Whether it鈥檚 social media, the transfer portal, coach turnover or name, image and likeness (NIL), NCAA student-athletes confront increasing pressure and uncertainty on and off the playing field. It鈥檚 anything but a 鈥渇ree ride.鈥
, CU Athletics鈥 peer advocacy program, has been bringing student-athletes鈥 psychological health concerns into the open since 2018. It鈥檚 a collaborative space to meet once a month, share personal challenges and learn to help peers.
鈥淏older Buffs showed me that I wasn鈥檛 alone with my struggles,鈥 said Issy Simpson (NeuroSci, Psych鈥23), a CU golfer.
CU Athletics鈥 Psychological Health and Performance (PHP) program provides clinical guidance for Bolder Buffs. Erin Rubenking (Fin鈥10; MPsych鈥14), PHP associate director and Bolder Buffs clinical advisor, started in 2018 as one of two full-time staff members. PHP鈥檚 full-time staff has since doubled, and there are several counseling trainees as well.
Soon after Rubenking鈥檚 arrival, soccer鈥檚 J.J. Tompkins (Psych鈥19) and women鈥檚 basketball鈥檚 Kennedy Leonard (Comm鈥19) founded Bolder Buffs with involvement from PHP.
鈥淭hey saw a need for a place for student-athletes to discuss mental health, to figure out how to support teammates because they鈥檙e not therapists, they鈥檙e student-athletes,鈥 said Rubenking.
Bolder Buffs trains student-athletes on three Rs: recognize, respond, refer. Bolder Buffs are not one-stop resources. They train to recognize if someone is struggling, respond supportively and connect them to appropriate resources.
In addition to direct advocacy, Bolder Buffs initiates change in PHP. 鈥淎 lot of what we鈥檙e doing is informed by Bolder Buffs. If they鈥檙e struggling with something, I take that back to my team, and we can design a group, a staff training or something else,鈥 said Rubenking.
Student-athlete-focused outcomes include 24/7 support through the Buffs Helpline (303-735-7182), a new Athletic Department policy giving them more control over collection and sharing of their body composition data, and training to help聽 manage performance anxiety.
鈥淏older Buffs has become part of my self-care routine. Plus, I can help others through what I鈥檝e learned,鈥 said Simpson.
