Hooper Mentality Founder, Coach Patty Medina, invited to speak at the annual IAA Training Camp to discuss college prep, career exploration and mental health awareness.
Annapolis, MD. - Imagine An Athlete's (IAA) (@imagineanathlete) mission is to help shape the future of student athletes' through holistic, athletic empowerment. The organization focuses on leveraging mental support, academic resources and professional advancement by providing resources to not only the athletes, but their families as well. IAA seeks to cultivate the athletes and prepare them for life during - and after - sports. Hooper Mentality shares similar values and aims to help existing organizations in Maryland by sharing resources, network and experiences. Making sure that the students athletes are healthy and fit is not just about the physical. Athletic training should include the mental aspect as well. Depression, anxiety, and stress are at an all time high for our youth.
"IAA is doing great things in the community," shares Coach Patty Medina, founder of Hooper Mentality. "It is an honor to be able to get acclimated with the community they serve and share my knowledge with the local student athletes. Mentorship has been an important factor in my career path. There have been many people that have mentored me over the years, and still do, so I want to be able to do the same for others."
In association with Maryland Prep and Transcend Performance Fitness (@transcend_fp_center), IAA hosts a training camp for female and male athletes. During the weekly camp (hosted every Saturday for six weeks), the athletes are not only challenged physically but they also have study sessions and leadership workshops that they participate in throughout the day.
Local trainers like, Coach Lamar West (@backersbang), organize drills that focus on athleticism and rehabilitation. Through the drills, he instills in the athletes his mantra for success. "Training, Exposure, Mentorship, Health and Execution equal Success." The camp class size allows the athletes to receive more personalized attention to detail, establish relationships with the coaches and staff, as well as, get acquainted with the guest speakers.
The support that the athletes receive should not only consider their physical and athletic traits, but also their emotional, social and spiritual well being. The guest speakers invited reflect all those traits. The athletes learn about financial literacy, mental health awareness, life skills training and goal setting. Recently, guest speaker Lee Junior (@leejuniorunstuck) of the organization University of Unstuck (@universityofunstuck) spoke to the attendees about goal setting and identifying their "WHY?" in everything that they do and trusting the process. Junior's organization specializes in teaching students of all ages, specifically first generation college students, on how to retain information to achieve academic success.
The ultimate message that IAA aims to get across is the same as Hooper Mentality's - "It's Bigger Than Basketball" - or any sport for that matter - and we as coaches, trainers, mentors and family members should want to help develop the athletes not only in the physical but also in the mental, emotional and spiritual.
Coach Patty Medina will be the guest speaker on Saturday, March 20th.
If you would like to know more about Imagine An Athlete or would like to get involved through volunteering or sponsorship, please visit their website ImagineAnAthlete.com for more information.