Hitting the Wall

Julia H. '26

Hitting the Wall (HTW) is a youth-led platform and workshop series I founded to support teen female-identifying athletes in building healthy, sustainable habits. It began when I noticed a pattern of overuse injuries and unhealthy training practices in myself and my cross-country teammates. Alongside peers like Maahir ’26 and Alyssa ’26, health professionals at UCSF, and community partners such as the YMCA, SFUSD, and USA Triathlon, we’ve worked to research, create, and share accessible, evidence-based resources. Our Bay Area volunteer team has hosted 12 workshops on topics ranging from breaking stigma around nutrition labels to communicating with teachers about missed classes for competition, delivered wellness items to 109 schools, funded a local girls’ ultimate frisbee team’s trip to nationals, and launched a podcast featuring Olympians, founders, and fellow young athletes.

I do this work because I believe sport should be a source of joy, connection, and confidence. I know what it feels like to sit out a season, to feel like your body has betrayed you, or to keep quiet about struggles because no one else seems to be talking about them. The first time I opened up to other athletes, I realized how many of us were carrying the same weight in silence. HTW is my way of breaking that silence, so no young athlete has to feel alone in their body, their health, or their love of the game.