‹‹ Colorado Matters

Working to improve athletes’ mental health on and off the field

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13min 30sec
YOUTH-SPORTS-PSYCHOLOGY-HOCKEY-HYLAND-HILLS
Andrea Dukakis/CPR News
Hyland Hills Hockey Association Coach Tyson Davis with some elite teen players during a practice session at the Ice Center in Westminster in September.

Gymnast Simone Biles. Tennis great Naomi Osaka. Basketball player Kevin Love. They've all shined a light on the stress and fear elite athletes face. Meanwhile, more and more colleges and universities are hiring psychologists to improve players' mental health on and off the field, and this awareness is trickling down to younger players in high schools and in youth leagues. We get perspective from Tyson Davis with the Hyland Hills Hockey Association in Westminster, and from Melissa Kutcher Rinehart who is the head women's gymnastics coach at the University of Denver.