TSF Blog
75 Ways Team USA Athletes Give Back To The World
Three-time Olympic freestyle skier Emily Cook sits on the board of The Speedy Foundation, a philanthropic organization dedicated to understanding mental illness through education, research and advocacy, founded in honor of Olympic medalist aerialist Jeret "Speedy" Peterson. She is also involved in the organization Right To Play.
Olympian Emily Cook On Mental Illness And Life Transitions: “Talking Is Key”
September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and for many of us an opportunity to reflect on and honor those who have struggled. For me, it is a time to remember my teammate and very good friend Jeret “Speedy” Peterson and, in his honor, to look deeply at how we can all support each other.
While a loving, caring, outgoing friend, Jeret battled depression throughout his life. Less than 18 months after winning a silver medal at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games and retiring from competitive sport, Jeret took his life in July of 2011 at the age of 29. This was a devastating time for his family, teammates and friends, but in the spirit of his passion for giving back to others, The Speedy Foundation was founded and today is focused on understanding mental illness, preventing suicide and fighting stigma through education, research and advocacy.
There are so many positive things that come out of sport: perseverance, dedication and an unwillingness to give up among them. But often times this grit, which has been so engrained, can prove challenging, especially after retiring from sport. As an athlete at the Olympic level it’s easy to define yourself by your sport. When you retire, who are you? The challenges of major transition in life can be tough for all of us, not just athletes.
Speedy Foundation to Host Seminar
On Wednesday, Sept. 9, The Speedy Foundation and the Park City Sport and Wellness Coalition will host a seminar at Park City High School about recognizing the signs of mental health problems and the stigma of talking about suicide.
Mental Health First-Aid Training: As Critical for Idaho as CPR
By Jessica Murri, Boise Weekly
While a first-aid class offers instruction on what to do when someone is having a heart attack, The Speedy Foundation and Optum Idaho believe mental first-aid training is just as critical. The organizations came together to offer training sessions that equip students with an action plan on how to recognize and assist someone in a mental health crisis. The 12-hour courses help students learn to identify different types of mental illness like depression, eating disorders, substance abuse and anxiety; and how to assess for risk of self harm or suicide; how to listen non-judgmentally and how to get assistance when needed.
"It helps people to recognize the signs: what people are saying or hinting at," said Georganne Benjamin, the communications director for Optum Idaho, an organization that manages outpatient mental health services for Idahoans enrolled in Medicaid through the Idaho Behavioral Health Plan. "It might not be obvious to most people, but if you've gone through this, you've been trained to see and respond to those types of signs."
The Speedy Foundation, which was founded after three-time Olympic skier and Boise native Jeret "Speedy" Peterson committed suicide in 2011, agreed to help Optum Idaho offer training sessions across the state during the past year. So far, sessions have taken place in Boise, Idaho Falls, Salmon, Weiser, Shoshone, Montpelier, Idaho City and Grangeville.
"Our goal in launching the program was to really bring it to rural communities, where access to services are not as available as larger cities," Benjamin said.
Idaho high-school students reported seriously considering suicide. By offering mental first-aid courses, Optum Idaho and The Speedy Foundation hope to curb that.
Armed with a sign, Park City High School student spreads message that has gone viral
Robbie Borders wants people to know suicide is not the answer
By Bubba Brown, The Park Record
Robbie Borders wants to make your day better.
And it's likely he has if you've happened to drive by him over the past few months. Every day after school, the Park City High School student has been holding a sign on State Road 224 that delivers a hopeful message: "Smile, you are beautiful."
Borders' message soon went viral around the state when his friend posted a picture of him with his sign on social media. Seemingly everyone, he said, was talking about what he was doing. On Monday, he was honored for his efforts during the high school's annual recognition assembly.
"I've been getting a lot of good feedback," he said. "I've had people pulling over and telling me I've been doing a good job and making people's day."
Borders' inspiration for the idea came from a friend who committed suicide. Borders wanted others to know that isn't the only way out. "He had told people to smile, even though he was suffering depression," Borders said of his friend. "So I thought it would be a good idea to put up a sign to show to other people saying that, 'You can smile because you're original, and no one can judge you because of that.'"
Other students quickly took notice. The Summit County Suicide Prevention Coalition had tasked the school's Latinos in Action club with forming a suicide awareness campaign. The club immediately thought of Borders and centered the campaign around his message.
As part of the campaign, students were given dog tags that read "SYAB" as they left the assembly Monday. They were asked to take pictures with the dog tags and something or someone that is special to them and post them to social media with the hashtag "#worthliving."