only for the impact they had in their respective sports, but in their contributions to making the world better overall.

Let’s all work together to bring the game back to the kids …. where it belongs.