For the third consecutive year, students from SUNY Oswego's Department of Health Promotion and Wellness had the unique opportunity to engage in a discussion on mental fitness and well-being with New South Wales Rugby League Community and Welfare Officer Paul Langmack at the NSWRL Centre of Excellence in Sydney, Australia.
As part of their visit, Langmack led a 20-minute session on the importance of maintaining mental resilience, reinforcing themes central to his "Changing Rooms" program — a long-standing initiative aimed at promoting mental well-being in schools, sports clubs and organizations across Australia.
“Physical fitness you can see, but mental fitness is not so easy to see,” Langmack told the students. “We all have bad days, but if you go to bed thinking tomorrow will be better, that’s being mentally fit.”
This impactful discussion aligned with the students' coursework and future careers in allied health, wellness coaching and corporate well-being programs. Associate professor Elizabeth Keida noted that experiencing these messages in a global setting was particularly powerful.
“We’re teaching similar themes as Paul talked about today,” Keida said. “But I think it’s more impactful seeing and hearing it on the other side of the world. I feel Australia is more open to talking about these things than we are in the U.S.”
The visit also earned media coverage in Australia via the NSWRL.
Langmack has reached over 2,500 people through "Changing Rooms" and is set to expand his outreach in 2025, touring 40 to 60 Rugby League clubs in regional New South Wales. His message remains clear: prioritizing mental fitness is just as crucial as physical health.
-- Submitted by the Department of Health Promotion and Wellness