Resources for Student-Athletes

Posted: Apr 01, 2022

Through the school's Wellness Initiative, Gilmour student-athletes are provided access to resources normally found only at the college level.

The school has partnered with the Center for Peak Performance to provide mental performance coaching for its athletic teams. Dr. Sam Maniar, a sports psychologist with more than 20 years of experience and the founder of the Center for Peak Performance, has worked with clients at the professional, college, high school and club level including the Cleveland Browns, the Indianapolis Colts, the Chicago Cubs, The Ohio State University, the University of Akron, Washington State University, Alliance of American Football, SPIRE Institute/Academy and Ohio Premier Soccer Club. He and staff member, Zac Bruback, a doctoral candidate, lead Gilmour's teams and their coaches through group sessions. All coaches are provided the opportunity to sign their team up for the sessions, which can focus on any number of performance topics, including concentration and focus, stress management, self-talk, goal setting, motivation, mindfulness, visualization, etc. Several teams took advantage of the coaching sessions this year, including the nationals-qualifying girls prep hockey team, the state champion varsity boys hockey team and the state runner-up boys basketball team. The mental performance coaching builds cohesion within a team and provides student-athletes with a competitive advantage that helps not only on the court/field/ice, but also in the classroom.

The Wellness Initiative also provides student-athletes with nutrition training by helping them plan their meals to properly fuel their bodies in and out of season. The Wellness Coordinator introduced activity plates, each designed with a specific purpose based on activity level - low, moderate or vigorous. Student-athletes are trained to select the appropriate activity plate, based on whether they are out of season, it's a practice day or it's a game day. The plates are color-coded so the student-athletes can quickly and easily let the lunch staff know which plate they need and the food served will contain the appropriate serving size and the correct balance of nutrients based on the student-athlete's needs that day. The goal of the activity plates initiative is to help the student-athletes understand the role of fruits and vegetables, proteins and whole grains in performing different functions for their bodies and how they can utilize them based on what they are doing that day.