Full interview with Karlie Pollock
The Hidden Opponent Website
Athletes and Mental Health: The Hidden Opponent (TED Talk)

HAVERFORD, Pa. - Haverford College women's soccer junior Karlie Pollock has been named a campus captain for The Hidden Opponent (THO), an advocacy group that raises awareness for student-athlete mental health and addresses the stigma with sports culture. The organization empowers athletes around the world to face the hidden opponent together. The Hidden Opponent was founded by former University of Southern California volleyball player Victoria Garrick, who gained notoriety after delivering a titular TED talk in 2017 entitled "Mental Health in Athletes: The Hidden Opponent". 

Pollock's role as campus captain is part of a movement to bring mental health awareness initiatives to college and high school campuses across the globe. The campus captains will work to improve culture and further conversations surrounding mental health. 

"Probably about a year ago, I stumbled upon [Garrick's] TED talk. I thought it was incredible," said Pollock. "I became a campus captain, and basically I am a liaison for the organization to Haverford, advocating for mental health resources and the visibility of those resources." 

The Parkland, Fla. native is one of 350 student-athlete ambassadors on 200 college and high school campuses. 

"The campus captains program was just started in August. This year is a trial year for things that I can do. I will try to start doing events with my own team first, and then expand out to the greater community from there. One thing we've done so far is create a list of mental health resources. On campus, off campus, and also virtual, if people feel more comfortable doing it online. I've shared that with the entire athletics department." 

One of the most vital roles Pollock can play is connecting the student-athlete population with those resources in the places they are most familiar with. 

"I coordinated with (Dean for Student Health & Learning Resources) Kelly Wilcox and (Athletic Director) Wendy Smith to make sure those resources are available on many platforms. This year it's really important to acknowledge that mental health concerns are a problem." 

Pollock also spoke to the importance of ending the stigma around mental health concerns. She cited the World Health Organization (WHO)'s research that 10 to 20 percent of children and adolescents across the globe experience some sort of mental health disorder. 

"It's a greater issue than people like to acknowledge. By acknowledging this, bringing it to the table, we can definitely help people that need it. Hopefully in the future we can have deeper conversations and be more vulnerable with each other. Destigmatizing mental health will open a lot of doors for the future." 

Pollock will have to navigate an unprecedented semester in order to open those doors, but the role of mental health is arguably more important than ever with many student-athletes facing increased anxiety and a loss of their old routines due to the pandemic. 

"Especially this semester, not really having any outside competition. We are so used to having a schedule and playing our sport every day. With the absence of that, It's definitely not the same. We need to be more aware that people are feeling more isolated, and that there are going to be more struggles than normal even on top of the normal student-athlete struggles."