Golden Gopher sophomore student-athletes from across sports gathered for a day of programming at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday, April 10. During the Sophomore Summit, the L.I.N.K. staff facilitated programming surrounding career exploration, networking, and leadership development with an emphasis on teamwork.

The L.I.N.K. staff was highly impressed by the student-athletes’ level of engagement and the rich conversation around the programming. Emily Reinert, Director of Student-Athlete Development shed light on the value of this in-person programming by stating, “It was so great to see student-athletes from a variety of programs gathered together in a way that hasn’t been possible during the last two years.”

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The past two years have been nothing short of challenging for athletes, coaches, and those in sport. As the world seemingly came to a standstill in spring of 2020, athletes and coaches grappled with the unknowns regarding their season plans. Sport psychology providers saw heightened levels of stress, anxiety, and depression for athletes and coaches alike. As a sport psychology consulting firm committed to understanding the intersection of performance and wellness, our team wanted to give athletes everything they needed to be at their best—both mentally and physically. In the fall of 2020 we launched a research project to answer one important question: What are the actions, thoughts, and feelings that athletes need to optimize mental health and performance?

As the sports world tries to find its rhythm once again, our team at Premier Sport Psychology is excited to share our research findings. Our findings stem from an online brainstorming, sorting, and rating process with athletes, coaches, and sport performance professionals. All participants were known for their expertise in athlete wellness and performance. The research revealed five key areas that are integral to both wellness and performance for athletes of all levels: Growth Mindset, Performance Mindset, Team Support, Physical Wellness, and Mental Wellness. We now sit on a new model for athlete wellness and performance, which we want to spread far and wide. Below we outline each key area, explain why it is important, and share ideas on how coaches can weave this into their work for their next athletic season.

Read full post at University of Minnesota’s Women Coaches Symposium website.

Anne Doepner knows what it’s like to be the only woman in the room. For the first 13 years of her career working for the Minnesota Vikings, that was her day-to-day.

“I found myself in an underrepresented space as a woman working in a very heavily male-dominated corner of an already male-dominated business,” she said.

Doepner didn’t let this get to her. Rather, she became the change she wished to see at the organization, becoming the first director of inclusion and employee investment for an NFL team in September 2019.

Now she’s taking her work to the next level as she hopes to inspire the next generation of women in sports as a speaker at USA Basketball’s Women in the Game conference, which is being held March 31 alongside the NCAA Final Four in Minneapolis. Joining with Mental Performance Consultant and Sport Psychology Resident Dr. Ashley Zapata, Minnesota Lynx/USA Basketball Women’s National Team head coach Cheryl Reeve, broadcast personality Ari Chambers and University of Minnesota’s Dr. Nicole M. LaVoi, Doepner will speak to young women who hope to break into the sports industry.

Read full article from USA Basketball here.