University of Oklahoma Athletics
Olympic Q&A: Dr. Cody Commander
August 05, 2021 | Athletics
The 2020 Summer Olympics have been anything but ordinary for everyone involved. In the middle of it all has been Dr. Cody Commander, the Director of Psychological Resources for the University of Oklahoma Student-Athletes (PROS) and the first-ever mental health officer for Team USA.
Commander was brought on as Team USA's mental health officer in July 2020 to help manage the mental health of all the country's Olympic athletes while competing in Tokyo. Throughout this summer's Games, Commander has been fully immersed with the athletes of Team USA, providing daily mental health wellness check-ins and in-person counseling to those in need.
Mental health awareness has become a major focus of the 2020 Games with athletes like gymnast Simone Biles coming forward to talk openly about matters they face. With the Olympic Games coming to a close this weekend, Commander answered questions about his experience in Tokyo and the importance of mental health resources.
Explain your day-to-day role and responsibilities while in Tokyo.
The morning starts around 8 and includes getting the training room prepped with essentials and taking my daily COVID test, followed by our 8:30 daily medical staff meetings. The first three weeks I had orientation meetings at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., welcoming the incoming athletes and telling them about what mental health services were available to them during the Games. One of the biggest responsibilities I've had is to perform daily mental health wellness check-ins with all athletes and staff who are in isolation (tested positive for COVID-19) or quarantine (COVID-19 close contact). Some of these include dressing in full PPE gear and conducting in-person counseling sessions at the isolation hotel. Other daily tasks include consulting with other team physicians, athletic trainers and sport massage therapists to ensure all the athletes' and staff's mental health needs are being taken care of. There's always multiple TVs on, so we are all watching the Games during moments of downtime. The day usually ends around 10 or 10:30 and then I go to my room to rest up for the next day.
What have been your biggest challenges and most rewarding experiences?
The biggest challenges have been the restrictions put in place due to COVID, and how this lack-of-control has negatively impacted athletes and staff. One of the most rewarding experiences so far has been the opening ceremonies. It was so great walking around the village before the ceremonies seeing all of the countries in their formal wear. Everyone was happy and taking pictures. It felt like one large red carpet event and the energy was palpable.
With gymnast Simone Biles choosing to withdraw from some of her competitions, athlete mental health has been brought to the forefront globally. Why is it important to bring awareness to the mental health struggles that some athletes face?
Just like everyone faces health struggles (e.g., colds, flu, headaches, etc.), everyone faces mental health struggles (sadness, nervousness, self-doubt, grief, etc.). When we can start recognizing that it's normal to experience these struggles at times, we can then begin to learn how to effectively manage the struggles proactively and possibly prevent more significant mental health disruptions.
With so much discussion about mental health surrounding these Olympics, how do you see the role of mental health officers expanding or changing for the future? Not just for the Olympics, but everywhere.
The USOPC has done an exceptional job at expanding its mental health resources and ensuring there are providers available for mental health crises and counseling services. The utilization rates of the mental health services have been great while at the Games, so I can definitely see a need for other organizations to ensure that there are mental health providers available during large sporting events.
How often are you interacting with the athletes and how do they get in contact with you if services are needed?
Since my office is on the sports medicine floor, I'm interacting with all athletes who are at the Olympic Village. Being visible to the athletes during non-emergent situations (e.g., sitting and watching Games events with them, seeing them in the dining hall, etc.) has helped humanize mental health providers so athletes are more willing to stop in and ask to talk about things. They can walk in for services, my number is on the first page on the Delegation app and there are flyers in various places with my picture, number and how to schedule appointments. We also get referrals from other people in the sports med clinic, which has been a smooth process because our offices are next door to each other.
When the athletes leave the Games, do you still have contact with them or do they have other resources made available when they return home if they need them?
When building out the mental health resources for the USOPC, it was important that we planned for post-Games mental health services. We will be having virtual "Post-Games Blues" group counseling available to all athletes (three scheduled times a week), which started Aug. 1. We also are ensuring that athletes have access to individual counseling sessions and finding the appropriate provider, either through the USOPC staff or a qualified person who is local to them.
What has been your favorite part about your Olympics experience?
So much! There's an Olympic tradition where you trade your country's pin for other countries' pins. I've been trying to collect all of the countries' pins from where my international friends are from, so those pins have extra meaning for me. I love culture, and this has been the largest melting pot you can imagine. Everyone wears their countries apparel every day, so it's been great watching how everyone interacts with each other.
Also, since we don't have TVs in our rooms, everyone congregates in the few spaces where there are TVs. So it's been enjoyable watching the events with Olympians and staff and getting to meet them and hear about their stories.
What events have been the most enjoyable to witness?
Although it's been hard to go to venues to see competitions because of COVID, it was amazing to watch the last night of gymnastics in person in the front row. We had two USA women and two USA men competing that night and it felt magical in there. Of course, it was pretty surreal to watch Simone Biles compete on the beam right in front of me.
Before arriving in Tokyo, what were you most looking forward to and were your expectations met?
I think I was just looking forward to being useful to the athletes and USA delegation. It was hard to predict how busy I would be. With only a few days left, I can say that my services were definitely utilized and I was able to find a good balance and not feel overwhelmed by the work. There were several mental health emergencies/crises and I was glad I was able to be supportive when people needed it the most.
How was that flight to Tokyo?
I expected it to be terrible, so it was actually much better than I anticipated. I had a lot of pre-check responsibilities to get into Japan because of COVID protocols, but they went smoothly for me. The flight from San Francisco to Japan was pretty empty so we all had our own row and could lay down for some rest. This flight was nice because there were several Sooners I sat by (former OU gymnasts Yul Moldauer and Allan Bower, and men's gymnastics coach Mark Williams). However, once we arrived in Japan it took about five hours to get through customs due to all of the COVID testing and protocols. In all, it was about a 26-hour trip.
