Workshop At Montclair High
Will Focus On Mental Wellness

The Montclair Athletics Blue & White Club is showing that it’s about more than just fund-raising, an area which it has already done a superb job in as part of its mission to help support and also promote Mountie sports programs.

The vibrant organization of sports parents and other individuals who care deeply about the entire Montclair High School athletics programs, has raised money to help keep freshmen sports going strong at the high school where many of the news headlines last spring were centered around the 19.6 million deficit which was being faced by the school district.

The Montclair Athletics Blue & White Club (MABWC) raised $176,000 in fairly short order amidst some obvious pressure to do so in rapid fashion; and they were able to present a very nice check in that amount to the Montclair Schools.

And, while fund-raising for all the Mountie sports remains a big part of their master plan moving on, so also is the effort to help promote trying to meet some of the overall mental and emotional needs that may arise for Montclair High student-athletes

A special upcoming event will attempt to do just that.

On Monday, Sept. 14, there will be a free Student-Athlete Mental Wellness & Performance Workshop, 7-8:30 p.m., in the Montclair High School auditorium with special guest Scott Pritchard, who is the co-founder of INHABIT Mind Body.

An inspiring voice and leader in proper breathing, visualization and mindset training for young athletes, Pritchard will provide his unique approach in the effort to help promote the complete student-athlete makeup for success and happiness in high school sports and in today’s ever-changing academic world, while looking to accomplish what he says is his intended goal “to unlock one’s highest mental and physical potential.”

The 90-minute interactive workshop will give student-athletes a chance to explore different aspects in areas such as breathwork, nervous system regulation, visualization and mental performance skills, and also ask questions concerning all the mental and emotional challenges they might face while hopefully learning some practical skills to help enhance their well-being and a higher performance level.  

“We are incredibly excited to welcome Sean Pritchard to Montclair High School,” said Laura Quiros, who is vice-president and an MABWC executive board member. “Teaching our student-athletes how to navigate high-pressure situations and build mental resilience is just as critical as their physical training.

“This event is a perfect example of what the Montclair Athletics Blue & White Club was set up to do: provide ways to elevate our athletic programs, holistically support our athletes, and strengthen the community here at MHS.”

Pritchard described what he aims to accomplish in the workshop:

“Our goal is to give student-athletes practical tools they can use immediately,” he said. “Whether they are preparing for a big game, taking an important test, speaking in front of a class, or navigating something difficult in their personal lives, we want them to feel more prepared to manage pressure and respond in a healthy way.”

“Student-athletes are often taught how to become stronger physically, but they are not always given the same level of training for their mental and emotional well-being. This session is about helping close that gap.”

“We want students to understand that struggling does not make them weak and that asking for help is a sign of strength. By creating space for honest conversation, we hope to reduce the stigma around mental health and remind students that they are not alone.”

“I struggled with my own mental health as a student-athlete, so this work is deeply personal to me. I am passionate about sharing the tools and perspective I wish I had at their age.”

“The skills we are teaching extend well beyond athletics. Breathwork, visualization, and learning to focus on what you can control can support students during tests, presentations, difficult conversations, and other high-pressure moments throughout their lives.” 

The upcoming appearance of Pritchard comes as another aspect in what has been a continuing positive journey promoted by the MABWC, which will also look to continue doing what it can as far as helping in terms of addressing financial needs of Mountie freshmen sports and all the other high school athletic programs as well.

If there are any questions about the Sept. 14th workshop at MHS contact MABWC vice president Laura Quiros at Quiroslaura@aol.com.

MABWC Began By Facing Immediate Challenges Head On

The on-going efforts to help Montclair High athletics programs started with the original mission statement of the Blue & White Club concept as it was established last spring when a definite need arose surrounding finances for Mountie sports, and meant immediate attention with a townwide effort. 

“The freshmen cuts that were made and that includes not only funding for the teams, but also affecting other important areas such as bus transportation, officials, security and uniforms – basically everything,” MHS Athletic Director Matt Belford remarked last spring as the efforts got jet-started to help Mountie sports which faced a big budget deficit. “We have the Blue & White Club which is going to help all our programs affected, and it doesn’t matter if we’re talking basketball, soccer, bowling, crew, fencing – everyone is going to need our support moving forward.”

“This is all about community building and everyone has to understand that we need to have equity around our efforts for all Montclair sports as we look to keep our freshmen teams while also building back Mountie pride,” added Laura Quiros. “Our teams have their own booster clubs which help raise money for their sports, including various fund-raisers, which are great; but we have an even larger effort in front of us now, and we’re hoping to get many different people involved in our efforts moving forward, including individuals and business leaders.

“The impetus or genesis of the Blue & White Club was not to fund the budget gap for the school and the full 32 sports, most of which have individual booster clubs that raise funds in different ways,” said Kevin Price who is the Club’s executive board president. “But we have had to pivot now because of the budget gap issues and cuts for clubs and freshmen sports.

“We need to help support the access to freshmen sports for our incoming ninth-graders because athletics are so important in a young person’s overall high school experience.

“The initial goal to raise $176,000 is a minimum because the budget cuts also affect so many other areas including for umpires, referees, transportation, which are items that impact every sport.

“Every part of the Board of Education budget had cuts and no individual sport can fully withstand what’s happened. We want to fund with equity for all sports while looking to hopefully attract businesses and individual donors, including alumni and families and friends of Mountie sports.
“Our mission statement is to bring back Mountie Pride. If there wasn’t a budget gap we would still be doing this.

“Now we want to help make improvements on the periphery while also helping our coaches with what they may need, whether it’s for uniforms, strength and conditioning, a new landing pad for track, or whatever we can try and to help all the different teams at our high school.

“It is decision time. I have friends who grew up in town and now raise their kids here, and in addition to making an effort to bring back Mountie pride, we want to see our Montclair kids stay in town and not go to private schools.

We certainly don’t want to see families move because we don’t have the opportunity of freshmen sports which are vitally important!”

While anger could have been a natural reaction with what has occurred in terms of the immense budget deficit and the aftermath with long-winded meetings while discussing cuts across the board - including with high school freshmen sports - there are other feelings also being expressed.

“It had made me feel sad, while at the same time inspiring us to be part of the Blue & White Club’s efforts to step into action now while looking to save freshmen sports and do so much more for all sports and for our Mountie Pride,” said Quiros. “We moved here for the public schools we have, and I’m a huge public-school advocate.

“Looking at my own life I feel that sports helped save me, and I played soccer at Skidmore College, an experience I value so much to this day which helped me develop so much as a person.

“This town has an opportunity to come together and help do something very important for our young student-athletes coming up through our high school now, and in promoting the rich spirit of this great community!”