Sport Mental Performance Coach Interview: Krystal Vazquez
KRYSTAL VAZQUEZ played softball and volleyball in high school. She is now about to graduate from Adler University in Chicago, Illinois with two master’s degrees: Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Sport and Human Performance. Krystal is bilingual in English and Spanish. She graduated from the University of Illinois Chicago with her bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Spanish. In her free time she enjoys playing with her 6 month old Goldendoodle Lola. She loves to play recreational sports, watch sports, and going to the movies. She especially loves football Sundays and going to Cubs games.
In this interview we will be talking about how she uses her bilingual skills to give back to her hispanic community in her work as a sport mental performance coach.
Below I have written most of what we talked about but you can listen to the full podcast on Anchor / Spotify or on Apple Podcasts.
Q: How long did you play volleyball and softball for? What was your experience like?
A: I started playing softball when I was 5 years old. That was the first sport I ever played.
I fell in love with it and played until I was about 19 years old. I started playing volleyball when I was in 5th grade and I played that all the way throughout high school.
Since I started playing sports young I felt like I had a strong identity as an athlete. There are always ups and downs playing sports but I would say it’s mostly positive.
I really enjoyed being able to experience life as an athlete.
Q: What was one of your favorite moments while competing?
A: I think back on a lot of memories that I’ve had, some good, some bad.
The love that I had for the game came from being young and it seemed bigger than it was.
When I was in 12&under our team won the championship of a tournament.
It was so much fun and to experience that at a young age it felt like the World Series because it seemed like a big deal.
Q: You told me that you had a hurt shoulder. How did that contribute to retiring competitive softball and volleyball? And does it affect you now?
A: Unfortunately in my right shoulder I have a torn tendon now.
I started pitching for softball when I was a freshman and I pitched a lot in high school.
I think I had overdone it a little bit or I wasn’t taking care of it as much as I should have.
I had a lot of pain my senior year and went to the doctor a lot and ended up having to take care of it a lot more.
I wanted to keep playing through the pain but after senior year I decided it wasn’t going to happen with this injury anymore.
I do occasionally feel the pain sometimes now and I need to warm up extra in recreational volleyball games. It’s something that I’ll live with.
I wanted to play in college but seeing how difficult it would be to be a college athlete with an injury led me to the decision not to play anymore.
Q: You’ve mentioned to me that you are inspired to give back to your community being from a hispanic neighborhood. How do you like to incorporate your bilingual skills to your psychology work?
A: Being bilingual growing up I didn’t realize how important that is and how much opportunity that gives me. Now I’m thankful for that.
It’s awesome to reach my community by being able to speak the same language as them.
I think it’s hard sometimes for people to accept the importance of mental health when they don’t see someone speaking their language or the same ethnic background.
I’m happy to speak with people in the language they’re more comfortable talking in.
Q: What made you decide to get your 2 master’s degrees?
A: I am trying to eliminate that stigma in mental health.
I love to be able to give back to my community.
The opportunity to be able to represent women all over the world and hispanic women.
I come from a hispanic based community on the SouthEast side of Chicago.
The resources are not always there for athletes and to be able to provide those resources and to be able to give back is rewarding.
I was able to combine the 2 degrees with psychology in sports and as an athlete, still being friends with the athletes I played with growing up, I’ve seen their struggles as athletes.
I don’t think people realize how much stress and hard work comes with that. The identity of being an athlete coming out of sports is hard.
Q: How do you use your background in sports with your psychology work?
A: From my experience, I know I talked about the good times but there were some down times as well.
There was such a busy schedule and not a lot of free time. I was dedicated to my sport growing up but that did come with some moments of FOMO, stress and burnout.
I’m able to validate some of those athletes feelings now. Sometimes people just need to vent and talk about these things.
‘Athlete’ is just one part of their identity and there’s so many other good qualities that they bring and good things that they’re able to do aside from being an athlete. Being able to realize those things is important.
I can empathize with them since I’ve been there.
Q: What is it like working with athletes now?
A: I love it. Finding athletes that are willing and interested to talk and open up is the best.
They realize I understand what they’re going through.
It’s awesome to have the full coaches support when we’re here on the sidelines if any athlete needs any help.
They’re always excited to see us and happy to have the resource there.
Sometimes they’ve never even heard of this resource because it’s never been available before.
Q: What was the transition out of playing sport into going to school without sports like for you?
A: It was definitely difficult. I wasn’t sure I was going to end up finishing playing softball in high school.
I knew I wanted to go to UIC but I wasn’t sure if I was going to play still.
That summer going into college I had thoughts and hopes of continuing to play but unfortunately I didn’t make it in the walk on try out.
I came into college with all of a sudden new free time.
That was kind of a shock having that much time available and figuring out how to manage.
I felt a little left out sometimes when I saw some people were still playing but ultimately I think I made the right decision.
I don’t think I would have been able to finish school the way I did if I was a student athlete. Definitely in the moment it was a tough transition.
I had identified myself as an athlete for so long and all of a sudden I’m like “what do I do now?”. It was difficult.
Q: Do you have anything else to add?
A: I’m glad we’re bringing up these conversations because preparing athletes for those transitions is important so they don’t feel as lost and isolated during those times.
If you missed the last podcast, our guest was cheerleader Danika Caruso. In that episode, we talk about how cheerleading in college was different than high school, and her podcast After the Athlete. Up next we will have Brian Billiings as our guest. In that episode, we will be talking about his approach to coaching baseball at Pacific University using a growth mindset and giving his athletes the tools to be successful on and off the field.
If you have any more questions for Krystal, please leave comments below or contact me. If you or someone you know is struggling, please call or text the Suicide Hotline. It’s toll free and available 24/7 at 988 or 800-273-8255.
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Are you or someone you know currently struggling with what happens in life after sports? Or did you already go through that transition to life after retiring competitive sports and wish you had more resources and support? Have you ever wondered, “what do athletes do after they are done playing sports? What’s next after sports?” Do you feel like you dedicated so much to your sport and you don’t know what to do now that you’re done competing? You’re not alone. Check out the site and join us in the journey. Once an athlete, always an athlete.
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