The Pine Bush field hockey team had a special message before one of their games recently: Mental health matters!

Last week the team held a Morgan’s Message dedication game. It’s a cause near to many student-athletes, bringing to the forefront the issue of mental health.

 

Samantha Schwartz, the coach of the girls varsity lacrosse team, heard about Morgan’s Message at a physical education conference in 2022. She brought the idea back to Pine Bush. Her lacrosse team has held a dedication game for the past two years. Last year, the boys lacrosse team also participated. This year, several of the fall season teams are embracing the message.

 

 

Morgan’s Message is a non-profit named for Morgan Rodgers, a high-level lacrosse athlete who quietly struggled with mental health issues after a devastating injury. Like many student-athletes, Morgan placed so much of her self-worth in her ability as an athlete. She was fierce, driven, committed to all she met and all she did. Yet she kept her mental health struggles to herself, thinking no one would understand.

 

Coach Schwartz has four Morgan’s Message ambassadors on her team and they have been sharing the message with other teams.

 

“Julia Tanner, Leah Meberg, Kate Cragan and Lillian Atria are our ambassadors,” said Coach Schwartz. “They do training, have Zoom calls and are supporting their team. They are also connecting with leaders on other teams to share how they can support their teammates. This is a peer-driven program.”

 

As part of the dedication at the games, the student-athletes talk about Morgan, her mental health struggles and her untimely death. They also talk about removing the stigma associated with mental health and making sure that mental health is treated equally as physical health.

 

“This was an important message for our team to embrace as there are many young people, and especially student-athletes, who struggle with pressures associated with their performance and balancing all they have going on in their lives,” said Coach Schwartz. “We hope that starting the conversation will help reduce the stigma around mental health struggles and will encourage a culture of support for all areas of our student-athletes’ health and wellbeing.”

 

The message is certainly being spread throughout Pine Bush! In addition to our field hockey team, girls and boys soccer, girls cross country, girls tennis, girls swim and dive, volleyball and cheer teams will hold dedication games during this fall season. Morgan’s Message is getting out there.

Morgan’s Message was founded July 11, 2020 by Morgan Rodgers’ family and close friends exactly one year after Morgan’s death by suicide. They wanted to turn their devastating pain into purpose. The main message of their group is “to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health within the student-athlete community and equalize the treatment of physical and mental health in athletics.”

Recovery is possible. Let’s take a shot!

For more information, go to www.morgansmessage.org.