Maryville community members had the opportunity to hear from a highly decorated athlete, Aly Raisman, who spoke about mental health and how to step back and see the bigger picture of life.
There were two available sessions on Thursday. The 10 a.m. time slot was filled with high school students from the surrounding areas who decided to use up some school time to attend this special event. The 7 p.m. session was primarily attended by University students, faculty and staff, though both sessions were open to the community.
While Raisman is a three-time Olympic gold medalist, her story is not only defined by her success, but also by her ability to persevere. In 2017, Raisman broke the silence about the abuse that she, along with many other athletes, endured during Larry Nassar’s time as the team physician.
Larry Nassar was charged and convicted with several different crimes. He was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison for possession of child pornography, 40-175 years in a county jail in Ingham County, Michigan, for criminal sexual conduct and 40-125 years in a separate county jail in East County, Michigan, for the same charges. Nassar’s behavior was exposed by over 260 women.
After Raisman’s decision to speak out about the abuse she suffered, a number of other athletes felt they could also join the conversation. Raisman said speaking up for oneself and finding help is important, and it can help others find the same strength.
“I think mental health is something that impacts, if not all of us, most of us,” Raisman said. “I think that if we can normalize within ourselves that it’s OK to have tough days, the better we can help ourselves, but also, when you are open with other people about what you’re experiencing, it also gives other people the permission to confide in you.”
Raisman’s ability to express how she felt about a time in her life that once was so vulnerable, opened the eyes of those in attendance who may have been unfamiliar with her story.
Kelsi Meyer, Mosaic Medical Center-Maryville community relations manager and the co-keynote speaker during the event’s morning session, said Raisman’s transparency with her mental health was incredible, and her extensive knowledge would no doubt prove useful to the audience.
“Honestly, I wasn’t sure how open she was going to be; I was pretty careful on the questions because, obviously, some of them are pretty sensitive and personal to her,” Meyer said. “But I was amazed at how open and honest she was, and I just felt like everything she said — everybody needs to be writing this down. She has such a wealth of knowledge, and I’m grateful she was so open to sharing.”
Raisman emphasized a specific sentiment to her audiences during the sessions: “It is OK to not be OK.” Along with speaking about accepting one’s emotions, she also dove into the mental aspect behind sports that the audience may not have been aware of.
Raisman may be a three-time gold medalist, but she’s been competing on the national and international scene since she was 15 years old. Starting a sport as physically and mentally demanding as gymnastics, Raisman said she had to grow up fast.
“In gymnastics, the margin of error is so small, and when you are competing at the Olympics, you have a five-second vault, a 20-second bar routine, a minute-and-a-half themed routine, a minute-and-a-half floor routine — and all of your hard work comes down to that moment, and it’s very hard to get out of your head,” Raisman said. “The irony is, you just have to do what you do every day in the gym.”
Raisman said it’s easier said than done because of the lights, the fans and the legendary Olympic rings lining the stadium. However, one must block it all out and remember their training.
From her first opportunity to perform on the 2012 London Olympic stage, to her second appearance in 2016 in Rio De Janeiro, she spent time building up mental strength. She prepared so when competition time came around, she’d be ready.
When the 2016 Olympics rolled in, and Raisman undoubtedly made the team, the stars seemed to align for her to put on her best performance of her career. However, during the beam final, Raisman found herself in a tie for third place in the all-around section, and the tie breaker did not go her way, placing her in fourth.
With this clouding her mind, she still had to compete in two more events — the beam final and the floor final. She said she was already down on herself going into the events, and tying for third in the beam final just added more salt in the wound.
Raisman said all of that would lead to her performance during the floor final, where she made history, becoming the first American to win the women’s floor exercise.
“It was so difficult for me, I felt so upset and so worried that everyone in America was going to be mad or disappointed in me…I wish I could do anything to go back in time and give myself a hug and tell myself that it’s OK, I’m human; and I remember in my floor routine during the final, I felt this sense of flow or freedom that I’ve never felt before,” Raisman said. “I realized that what I had done in the all-around finals didn’t work, being that nervous and trying so hard to be perfect; so I told myself, ‘I’m just gonna not think and let muscle memory take over,’ and I did the best floor routine I ever did in my whole entire life.”
This story comes from our partners at the Northwest Missourian, the campus newspaper of Northwest Missouri State University.