HELPING STUDENT – ATHLETES THROUGH THE UNCERTAINTY OF THE PERRYSBURG LEVY AND POSSIBLE ELIMINATION OF SPORTS
– Jonelle Massey, Sports Psychotherapist
If you live in Toledo, I’m sure you’ve heard…
On November 4, 2025, a five-year emergency operating levy (7.83 mills) is on the ballot intended to raise money to sustain Perrysburg (Ohio) school operations, including athletics and extracurriculars. Voters rejected a similar levy in 2024, triggering a $13.5 million annual shortfall beginning January 2025. To offset the loss, the district has already made cuts and tapped into reserves. If the levy fails, the district approved a contingency plan to make dramatic cuts: including the elimination of athletics for grades 7–12. As a result, parents and students are living in a zone of uncertainty, which can feel emotionally heavy.
The Emotional Landscape is Complex!
For Students: Sports often are a core part of their identity, social belonging, structure, and joy. The idea that those might vanish can evoke fear, anger, sadness, disbelief, and helplessness.
For Parents: You may feel worried for your child’s potential loss of teammates, structure, etc., threatened loss for your own sport parent community, possible lost of expectations, and traditions. You might also feel overwhelmed with making the right decisions and burdened with trying to fix an unexpected interruption.
For the Boader Community: Differences of opinion about tax burden, fiscal responsibility, and whether such cuts will actually be carried out can breed division and tension among neighbors, friends, and local groups……as if we don’t already have enough of that in our world.
During these times, we must ask the question: “Are parents spending more time listening and responding to each other more than students…who are impacted the most?
Responding well matters more than having all the answers.
Is your response a steady neutral presence? During this time, parents ’ interactions with their student athlete should be neutral, steady, student-centered and rooted in Emotional Agility and Empathy.
1 – Now is NOT the time to be a“Cheerleader ” or “Heated Blanket”
Begin with Empathy. When your child shares worry or anger, resist the impulse to reassure too quickly with a bunch of positivity (e.g. “Focus on the good things in your life. Worry doesn’t help the situation.”) “Minimization is the thief of Validation.” Refrain from minimizing responses in the spirit of positivity. (“You ’ll just play club, or we can just transfer if needed. ”) Instead: “I hear how restless and anxious this is making you,” or “It makes sense to feel frustrated: this is a lot to process.” “Heated Blankets” have
good intentions of cozying up to be a good listener while covering their child with love and assurance. Balance is key. Too much assurance and conversation can get heated and become smothering with teens, especially if your emotions are weaved in. Empathy helps regulate emotions through active listening which creates space for your child to initiate sharing. (The Miseducation of Empathy).
2 – Model Emotional Agility. Emotions are Data, not Directives
Dr. Susan David introduced clinicians to the framework of Emotional Agility during Covid. She reminds us that feelings are signals to observe, not commands to blindly obey.
- Encourage naming what’s happening (“I feel angry, ” “I feel powerless,” “I feel afraid”) Pause and ask:
- What is this emotion trying to tell me? (e.g. “I worry we’ll lose friend connection if I no longer have teammates,”)
- Don’t let emotions dictate immediate decision-making. PAUSE.
3 – Reframe your Athlete’s Identity with an Emphasis on Values
While keeping empathy first, you can gradually help your teen see that their identity (athlete, student, friend, sibling) is multifaceted and rooted in values. Remind them of their whole person identity and worth beyond what they offer on the field, track, court or ice. This should be done regardless of the levy outcome…… one day competitive sports will not take up the majority of their life and monopolize who they are.
Follow up with an inquiry about what your student values about their sport (connection, fitness, structure?) And how might they preserve that in other facets of their life/identity.
4 – Downshift to Neutral
Instead of fixating on worst-case or best-case outcomes, stay grounded in the “neutral” present and ask: What’s the next constructive move in our control? Neutral thinking is more useful than swinging to overly positive (“Everything will be fine”) or catastrophizing (“This is a disaster”). When you sense emotions arising, downshift to neutral by asking yourself, “what behavior does this situation require of me now….and will it reflect my personal values?” This helps us avoid the trap of emotionally reactive action (e.g. lashing out at neighbors).
If a conversation escalates with your teen, use neutral signals (“Let’ s downshift and revisit this when. we’re calmer” or take “6-7” minutes and come back). – YES, some parents caught the “6-7” lingo. Humor in moderation can also help downshift!
“Even when your internal emotional state is unsettled, your external presence of calm, availability, and care is a gift to adolescents.”
– Lisa Damour, Child Psychologist
Encouragement for Parents
You’re parenting in an emotionally charged moment. You may feel pressured, fearful, and uncertain. But your role is not to deliver perfect solutions. It’s to be consistent, empathetic, open, and agile. Mental health isn’t about feeling good all the time, it’s about having feelings that fit the situation and managing them effectively. Remember feelings are signals, not shackles and neutral thinking can help us act from a place of calm and courage, not compulsion! Families who navigate difficult moments with empathy and integrity often emerge with stronger bonds and more resilience. Whatever happens on November 4, your love, steadiness, and willingness to engage with the
emotions of this moment will matter far more than any outcome on the ballot.
When to Seek Extra Help
Normal distress in these uncertain times include worry, sorrow, anger, irritability, and typical emotions associated with grief.
But please watch for:
- Persistent hopelessness
- Withdrawal from social life
- Sudden drop in grades with no recovery
- Angry outbursts
- Language centered around shame
- Alcohol, drugs, (marijuana) use, and increased risk-taking behaviors
Jonelle Massey,
Licensed Sports Psychotherapist
Agility Counseling Group, founded by licensed therapist and former Division I athlete and college coach Jonelle Massey, provides therapeutic professional counseling for high school and college student athletes, and assist coaches in building the emotional and cultural infrastructure their programs need to thrive. Through Executive Therapeutic Coaching, we support coaches 1:1 in prioritizing their mental health, building cohesive teams, and creating environments of psychological safety and emotional agility.
Our work focuses on:
– Building resiliency, Emotional agility, and capacity to endure gracefully in athletes
– Rapid rapport-building across team members
– Crisis Team counseling
– Establishing and reinforcing culture carriers
– Supporting sustainable leadership with empathy and clarity
Agility Counseling Group is the proud co-host of the annual “The Athlete. Mental Health Summit” in Toledo for students, parents and coaches. (Next one up = Feb.23, 2026)
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1735392117539?aff=oddtdtcreator
To learn more about how we can help your staff and student-athletes succeed in today’s ever-evolving landscape, contact us at [email protected] or call us at: 419-972-1114
