With Sanders, I fear ‘we ain’t seen nothing yet’

I read the Daily Camera story covering the press conference introducing Deion Sanders as the latest University of Colorado-Boulder football coach with a bit of confusion and a great deal of dread.

It was my impression that the CU football players he was addressing are STUDENT-athletes; and that The university has an obligation to fund their educations in exchange for their hard work and sacrifice in representing CU on the athletic field.

Last I checked, a college head football coach in such a situation was not supposed to be acting like a manager of a minor league professional team in threatening the players with their academic careers and very futures.

Two other thoughts also came to mind as I read the story.

1) “Jane and Tarzan” comment by Sanders was totally ignorant and sexist.

2) I am reminded of the scandal-filled eras in CU football program history with head coaches McCartney, Barnett and MacIntyre; and I fear “we ain’t seen nothing yet” as Deion Sanders takes over the program.

— Michael Birdsong, Boulder

Reduce focus on dancers’ bodies to promote health

Dance provides a good source of exercise, socialization and personal expression, all of which are very appealing to kids. However, as someone who has danced for over ten years, I have personally witnessed the harmful effects eating disorders have on dancers.

The National Institute of Mental Health defines eating disorders as “serious and often fatal illnesses that are associated with severe disturbances in people’s eating behaviors and related thoughts and emotions.” Dance has a disproportionally high amount of eating disorders due to factors that promote poor body image.

One major factor includes the constant use of mirrors. Mirrors allow dancers to hyperfocus on their bodies and increase negative thoughts about themselves. Not only are dancers looking at themselves in the mirror they are also looking at their classmates.

This leads to competition and comparisons between their fellow dancers that can contribute to feelings of inadequacy.

One possible way to help reduce eating disorders in dance is to limit the amount of time that mirrors are used.

Diminishing that amount of time per practice could increase positive feelings about one’s body.

Additionally, there are benefits to not using mirrors as it builds dancers’ muscle memory and kinesthetic sense. Reducing the amount of time spent in the mirror or even having classes without mirrors can shift dancers’ focus away from how their bodies look and more on how their bodies feel.

Solutions to limit factors in the development of eating disorders need to be put in place on every level in the local Colorado area. From family-owned studios in Boulder to the collegiate dance team at the University of Colorado, to the Professional Colorado Ballet, eating disorder prevention should be present.

— Kate Encelewski, Boulder

Association needs to prioritize mental health

Every year a new batch of young student-athletes realize the immense toll that collegiate athletics take on one’s mental health.

This is due to the immense stress caused by the National Collegiate Athletic Association or the NCAA’s broken system. The NCAA consistently fails at providing their student-athletes with the resources they need to help their student-athletes keep a sound mind and body.

One of the main ways the NCAA is failing its athletes is through the hiring process. Several people in authority positions hired by universities under the NCAA have, in my opinion, sacrificed the mental health of athletes for their own malicious intentions.

Larry Nassar, a physician at Michigan State University, sexually assaulted over two hundred students and athletes leaving them traumatized. With a more rigorous and thorough background check, this tragedy could have potentially been prevented. This process would ensure that the coaches and trainers would have the players’ best interest at heart and that they are not sacrificing the mental health of their athletes for selfish or malicious reasons.

In addition to this new hiring process, the NCAA needs to instate some form of training for coaching staff at universities to teach them effective ways to address issues of mental health and give athletes the support they need if tragedies like the Nassar case happen again.

Coaches have some of the most influence over student-athletes and how they wield that influence is crucial to the mental health and safety of these student-athletes.

The NCAA must take responsibility for its past.

The only way this happens is if the public holds them accountable.

By discussing the NCAA’s failures more openly, the NCAA will have no choice but to start caring about the well-being of athletes instead of treating their internal struggles as inconveniences and liabilities.

— Ethan Stevanus, Torrance, California