My name is Guillaume Grand, I am a senior on the alpine skiing team here at Saint Michael’s College and I want to share my story with you about mental health. I am from France and have been skiing my whole life, trying to pursue my childhood dream of becoming the best skier in the world. In 2011, I was recruited by the French national ski team following good results the previous year. I was at that point part of the top 10 U18 (under 18 years old) skiers in the world in slalom and it felt like I was living the dream. The team sent me to European Cups quickly after recruiting me, where I was already competing against the best skiers in the world, all ages included. At that point I realized that I was not mentally prepared to jump in to that high of a level, especially not as an 18 year old. I completely lost my confidence and started performing very poorly. Frustration began to rise with my coaches who, the second they saw I was struggling, just forgot about me and focused on the next guy than had any ounce of potential. The pressure was insanely big. I began being depressed and that lasted for 2 years when only struggle and disappointment were part of my life, not only as an athlete but also as a human. Two years after I got into the team, they kicked me out and I felt like a failure. I didn’t give up though.I had to question myself and see what options I had. I had no education and no team anymore. A few years later I decided to come to the US and ski in college and I have not regretted any of it. I have learned again to have fun skiing and studying, even though I still have ups and downs trying to manage my schedule and it is sometimes hard to be far away from my family. But now I know who to talk to when I need it and I know that I’m not alone! I got the trust from my professors and my friends. I learned a lot from the past few years and I’m here anytime someone needs to talk because I know what struggle is like. You are not alone and it’s ok not to be ok.
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