SCHMITT Allison

General
OCCUPATION AIDS SWIMMING
She has worked as a counsellor for students and the general population at Arizona State University, as part of her master's degree in social work. Coach Bob Bowman said he believes her counselling work has helped her to express herself better, and she believes it has aided her swimming. "I have enjoyed the experiences and opportunities I've had as a counsellor and in my master's programme, and I think it has helped me both as a person and as a swimmer. I think my job as a swimmer and as a counsellor are completely different. I am definitely looking forward to a career path after swimming, but right now I am focusing on swimming." (swimmingworldmagazine.com, 01 Aug 2019, 02 Nov 2020)

CAREER BREAK
After competing at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, she took an extended break from competitive swimming. She thought about retiring but never confirmed her decision and decided to focus on gaining a master's degree in social work. In 2017 she returned to the pool to keep in shape but had no intention of making a competitive comeback. However, she began training full-time in January 2018 and returned to competition that April. "I soon felt young again. Coming back after 18 months to race, have fun and doing it for the joy of it was the ultimate goal as I gained a new perspective for the sport." (zwemza.com, 06 Jul 2018; swimmingworldmagazine.com, 13 Apr 2018; swimswam.com, 13 Apr 2018, 04 Apr 2018)

DEPRESSION
In May 2015 she revealed that she had been experiencing depression since the 2012 Olympic Games in London. "For two years I had a hard time. It's been tough for me. Really tough. It has taken me two years to open up about it. I couldn't talk about it. I just want people to know it is okay to ask for help. You see on social media athletes who put up a smoke screen for what's really going on. I just want to let them know that it's okay not to be okay." (swimswam.com, 18 Sep 2017; health.com, 15 Aug 2016; teamusa.org, 20 May 2015)

FURTHER EDUCATION
She has studied for a master's degree in social work at Arizona State University in the United States of America. "I want to specifically work with athletes that have mental illnesses, depression and anxiety. I never thought this is where I would be. I guess all the events and experiences that have taken place over the past few years have led me to social work. A lot of it is putting together my experiences." (hometownlife.com, 01 Aug 2018)

MENTAL HEALTH AMBASSADOR
Along with US swimmer Michael Phelps, she was named an honorary chairperson of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA] Health Awareness Day in May 2017. The event focused attention on the needs of children and young adults who have experienced mental health issues. (newsletter.samhsa.gov, 16 May 2017; swimswam.com, 18 Feb 2017)