Student-athlete’s slogan: ‘It’s 100% mental’

Time management and addressing mental health challenges weren’t part of the core curriculum for Dinos track and field athlete Madison Kane-Rissling at the School of Public Policy (SPP). They were, however, a big part of her academic experience and why she was honoured as a 2023-2024 Academic All-Canadian.

It is the third time while pursuing studies at UCalgary the long- and triple-jumper from Medicine Hat was named an Academic All-Canadian.

U SPORTS, the governing body for university sports in Canada, honours student-athletes who achieve an academic average of 80 per cent or better while competing in varsity sports. Kane-Rissling was one of 180 UCalgary students who were Academic All-Canadians this year.

She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Law and Society from UCalgary in May 2023 before continuing her studies at the SPP in August. Student-athletes don't typically continue to compete while pursuing a master's degree and Kane-Rissling was one of four recognized by the Faculty of Graduate Studies for her success over the one-year, fast-tracked master's of public policy graduate program.

“Anyone who is a student-athlete, was one or knows of one, will understand the immense time commitment that is required to train, compete, and be successful in academics,” Kane-Rissling said. “My experience at the SPP overall was empowering, felt professional and inspired me to create change in a space I didn’t know was possible. It allowed me to explore a prevailing social issue while pursuing my passion – athletics.”

That commitment was tested when she joined the UCalgary Dinos in 2019. After a challenging red-shirt year, COVID threw her second year into complete chaos as courses switched to online and training and competitions were cancelled.

“There were no resources or policies in place to support student-athletes with the struggles that we faced. We felt entirely alone,” said Kane-Rissling, who went home to Medicine Hat for a year at the height of the pandemic. “It takes an extreme amount of self-discipline and motivation to execute a training plan as well as an academic workload, regardless of external pressures or a pandemic. COVID made me want it so much more.”

Kane-Rissling credits her former Medicine Hat Bulldogs Track and Field Club coach Sean Freeman, and her Dinos coaches Jane Kolodnicki and James Holder, for helping change her mentality as she returned to school, training and competing.

Kane-Rissling was a Jumps Event Group Leader on the track team and a representative on the Student-Athlete Council where she was a strong advocate for women in sport and student-athlete mental health.

She said personal and observed experiences with less-than-ideal team cultures and the negative impacts of maltreatment in sport prompted her to start the Student-Athlete Mentality (SAM) initiative “to create a safer and healthier environment for future Dinos.”

The SAM slogan, “It’s 100% mental,” is a reminder that you can do anything you set your mind to with its mission to support student-athlete mental health by raising awareness and developing creative solutions to improve the student-athlete experience and prevent mental health struggles.

“The community of women that raised me, the Dinos women’s track and field team included, inspired me to start SAM, which in turn inspired me to pursue a degree in public policy,” she said.

The challenges she faced led to her MPP Capstone Project, Building the Foundation for Sport Mental Health Policy: Addressing Student-Athlete Mental Health at the University of Calgary. Her research included a jurisdictional scan of mental health best practices and policies to support student-athletes at other U SPORTS universities. She discovered U SPORTS universities do not have mental health policies that identify student-athletes as a unique subgroup; UCalgary could be the first.

Kane-Rissling says the discipline, mindset and work ethic she gained as a student-athlete allowed her to master the skills to be successful academically and athletically.

“While completing her master’s program, Madison put her focus and positive mindset into practice at the track, leading to both a personal best performance and a rewarding season in the sport,” said her Dinos coach Kolodnicki.

Kane-Rissling credits her coaches, Dinos teammates, SPP classmates and capstone project supervisor, Dr. Teri Balser, PhD, for their support as she balanced her academic and athletic goals. It is coach Holder’s words – “It doesn’t get easier; you just get stronger” – that resonate with her as she trains, competes and works to change the environment in varsity sports.

As she pursues her career goals, Kane-Rissling is working for the Government of Alberta's Ministry of Arts, Culture and Status of Women in supporting the development of a strategy to end gender-based violence and promote gender equality across the province.

She is also collaborating with the UCalgary Mental Health Strategic team, Dinos athletics department and Student-Athlete Council to explore the opportunity for a sport mental health policy.

“U of C has the opportunity to become a champion in this space and a leader by implementing a sport mental health policy that identifies student-athletes as a unique subgroup of students,” she said. “This is how the U of C can demonstrate a duty of care toward student-athletes and help student-athletes in Canada.”