In 2011, CVU men’s hockey was the pinnacle of success in Vermont. That season, the Redhawks capped a four-year streak of championship appearances with a 1–0 win over rival Essex High School. remarkable JP Benoit. While that was certainly a positive when Benoit interviewed for a high school teaching position, his biggest pitch was about a new passion. “A lot of things that I talked about in my interview were about mental health,” Benoit said. “We want our children to know that they are not alone.” This helped Benoit land a position as a wellness instructor at CVU, in addition to becoming the head coach of the boys’ hockey program at age 25. When he received the keys to the team, CVU didn’t have much success. This made it even more important for Benoit to focus on mental health within the team. , Fay reflected on her early days in high school and how Benoit helped connect with the team even when the wins weren’t piling up. “He’s been a great role model,” Fay said. One of the pillars of Benoit’s strategy around sports psychology involves positive self-talk, which the team uses as a tool to help players succeed on and off the ice. “He helped me build my confidence and believe in myself and my abilities,” said CVU Captain Jason Douglas. The Redhawks goaltender has seen plenty of minutes since his freshman year but credits Benoit with the ability to break through to reach his potential. A graduate of the University of Vermont, Benoit initially took courses in mental health while attending college. Now he uses it to spread the message to help his players in the game, but more importantly, in life. “You’re going to need help sometimes,” Benoit said. “If you can get them to understand that, one, you can save a child’s life and two, you empower a child to do whatever they want to move forward.”
In 2011, CVU men’s hockey was the pinnacle of success in Vermont. That season, the Redhawks capped a four-year streak of championship appearances with a 1–0 victory over rival Essex High School.
Fast forward to 2022, and the bliss of raising multiple state title banners remains one of former CVU standout JP Benoit’s fondest memories. While that was certainly a positive factor when Benoit interviewed for a high school teaching job, his biggest pitch surrounded a new passion.
“A lot of things that I talked about in my interview were about mental health,” Benoit said. “We want our children to know that they are not alone.”
This helped Benoit land a position as a wellness instructor at CVU, in addition to becoming the head coach of the boys’ hockey program at age 25.
When he received the keys to the team, CVU didn’t have much success. This made it even more important for Benoit to focus on mental health within the team.
“JP was right next to us to make sure [that] if we had mental issues, we were fine,” said CVU men’s hockey captain Devon Fay.
Now a senior, Fay reflected on his early days in high school and how Benoit helped connect with the team even when the wins weren’t piling up.
“He’s been a great role model,” Fay said.
One of the pillars of Benoit’s strategy around sports psychology involves positive self-talk, which the team uses as a tool to help players succeed on and off the ice.
“He helped me build my confidence and believe in myself and my abilities,” CVU captain Jason Douglas said.
The Redhawks goaltender has seen plenty of minutes since his freshman year, but credits Benoit for his ability to break through to reach his potential.
A graduate of the University of Vermont, Benoit initially took courses in mental health while taking courses at university. Now he uses it to spread the message to help his players in the game, but more importantly, in life.
“You’re going to need help sometimes,” Benoit said. “If you can get them to understand that, one, you can save a child’s life and two, you empower a child to do whatever they want to move forward.”
#CVU #coach #teaches #mental #health #classes #players #perform