When CU Boulder student athletes compete, they always bring their best, but an Athletic Department program is working to ensure they are set up for success outside of competition and even for the rest of their lives.听听
The , which stands for Wellness Health Optimal Life Experience, uses a 鈥淲HOLE-istic鈥� approach by emphasizing health and wellness within and across physical, psychological, academic, and career and听leadership domains, all within a milieu of inclusion, belonging, diversity and equity.听
A flow chart of the student athlete life-course to life ready trajectory and a听diagram illustrating the tenets of the new听WHOLE Student-Athlete听Program.
With its emphasis on developmental science as the backbone to sport science and analytics, WHOLE provides unparalleled support for student athletes that is innovative in collegiate athletics.听听听听
鈥淏eginning as early as their time as a recruit and through their time as a student athlete, the WHOLE Student-Athlete听Program provides support services, programming and integrated care that also serves as a net,鈥� said Theresa Hern谩ndez, director of Crawford Family WHOLE Student-Athlete. 鈥淭his net is in position to not only catch student athletes when needed听but also have enough elasticity to allow them to reposition and relaunch on a positive life-course trajectory.鈥澨�
Founded in 2021, the WHOLE Student-Athlete听Program is unique because it brings the student athlete support services, resources and programming into one interconnected, embedded unit, which encourages collaboration and the utilization of information that is vital for overall student athlete health and wellness.听听
鈥淚f, for example, a student athlete has an injury, it鈥檚 important to have a response system in place in the event their academic work is affected, not to mention their psychological health during the full recovery process,鈥� said Hern谩ndez. 鈥淚t is important that everyone is in the room and everyone鈥檚 knowledge is available to make sure the student athlete is getting the full array of support they need to optimize their success while at CU and beyond.鈥澨�
鈥淓verything we do at CU Athletics is centered around optimizing the student athlete experience, and the Crawford Family WHOLE Student-Athlete Program is an important component of that overall mission,鈥� added Athletic Director Rick George. 鈥淲e want our student athletes to be champions in competition, in the classroom, and we want to set them up for success long after they鈥檝e left Boulder. This innovative program sets them on that path.鈥�
In addition to providing student-athletes with tools and information, one of WHOLE鈥檚 key responsibilities is providing support that student athletes need to perform their best in competition, in the classroom听and in life.听听听
Jaylyn Sherrod on the court
鈥淵ou feel you are really cared about as a person,鈥� said , star point guard on the women鈥檚 basketball team and graduate student. 鈥淜nowing that you鈥檙e not just an athlete, it gives a sense of comfort and sense of safeness that you have options and you do have resources outside of your coaches and teammates to reach out to if you need help.鈥澨�
The utilization of developmental and sport sciences is another way that WHOLE is leading college athletics by using empirical data to chart individualized plans and make adjustments on the fly. This applied science approach opens the door for utilizing the best available evidence at the right time, in the right environment and for the right individual to improve student athlete performance and health. Student athletes also are provided programming through WHOLE about finance, nutrition听and other skills they鈥檒l use for the rest of their lives.听听
鈥淎t baby直播app, we are fortunate to have a wealth of resources and technologies that allow us to objectively identify the growth and development of our student athletes in all areas of health, wellness听and performance,鈥� said Tessa Mendoza, assistant director of developmental science data analytics. 鈥淭his information allows our coaches and staff to work together and make informed decisions that best support our student athletes.鈥澨�
鈥淲HOLE is using data that teams and departments are collecting and making it accessible and usable in real-time to reduce injuries, improve performance, improve physical and psychological health, as well as to optimize life-course trajectory,鈥� said Hern谩ndez.听
While CU student athletes always bring their best, the WHOLE Student-Athlete Program ensures their best extends long after their athletic careers are over.听
WHOLE Student-Athlete Program听mission statement
Enhancing the capability and capacity for the 鈥淲HOLE-istic鈥� development of student athletes by facilitating data utilization, research and programming across intercollegiate athletics with the inclusion of all stakeholders (e.g., student athletes, staff, departments, coaches and leadership).
