When Something Feels Wrong: Teaching Young Athletes How to Speak Up

Teaching Young Athletes to Speak Up: Notice, Own It, ActAfter Arizona State hockey player Matthew Mayich collapsed during an outdoor workout and remained hospitalized with severe injuries, teammates challenged parts of the university’s account and the head coach was placed on paid administrative leave, prompting a broader discussion about why athletes may fear speaking up. Valerie Alston explains a problem-independent framework for intervention: noticing when something physical, behavioral, or environmental seems off (without diagnosing), owning responsibility despite barriers like the bystander effect, expert bias, or fear of repercussions, and acting with a simple menu of options—directly acknowledge, distract/interrupt, get help, and keep telling if the first adult doesn’t respond. She emphasizes creating psychologically safe environments, helping athletes distinguish hard from harmful, building a “trusted adult bench,” and provides family discussion questions to practice these skills.00:00 ASU Heatstroke Fallout00:51 Why Athletes Stay Silent01:43 Three Steps to Speak Up04:00 Notice the Warning Signs06:17 Own the Responsibility09:32 Act With Simple Options11:39 Keep Telling Until Help13:33 Adults Create Safe Space16:39 Build a Trusted Bench18:10 Family Discussion Questions21:31 Final Takeaways and Next StepsThanks for joining me on Confident, Calm, and Clutch Car Ride Conversations! If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss a moment. Share it with other parents or coaches who could use a little extra inspiration on the go.🧠 FREE Mental Skills Assessment for Your AthleteDoes your athlete perform great in practice but struggle with nerves, pressure, confidence, or bouncing back from mistakes during competition?Stop guessing about what might be getting in the way.With my FREE Mental Skills Assessment, your athlete will complete the Athletic Coping Skills Inventory (ACSI), receive a short personalized report, and join me with you for a FREE 15-minute Zoom call to discuss what we're seeing and identify practical next steps.There are no good or bad scores and no labels. We're simply discovering where your athlete is strong and where they may need to build their mental toughness muscle.Assess. Discover. Build a game plan.👉 Get Your Athlete's FREE Mental Skills Assessment: https://www.confidentcalmclutch.com/assessment For exclusive tips, tools, and updates join my newsletter at www.confidentcalmclutch.com/newsletterFor more specific tips on building mental toughness, buy my book Confident, Calm and Clutch: How to build confidence and mental toughness for young athletes using sports psychologyIf you are a coach looking for ways to build mental toughness into your practices then check out my coaching resources (books, assessments, conversation starters, community and more) here.Parents join my Facebook group to Help Your Athlete Gain Mental Toughness for ParentsHave an idea for a topic? Submit your idea here.Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email me: valerie.alston@valstoncoaching.comFollow Me on:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valstoncoachingInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/valstoncoachingYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@valstoncoaching9666Watch every episode of Car Ride Conversations here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOjguEFjF88w5Wl-eA9dlkwLk7f_sI12V