Just keep swimming!

Two-time Olympic swimmer Blair Evans visited Collie PCYC to speak about mental health as part of the Gym Warriors Community Collective (GWCC) program.

The program, run in collaboration with Gymnastics WA and A Stitch in Time, is a non-traditional gymnastics-based activity which includes obstacle courses, parkour and running for ages 14-20.

Following the session, participants engage in discussions around mental health. In this session participants were lucky to participate in a workshop by Blair Evans who inspired the young athletes by describing her own struggles with anxiety and panic attacks.

Blair taught the young people techniques that have helped her stay grounded, both as a professional athlete and in her private life. She emphasised the importance of taking care of the mind as well as the body.

Many young people attending PCYC face mental health challenges, so these conversations are critical for their long-term wellbeing.

After the session, one of the participants said it was reassuring to know that anyone can struggle with mental health and that there are strategies they can use to help get them through bad patches.