Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 10 No. 3 | January 2018

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Fortunately, Tech AD Whit Babcock
understands the importance of sport
psychology and continues to be proactive,
while many AD’s continue to play catch-up
on the topic. The Virginia Tech Athletics
Department plans to continue devoting more
resources to the sport psychology area.
“We need more staffing, and we’re working
on that,” Bennett said. “Cook and our
administration have a good relationship, and
I’m still part of the Cook staff, so I get lots of
benefits from being a part of that center in
terms of psychiatric resources. So at this level,
we need more staffing.
“At a larger level [nationwide], we need to
keep getting the word out there that student-
athletes aren’t immune from having mental
health issues. They have a lot of the same
issues that non-student-athletes have, and
on top of that, the stress of being a student-
athlete … So getting the word out there and
making sure that schools have the resources in
place, hopefully within departments, is key.”
Meanwhile, they can take some comfort
in seeing their work pay dividends. Ulrich,
for example, continues to pursue a degree
in human nutrition, foods and exercise,
while swimming for the Hokies, serving as
the president of SAAC and participating as
a member of the Leadership Advisory Team
within the department’s Leadership Institute.
Perhaps more importantly, she shares her
story with those around her—a brave step
in the recovery
process.
“I wouldn’t go
as far as to say
I wouldn’t be at
Virginia Tech, but
I would go as far
as saying that I
wouldn’t be living
my full potential,”
she said when
asked about the
impact of Tech’s
sport psychology
area on her.
Cannon may
be the biggest
success story. He
continues to meet
periodically with
Bennett, but a year after stabbing himself, he
had one of his better semesters academically.
He also worked his way up the depth chart in
his sport, and he even started the “Speak Up”
movement, a Twitter-inspired undertaking
that implores others to speak up about mental
health issues.
And he, too, shares his story. He recently
told it to several hundred people at an event at
the German Club, with many teammates there
to support him.
“The positive feedback I’ve gotten back is
pretty neat,” Cannon said. “I don’t want to be
remembered as Austin Cannon, the football
player. I want to be remembered as Austin
Cannon, the guy who helped me prevent my
taking my own life, the guy who cares about
others … the guy who wants to change the
world one life at a time.”
There is a lot of Ut Prosim in that statement,
and credit him, Ulrich and so many other Tech
student-athletes for seeking assistance from
the sport psychology area within the athletics
department.
For sure, a brighter future now waits.
Dr. Gary Bennett oversees Virginia Tech athletics’
sport psychology area and has been helping
student-athletes since the mid-1990s.