A note from our CEO, Craig Kozeniesky, and Chairman of the Board, Jim Mitchell
As the USA Shooting Strategic Plan states, we are an athlete centric organization. And in order for our “athletes to amaze”, I highlighted a key priority and anchor in my vision statement: Athletes are our most important asset – meaningfully improve advocacy and support, leverage athlete appeal and successes.
This statement is true of our Olympic heroes – past and present – national team members but also our junior, development AND aspiring team athletes. USA Shooting is proud to partner with the USOPC in raising awareness to the available services.
Shooting sports is fun and enjoyable but also exceedingly difficult which take skill, dedication, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. This, coupled with representing Team USA, comes at cost to continually train and perform at this level. The pressures and stressors are tremendous, and the strength and resiliency shown by our athletes is inspiring.
We advocate for support services for you all and urge you to seek help or assistance if you feel you need it. There is no shame in this, rather, the opposite, it shows tremendous courage and fortitude. Your well-being and fitness – physical, mental, spiritual – is the top priority for USA Shooting.
Thank you all for you continued commitment to excellence in shooting sports and representing Team USA.
We know there are many forms of stressors being put on athletes every day, both internal and external, and we highly encourage you to use the support available. Please find a breakdown of the psychological services at your disposal to use in a variety of ways:
- If you have an urgent mental health need and need to speak to someone immediately, please reach out and call 988 for a 24/7 lifeline.
- If you need to connect with a licensed mental health provider urgently, please call our Team USA Psychological Services Support Line at (719) 866-C-A-L-L, that’s 719-866-2255.
- If you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency department.
If you are looking for a mental health provider in your local area a great resource is the Team USA Mental Health Registry or call your health insurance provider for in-network referrals in your area.
How to Find a Mental Health Provider:
USOPC Mental Health Registry: www.teamusa.org/mentalhealthregistry
American Psychological Association: https://locator.apa.org/ or https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/
American Psychiatric Association: http://finder.psychiatry.org/
National Alliance on Mental Illness: https://www.nami.org/Support-Education
Find a therapist: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists
Mental Health Emergencies:
Call 911 (or 988) if in immediate danger
National Suicide Prevention Life Line: Call 800-273-TALK (8255) or chat: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/
NAMI Crisis Text Line: Text NAMI to 741-741
Suicide Prevention Resources:
Know the Signs: Suicide is Preventable: https://www.suicideispreventable.org/prevention-kit.php
Creating Linguistically and Culturally Competent Suicide Prevention Materials: https://www.sprc.org/resources-programs/creating-linguistically-culturally-competent-suicide-prevention-materials
Other Hotline Mental Health Resources:
Depression Hotline: 630-482-9696
Grief Support Hotline: 650-321-5272
Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-799-SAFE (7233)
Sexual Assault Hotline: 800-656-HOPE (4673)
Veterans Crisis Line: 800-273-8255
The Trevor Project for LGBTQ+ Youth Hotline: 866-488-7386 or https://www.thetrevorproject.org/get-help/
SAMHSA National Helpline: general mental health or substance use referrals; 800-662-HELP (4357)
USA Shooting highly encourages our athletes to seek support and resources available to them. Should an athlete have any questions they may contact Alex Szablewski (Alex.Szablewski@usashooting.org), or their Athlete Representative.