Former coach's presentation in St. Charles aims to raise awareness of mental health

Mark Potter admits he had a "cloud over my head" with no idea how to get out from under that feeling.

This happens to those suffering from anxiety and depression, but Potter didn't know he was dealing with either.

The former college basketball coach from Newman University in Wichita, Kansas, knows now but had to hit rock bottom 16 years ago when he could barely function in work or life and contemplated suicide.

Potter's story of recovering from that cliff is one that everyone should hear, but primarily those in a similar situation whose lives seem to be altering in such a way that nothing brings on happiness or enjoyment, whether it is people, places or things that were once beloved.

Area coaches and student-athletes can benefit from hearing Potter's story in a presentation at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 1, at Norris Cultural Arts Center in St. Charles or, for St. Charles Unit District 303 families only, through a virtual presentation Thursday, Sept. 2.

In his role as a member of the St. Charles East sports boosters, 16th Circuit Chief Judge Clint Hull was a key in bringing Potter and his wife, Nanette, to the area for this presentation. Potter's story resonated with Hull, who has dealt with many young people in his courtroom trying to recover from addictions brought on by trying to soothe depression or anxiety.

The beginning of the 58-year-old Potter's recovery began in 2005 when, during his 19th year of head coaching, he missed eight games and 28 practices because of severe depression and anxiety. He lost 30 pounds over six weeks and had suicidal thoughts.

"I wasn't going to tell anyone (about his feelings) and hid it from my wife," Potter said. "She knew I was always stressed out during the basketball season and was a different guy, always on edge. My wife thought it was just part of what we do."

It was far more than that - and it came to a head when Potter had to go scout another team about an hour from his home. He couldn't do it. He sat in his chair at home, crying.

"It affects you in many ways, more than you think," Potter said. "Some people self-medicate through alcohol or drugs, but that was never my way. But I just felt like I was lost."

When his wife asked if he needed her to drive to that game, he agreed. On the way, he finally told her what he was feeling and that he couldn't continue to live like that.

As a teacher for 32 years, Nanette, who is part of the public speaking engagements, had been trained to recognize mental health traits but didn't pick up on her husband's problems. She got a doctor's appointment for him immediately.

And like so many suffering from this mental illness, Potter, even after all he had been through, was refusing to go.

"I had an assistant coach who was 6-6 and 260 pounds, and my wife threatened to call him if I didn't go and that he would drag me to the car," Potter said. "So I went."

After learning he was suffering from severe depression, doctors put Potter on medication and counseling. He felt terrible for a few weeks, but the medicine eventually kicked in, and he started to feel normal again.

When he informed his team, a local sportswriter heard about it and asked if he could do a story about Potter's experience. At first, he didn't want to make it public, but a freshman on the team convinced Potter that it would be helpful to many people if he talked about it with the sportswriter.

After deciding to go public, the story in the local Wichita paper led to another article in the NCAA Magazine, a periodical Hull reads.

He reached out to Potter and pitched the idea to come to St. Charles.

After years of trying to organize it, everything finally came together this year.

Because of COVID-19, as of this writing, it was uncertain how many people would be able to attend the in-person presentation on Sept. 1 hosted by the boosters and school district. Those interested in attending can send an email to Hull at hullclint@att.net to obtain the most current information.

The online presentation on Sept. 2 is for St. Charles Unit District 303 families, who can register through the Parent University portion of the District 303 website.

"I am very excited about this coming to St. Charles," Hull said. "Mark and his wife will be here to tell their story and about the importance of mental health."

Speaking from experience, Potter is sure to hit all of the right notes in trying to help those who feel everything is hopeless.

"One thing I speak loudly about is the stigma that is attached to mental health issues, and it is probably worst in the athletic world than most any other out there," Potter said, as his presentation comes at a time when many high-profile athletes are finally speaking about mental challenges. "We are raised to not talk about this particular problem in athletics, to instead suck it up, pull up our bootstraps and get going. I was that way for many years until I went through severe depression myself."

Potter's credentials lend credence to his public talks, considering he has been coach of the year five times in his conference and named one of the top 15 most influential people in Wichita sports.

He's been inducted into the Cowley College Hall of Fame, the Newman University Hall of Fame, the Wichita Sports Hall of Fame and most recently, the National Baseball Congress Hall of Fame.

The basketball court at Newman University was named 'The Potter Family Court' in 2013.

'Desolate' by design?

One can only imagine how much more congested the Tri-Cities area would be if the property that makes up DuPage Airport and Fermilab were full of houses, townhouses or apartments.

The open areas on the east side of Kane County have often come up for debate in decades past. In the 1980s, some Kane politicians even accused DuPage politicians of making sure there was little or no development in this region as they would steer businesses and developers to their county by noting how "desolate" Kane was.

It was a strange complaint at the time, but easier to understand now, considering those areas haven't changed much. Plans for a highway to connect interstates 88 and 90 along the east side of Fermilab never came to pass, and a crazy idea for an auto racing site on airport property folded years ago.

So, somewhat thankfully, we're left with a lot of open lands.

Think about it for a moment. What if all of that vast area was filled with homes and people? Our downtown traffic would be far worse than it already is.

Birds and apps

Though I likely wouldn't have the patience for it, I've always been intrigued by those who understand and get much pleasure from bird watching.

I like looking at different birds in the trees of the forest preserve or even those in my backyard. But it never dawned on me that today's technology can enhance the experience.

The Kane County Forest Preserve District offers a session about bird watching apps for your phone from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 20, at the Creek Bend Nature Center in LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve in St. Charles.

The session teaches participants about the Merlin and eBird apps, which offer some tools for beginners. After the session, you'll head out with a district naturalist to try the apps.

dheun@sbcglobal.net