FALL RIVER: Focus and mental health are key ingredients to being successful on the volleyball court, and players with the Fall River Fury were taught that on Dec. 15 at Georges P. Vanier Junior High.
Keisha Turner with Athleticyogis was invited out by Alison Walker of the Fury to a session with the girls to help them learn through doing yoga. More than 20 girls with the Fury program participated.
“We did yoga mobility and a focus on athlete mental health,” said Turner. “We talked for 25 minutes about what that looked like, what it means to be an athlete in the spaces that we deal with and the mental health side of things.”
Turner said that included making sure athletes have a safe space to speak to people about their anxiety and mental health.
“Especially at this age, from 13-18, a lot of them could be struggling with that so it’s a way for them to relax and come together as a team, but also individuals and make sure they have these tools,” she said.
Turner, a native of Yarmouth, was in the area in October doing a similar session and Walker invited her back.
She is hoping the girls took a lot of knowledge away.
“Just the ability to find different ways to focus and what focus really means,” she said. “At this age I think it’s a really challenging time to know what focus is.
“I think they took away ways to be better humans overall.”
