The discussion surrounding mental health awareness among athletes, both professional and collegiate, has notably (and rightfully) gained a lot of attention in recent years. Arizona Wildcats athlete Allie Skaggs has faced these troubles firsthand.
We’ve seen major athletes open up about the struggles they face with mental health, leaving many people both shocked and/or empathetic for the athletes they have always supported. For Allie, making friends was everything, and softball provided that pathway for her until COVID-19 came and changed everything.
“I don’t remember a lot from that (early) age, but I do know I loved the friends I made, and softball gave me the chance to be around girls I enjoyed all the time. That’s the biggest reason why I love to play now.” Skaggs speaks about growing up playing softball. It eventually led her to play for her school Ballard High School in Louisville, Kentucky. That’s when things got more serious as a coach helped develop her into the player she is today.
She ended up setting career records at her school in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, hits, home runs, and doubles. She then transferred to Ironwood Ridge High School for her senior year before joining the Arizona Wildcats.
The Journey Throughout COVID
Like many, Allie had her life changed not just in 2020, but in 2021 as well while dealing with the adjustments force upon her by the pandemic. “Last year, COVID was definitely at the root of the issues. All classes were online, so as a freshman that was pretty difficult. There weren’t many opportunities to really meet people and, as a person who loves being around people, it made the year difficult,” Skaggs said.
She ended up posting about her struggles on social media and dealing with what she described as “emptiness” and feeling “lost.” Her natural friendliness was put in the back seat during the year as she dealt with the limitations of only going to practice, followed up by staying inside for the rest of the day. Many first-year students felt the same feeling as they didn’t get to enjoy the campus they were enrolled in because safety had become the priority.
“I’ve always been relatively quiet about struggling, mainly because I am always a bubbly person when I am around others. I posted it because I have a decent following, and many people only ever see the good parts of my life on social media, when more real things are happening off-screen.”
Looking Toward The Future
After opening up on social media about her struggles, Allie Skaggs seems ready to take on 2022 with a different perspective. For her, she’s looking to improve both on and off the field in terms of being a great person. “For myself, I want to establish my role as a leader. I feel very confident in my ability to lead a team and to get people to buy into what I believe. Our team is young, but I can’t wait to see what we do,” Skaggs said. Being able to be vulnerable is a skill that takes leadership, and Skaggs has already proven she can do it.
When it comes to improving on herself, she says, “Things I want to include this year are journaling, reading more books rather than being on my phone, and focusing on extra gratitude.” After finally opening up about dealing with mental health, she is able to readjust her priorities and do things that will improve herself and hopefully encourage others to open as well. “I definitely think other athletes can learn to open up when things aren’t going great in their lives. There is nothing wrong with struggling, and especially nothing wrong with getting the help you need.”
Allie Skaggs hopes to be the leader that her teammates can turn to whenever they are struggling. Her friendliness makes her able to connect with people better than most, which in turn can help her team as they get ready to play. Going into the unknown can often be daunting, but she’s excited to embrace the challenge knowing what she knows now.