Jennifer Siebel Newsom encourages sports for CA body, mind at Sacramento event
California First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom joined families in downtown Sacramento on Friday to celebrate the connection between physical activity and mental health during the fourth annual Move Your Body, Calm Your Mind Day.
Speaking to the crowd at Street Soccer USA’s field on Eighth Street, Siebel Newsom drew on her experiences as a Division I soccer player at Stanford and a member of the U.S. Women’s Junior National Soccer Team, saying sports helped build her confidence and resilience while underscoring the importance of physical activity for mental well-being.
“Dance and sports gave me confidence, sports taught me resilience,” she said.
The community celebration was organized by the Governor’s Advisory Council on Physical Fitness and Mental Wellbeing to mark the end of Mental Health Awareness Month and support another statewide initiative called California Love, California Strong, a set of monthly events “rooted in self-care, service and social connection.”
Kids and adults alike participated in a variety of activities, including soccer, dance, tai chi and boxing, as a DJ played songs including Daft Punk’s “Lose Yourself to Dance” and Erick Sermon’s “Music” through speakers set up on the field.
“It seemed like a fun way to spend the evening as a family,” said Natalie Hernandez, who brought her children to the event.
At the DJ’s direction, participants gathered around tables to watch demonstrations, including a period of “sound healing,” and a youth dance group that encouraged the crowd to stand and dance together.
In addition to discussing her own sports experiences, Siebel Newsom spoke about her children.
“As a mom of four, I see those same lessons unfolding in my children’s lives,” she said. But, the First Partner said, she also sees “how much our youth sports culture has changed,” citing the increased cost of youth sports, the intensity of competition and pressure on children to perform well.
Other speakers included Renata Simril, president and CEO of the LA84 Foundation and president of the Play Equity Fund; Jessica Wilson, CEO of the National Alliance on Mental Illness California; and Lisa Wrightsman, managing director of Street Soccer USA’s Sacramento chapter, who spoke about how playing soccer helped her through her struggle with addiction.
After another brief period of physical activity, families again crowded around tables, this time to pick up brown paper boxes containing sandwiches, fruit, cookies and chips. Several guest panels featuring teen and youth athletes, psychologists, parents and sports coaches then concluded the event.
“I love the message today when they’re saying it’s not extra,” said Kristi Yamaguchi, the two-time world figure skating champion and a gold medalist at the 1992 Olympics in France who sits on the state advisory committee. “It’s not a privilege. It’s a necessity.”
