This feature originally appeared in the 2023 Spring edition of the Cal Sports Quarterly. The Cal Athletics flagship magazine features long-form sports journalism at its finest and provides in-depth coverage of the scholar-athlete experience in Berkeley. Printed copies are mailed four times a year to Bear Backers who give annually at the Bear Club level (currently $600 or more). For more information on how you can receive a printed version of the Cal Sports Quarterly at home, send an email to CalAthleticsFund@berkeley.edu or call (510) 642-2427.




Two years after its creation, the Cameron Institute continues to be a model of excellence for universities providing student-athletes with resources that prime them for success in collegiate competition and beyond. This year, the Cameron Institute has amplified its mental performance and sport well-being services under the guidance of Dr. Graig Chow, Director of Mental Performance & Leadership Development.

Thanks to a generous financial contribution from Cal alum Vigyan Singhal ('96) and his wife, Sonali Bhushan, the Cameron Institute has created a new position called the Oski Technology Mental Performance & Life Skills Consultant which is filled by Michael Urban. Along with Dr. Chow and Senior Mental Performance Consultant Dr. Lenny Wiersma, the Cameron Institute now features three full-time staffers that focus on mental performance. 

"Mental well-being is such an unexplored area of medicine and science," Singhal said. "All we can do is support people. The biggest thing I wish this gift could accomplish is to show the student-athletes that we are supporting them. For them to know that there's places to go, more resources and that there's people who are going to help them with mental performance – that's the best thing I can offer."

"We are truly grateful for Dr. Singhal's commitment to Cal student-athletes and coaches' mental performance and well-being," Cameron Institute Director Dr. Marissa Nichols said. "Graig is building an exceptional program, and I'm grateful for the opportunity and ability to add two truly exceptional practitioners in Michael Urban and Dr. Wiersma"

Dr. Chow, Urban and Dr. Wiersma provide services to student-athletes during their time at Cal and transferable tools for navigating life beyond Berkeley. They have adopted a new caseload model this year, where each Intercollegiate Athletics team that opts in will be assigned a mental performance consultant who can provide team and small group sessions, one-on-one sessions for student-athletes and sessions with coaches. Consultants are integrated within the teams – attending training sessions, competitions and, in some cases, traveling to provide support across all the areas of the student-athlete experience.

Cal beach volleyball has already taken advantage of these services. The team engages in weekly mental performance sessions with Dr. Chow, which include group discussions, self-reflection exercises and mental skills training. Like any other training session on the sand courts, these sessions give student-athletes a space to train their minds in preparation for the stress and pressure of a collegiate competition circuit.

"The biggest thing we've discussed in our sessions is finding ways to maintain high confidence and identifying what we as individual players need in moments of adversity," junior beach volleyball player Maya Gessner said. "Graig has been so helpful with developing our mindset tactics and finding ways to stay confident after a tough loss or bad practice. Everyone is different, so we learned what our 'plan B' is for when things aren't going our way. I've learned how to acknowledge when something isn't working for me and trust that I'm a good enough player to still win. Then, I can better identify what alternatives I can use to be successful."

"With the addition of Dr. Lenny Wiersma and Michael Urban, along with the new caseload model, we have positioned the Mental Performance & Leadership Development pillar of the Cameron Institute to be a leader in the performance psychology space within intercollegiate athletics," Chow said. "We are building a mental performance program that is truly unique that optimizes the mindset, performance, leadership and sport experiences of our student-athletes, and supports our coaches and teams in their pursuit of excellence."