Softball dedicates weekend
to youth mental health
IT HAS BEEN proven time and time again that the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees are more than just athletes. The women’s softball team is a competitive club who has dedicated their Sept. 16–18 games to the Do it for Daron (DIFD) organization. The DIFD was founded after Daron Richardson, a 14-year-old girl from Ottawa, took her life last November. The goal of this city-wide organization is to raise awareness and remove the stigma associated with mental illness in youth.
The team, geared up in purple (Richardson’s favourite colour), played three doubleheaders that weekend. The doubleheader Friday resulted in two wins against the Carleton Ravens—the second being a 17-1 win—while the Saturday and Sunday games consisted of split scores with the Gees winning and losing a game to Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo, respectively.
With a team made entirely of first- and second-year students, head coach Scott Searle noted this weekend was the highlight of the season so far.
“We got off to a slow start last week against Western. Western is the defending champion from last year so it’s tough,” he said. “We also have a very new team … Which is awesome for the future, but this year will be a learning curve.”
Taylor Rogalsky, a second-year third baser, agreed this past weekend marked their best games yet.
“Our games went pretty well. Friday we blew Carleton out of the water, Saturday we struggled quite a bit, then Sunday it was like we were a whole new team. We were more energetic and excited to be there. We are coming together—getting better and better everyday,” she said.
The DIFD dedication was meant to recognize and raise awareness of the statistics related to mental illness: One in five youth are affected by mental illness, while only one in six of those affected actually receive treatment. Suicide is among the leading causes of death in 15–24-year-olds in Canada. Searle, a high-school teacher himself, was greatly influenced by this campaign and decided to take up the cause.
“I think it’s one of the biggest tragedies in society, and I think a lot of people, increasingly students, are being affected by mental health. It’s one of those things that isn’t talked about very often. [With] the suicide last year in Ottawa, we just wanted to raise awareness of that and make sure more people are talking about [it],” explained Searle.
Andrea Nelson, second-year shortstop, felt the dedication made an important impact on the team, noting that everyone was able to relate to the issue of mental health in some way or another.
“The importance of mental health is universal, and although many girls on our team are studying psychology, the importance of mental health, especially in youth, is still just as relevant to players studying education or physical activity and health for example,” she explained.
The team also participated in a clinic called Bridge to the Future for younger athletes, where the Gees talked about mental health while teaching the kids fundamental baseball skills, helping them improve their hitting, bunting, and throwing. The women’s softball team hopes this weekend made an impact on the DIFD organization, as it has had an impact on them.
“Our head coach Searle is a passionate supporter of DIFD,” added Nelson. “We adopted it as our own, and we are very honoured to have done so.”
—Katherine DeClerq
