Hills Field Hockey Raise Awareness for Mental Health

The Half Hollow Hills varsity field hockey team recently dedicated its game against Riverhead to Morgan’s Message, an organization working to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health and promote conversations about emotional well-being among student-athletes.

While the focus of the day was still on competition, the Hills field hockey program used the game as an opportunity to remind its athletes, students and community that mental health deserves the same attention and care as physical health.

Student ambassadors Emma Vanvyck and Liana Vanvynck shared an important message with those in attendance, encouraging members of the student-athlete community to support one another and recognize that it is okay to ask for help when facing challenges.

The event also honored the legacy of Morgan Rodgers, a former Duke University student-athlete whose story has helped inspire conversations about mental health throughout the athletic community.

Morgan’s Message was created with the goal of changing the culture surrounding mental health in athletics. The organization works to encourage student-athletes to speak openly about their mental health, support their teammates and understand that seeking help should never be viewed as a weakness.

For young athletes, the pressures of competition, school, relationships and expectations can sometimes become overwhelming. Events such as the Hills field hockey game provide an opportunity to remind students that they do not have to face those challenges alone.

The message from Vanvyck and Vanvynck was especially meaningful because it came from student-athletes speaking directly to their peers. Their involvement helped demonstrate that creating a supportive environment starts within the team and extends throughout the entire school community.

The Hills field hockey program showed that a game can be about more than what happens on the field. By dedicating the matchup to Morgan’s Message, the team helped shine a light on an issue that affects student-athletes everywhere.

The event served as a reminder that checking in on a teammate, listening to a friend or simply letting someone know they are not alone can make a meaningful difference.

For the Hills field hockey community, the game against Riverhead was an opportunity to compete, come together and use their platform to help make mental health an important part of the conversation.