Sign the Petition (2024)

Started

February 18, 2022

Petition to

Everyone remembers their first love. Mine, was my sport, and if you have found yourself here, I think yours was too. My name is Hannah Valenzuela, and I am a former Division 1 athlete (UCLA), National Champion, and two time U.S. National Team Member. I competed for UCLA as a member of the Women's Cross Country and Track teams from 2011-2013. During this time I struggled immensely with Depression, eating disorders, Bipolar Depressive Disorder, food insecurity and financial struggles. Navigating these issues during a time when these afflictions did not carry the same vocabulary and stigma as they do now was a very debilitating and lonely time for me. After taking a leave of absence from school to try to gain control of the situation I was in, I learned that I had lost my NCAA eligibility because the number of credits I had earned did not match up with the year I was in school. Losing my eligibility ultimately lead to the end of my running career as I would no longer be permitted to run for UCLA anymore and would not be able to transfer anywhere to compete within the NCAA either.

Losing my sport and what I had spent my entire life working for was one of the greatest heartbreaks I have ever had to endure. I felt so alone and misunderstood in my struggle and did not receive the support that I felt I deserved for my mental health struggles. What I have learned over the years is that for every individual that is struggling there is a systemic problem that needs to be addressed, assessed, and reformatted. With this petition, I am asking that the NCAA considers adding an additional "Redshirt" opportunity for student-athletes that need to take a pause on their athletic careers while addressing their mental health struggles if they are going through something without jeopardizing their entire athletic career. While "redshirt" is not an official NCAA term, I am referring to this term as the season or year an athlete can have to not compete at all in outside competition while still remaining part of the team, participating in practice, and receiving their scholarships and financial aid. Further, they are able to add on an extra season/year for a fifth year if they choose. By adding a "Mental Health Redshirt" for student-athletes, even if the athlete has already been injured and used their redshirt, they are eligible for another redshirt to address their mental health with supporting documentation.

In addition, the NCAA should explore implementing a policy that mental health practitioners be available for all teams to have access to while traveling, at training camps and on a weekly basis for student-athletes to have access to. Let's take care of our student athletes, protect their future, and treat them like people, not products!