WESTERVILLE, Ohio – At Otterbein, supporting the whole student-athlete means recognizing that success is about more than what happens on game day. It's about helping Cardinals develop the confidence, resilience, self-awareness and mental skills they need to navigate the challenges of competition and life beyond it.
That is the heart of the Cardinal Mental Fitness Community, an initiative created to give student-athletes and coaches a space to learn, reflect and have meaningful conversations about mental strength and health. Now entering its third year, the program continues to grow as Otterbein Athletics invests in the well-being and development of its student-athletes.
That commitment was on full display at the first fall Cardinal Mental Fitness Community session of 2026, which brought together roughly 230–240 student-athletes from across Otterbein's athletic programs.
The first session of the new season focused on the nuances of goal setting and exploring the ideal athlete mindset, engaging student-athletes in meaningful reflection and conversation.
This year's facilitator, Dr. Leif Smith, a clinical sport psychologist who authored Sports Psychology for Dummies and who has served as the mental performance coach for the Columbus Blue Jackets, kicked things off by having student-athletes create their own "ideal athlete avatar." They explored what their avatar looks like, thinks, feels and does in key moments, encouraging them to consider the qualities and behaviors they want to bring to their athletic performance.
The session then shifted to goal setting. Student-athletes identified their top three goals and outlined three specific processes for each goal that they can use to work toward achieving them.
For student-athletes, these conversations offer an opportunity to step away from the everyday demands of practices, competition and academics and intentionally think about who they want to become. For coaches, the sessions provide valuable education and insight into mental skills and strategies they can begin integrating into practices and competition.
And perhaps most importantly, the Cardinal Mental Fitness Community brings Cardinals together.
Student-athletes from different sports teams and backgrounds have the opportunity to sit alongside one another, share experiences and recognize that the challenges they face are often shared by their teammates and fellow competitors. In doing so, they are building a culture where taking care of their mental health is viewed as an essential part of being a student-athlete. These interactions also allow each athlete to gain valuable insight into how different psychological concepts show up in different sports. Hearing different perspectives often generate "light bulb moments" for the students.
The continued growth of the program over the past two years, and the tremendous turnout for the first session of year three, shows the value student-athletes are finding in these opportunities. What began as an initiative has continued to develop into a meaningful part of the Otterbein Athletics' culture..
When we care for the whole Cardinal, the impact lasts far beyond the playing field.
