This National Stress Awareness Month, the Hull FC Community Foundation sat down with Hull FC Academy player Ryan Westerman to discuss his his coping mechanisms with dealing with the stress and pressure of trying to impress at such a young age.
The goal of any player playing in an Academy set-up is not only to win, but also to progress into the first-team environment. Ryan Westerman is no different.
He is currently in the second year of a two-year spell with the Black & Whites’ Under 18s side, having progressed through the Scholarship programme.
Beverley Braves served as the junior club for 18-year-old, where he played alongside fellow FC comrade Jack Charles, recently introduced to supporters as one of the latest debutants.
Wanting to follow in the footsteps of his former Braves team mate, the centre knows how much hard work lies ahead of him. Within all that hard work lies rather a lot of stress, but Westerman knows exactly how to deal with that.
“Dealing with it comes down to staying on track and keeping on working hard, because I know that if I’m doing everything in my power to try and succeed then there’s not as much to worry about,” he said.
“I also like to keep myself busy to try and block out any negative thoughts. Doubts can sometimes linger at the back of your mind, but by keeping busy by going to the gym and spending more time with the lads, you can quite easily banish any of those negative thoughts.
“Thankfully, we also have a brilliant support network at the Academy, which is massive. The off-field staff are all so approachable. You can go to them with any issues and they are really helpful, so just having that reassurance and support network is massively helpful.”
Alongside featuring for Hull FC’s Academy and Reserves teams every weekend, he is also a student at Hull FC’s Sports College at the Centre of Excellence.
For a youngster to juggle their aspirations to become a professional Rugby League athlete with their education, it can cause a lot of brain fog and stress.
But as Westerman explains, the Sports College curriculum is designed to help the students reduce their stress levels as much as possible.
“We get given enough time to do the work, which is always done in bitesize chunks and well spread out,” he said.
“There’s a great understanding between the Sports College and the Academy. The tasks are spread out so we’re not getting stressed out about how much college work we have to do. It’s always manageable, and that’s what makes it much easier.
“Jack Lazenby, who is one of our College tutors, is also on the coaching team for the Academy. So he understands our mindsets and he tailors the course to suit us best.
