Strykers Football Club’s efforts to raise awareness for mental health was highlighted with 75 players taking part in a summer camp this week in honor of Aidan Dickson, a young man and soccer player who took his own life last November.
On June 15, Aidan Dickson would have been 26 years old. Jonahan “Jonah” Romero, his former coach, returned to Guam to host the soccer camp, a series of training sessions that welcomed all children regardless of age, ability, or club affiliation. Most of the sessions were spent improving ability. However, Romero wanted to ensure campers also learned about mental health.
Activities encouraged players to talk about what they were grateful for and challenges they had overcome, which provided a safe space – without judgements cast – that allowed children to come out of their shells and share stories of conflict and triumph.
“On day one, nobody was talking. But today, if you come here, they won’t stop talking … and now they’re checking on each other, making sure they’re OK,” Romero said.
Romero is a former standout player for the Guam Men’s National Soccer Team, and head instructor at a successful personal training program, which started with Aidan Dickson as his first client a decade ago. His ability to teach fundamentals, the technical and mental side of the sport, as well as spirituality, were appreciated by Mark Pangilinan, a parent watching his son, Vicente, who was taking part in the camp.
“It’s very technical but at the same time, he’s also teaching the kids a lot outside the actual game like how to interact with each other, how to be courteous, working hard, how to be accountable,” Pangilinan said.
Remembering Aidan
As the first day of camp came to a close, all the players gathered in a circle and sang Happy Birthday to Aidan Dickson.
For Isabella Su, 16, Dickson’s story was not only “eye opening,” but added to the environment of positivity.
“I like that we get to be open with each other. There’s no judgment, and they establish in the beginning – stay positive, no bad words. It’s a mental health camp, so it’s nice and easy to feel comfortable” Su said.
Haley Mantanona, 11, shared how the mental health aspect impacted her experience.
“You could feel positive at this camp. There’s no negativity. Everyone’s nice, and everyone’s just friends,” Mantanona said.
Confidence
For each day of the camp, players concentrated on a different skill. But from the very start, Romero encouraged campers to play confidently. At the same time, Romero held players to a high standard and could be heard pleading during shooting drills to “keep the level high.”
The environment established by the players in response was well received, in particular for Quentin Cheung, 9, who appreciated the challenge and learned to be more confident.
“Coach Jonah pushes us past our levels that we don’t feel in my club, because it’s just the same drills over and over. But here, it’s different every day,” Cheung said.
For Enzo Cruz, 10, he was excited to share what he learned.
“I learned new skills like the Maradona (turn), and the step over, and how to use those skills in games,” he said.
Tournament
As the week of Dickson’s birthday concludes, the weekend will be spent by players competing in the AD11 Mental Health Awareness Tournament.
The goal of the tournament is to not only provide good competition among local teams looking to win a $2,500 cash prize, but also for some of the profits to go towards addressing mental health on Guam.
Keith Dickson, Aidan’s father and founder of Strykers FC, in a pre-tournament meeting, shared with team representatives that the goal with the money earned from hosting the camp and tournament is to attract mental health professionals from abroad to conduct outreach and awareness classes.
Jersey No. 11
Between the matches in both a men’s division and co-ed U14 division across the weekend, there will be a brief pause Saturday for a ceremony where Aidan Dickson’s No. 11 jersey will be retired.
