Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1290632
Just prior to the 2019 USHL Fall Classic, the league joined forces with Headversity, hired Dr. Michael Czarnota as its consulting neuropsychologist and partnered with online tutoring service PAPER in three separate initiatives to help develop players—and, just as importantly, the on-ice officials. " You hear it now, more than ever, that training your mind and your mental game is just as important as training yourself physi- cally or practicing on the ice. It might actually be more important," said Fulp, who won the USHL's 2020 Curt Hammer Award as the player who distinguishes himself both on and off the ice by demonstrating outstanding performance skills, pride and determination. "Being mentally sharp, being all-there and being mindful are all things I've been looking for the last few years and something I've always wanted to improve on." Headversity presents users with a series of activities that measure mental wellness, self-expertise, heartiness, energy manage- ment, mindfulness and mental fitness. Based on those evaluations, users receive simple exercises to gradually build up deficiencies. "I'm a very black-and-white learner. If someone tells me, 'This is the best way to get from Point A to Point B,' that's the easiest way for me to learn, and the Headversity app makes it super easy to do that," Fulp said. "I saw a lot of improvement in my focus, being mindful and being present in the moment. So, it's definitely an app I'll continue to use." B e f o r e t h e U S H L i n t r o d u c e d t h e Headversity program, Dubuque coach Oliver David stressed productive self-talk as one of the cornerstones of his team's seasonlong curriculum. The app fit perfectly as part of David's off-ice game plan, and, not surpris- ingly, Dubuque won a league-wide chal- lenge to see which team could log the most Headversity activities. "Players at this age have to navigate the very real struggles of fitting into a team environ- ment, maybe finding a new role within a team and making a big jump in levels," David said. "Development and success don't always come in a straight line, because you have to deal with things like fatigue, playing time and sometimes getting in your own way. Learning how to be resilient is a huge factor in how far you can go in this game, and that's what this app is all about. "It was right in our wheelhouse and it was a seamless component to what we were doing. It's really helpful to have an educational tool beyond what we as coaches can teach." R y a n To d d c a m e u p w i t h t h e i d e a f o r Headversity when he started practicing as a psychiatrist and realized there was a six- month waiting list to see him for an initial con- sultation. Understanding the urgent nature of mental wellness, he sought a way to connect with patients instantaneously and give them preventative tools to try on their own. "There are little things we can do to work on, behaviorally ourselves, to help us be our best, and that's the way we formed our pro- gram," said Steven Gramlich, Headversity's chief marketing officer. "You can train yourself to be an optimist, and you can train yourself to have confi- dence, and that's what we've developed. And they 're exercises that take five or six minutes, rather than hours, so y o u'r e m o r e l i k e l y t o use them." That allows participants to complete their exercises on their own schedule. Just like their work with PAPER. Originally branded as GradeSlam, PAPER offers 24/7 online tutoring services for high school and college students struggling with their coursework. "Hockey players, especially junior hockey players, have a pretty hectic schedule that isn't always conducive to studying at more traditional hours," said Dylan Davies, the customer success manager at PAPER. "Sometimes, they 're working on their homework on a bus or in a hotel room on the road. And, if it's after 10 o'clock and you're stuck on a problem or have a question, you can't really call your instructor or a tutor from school to help you. That's where PAPER can be really beneficial. "The instructors [who are mostly gradu- ate-level students] aren't just going to give you the answer. They're there to guide you in the right direction so you can come up with the answer on your own. Obviously, that's much more beneficial to the student." Based in Detroit, Czarnota plays a pivotal role in building, managing and overseeing the concussion management program for players and on-ice officials on a league-wide and team level. His resume includes consultation work with various hockey entities, including the Professional Hockey Players Association and several high schools. It's all part of the league's continued efforts to develop more than just the on-ice skills of its players. "We're looking for any way we can make a team's operation easier, and we feel these three partnerships all do that," said Evan Rand, the USHL's director of hockey operations. "All three of them have become much more prevalent in sports these days. It's no different than weight training or developing flexibility through yoga. They 're all ways to increase your output when you step on the ice." P Jim Leitner is a freelance writer based in Dubuque, Iowa. OCTOBER 2020 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 39 "[Your mental game] might actually be more important [than training yourself physically]." —Aidan Fulp k Dubuque Fighting Saints head coach Oliver David stresses productive self-talk as a cornerstone of the team's seasonlong curriculum.