The first edition of PalmettoPreps.com's "Process for Progress" series is now available.

For this installment, we spoke with several figures associated with South Carolina high school football and got their takes on multiple topics.

We talked with Myrtle Beach quarterback Ryan Burger, Blue Ridge head football coach James Thurn, and student-athlete parent/community mentor Craig Smith.

QUESTION 1: How much discussion do you have with your teammates, coaches, teachers, and administrators regarding mental health? How does that compare to just a few years ago?

RYAN BURGER: "Whenever someone is feeling down or I can tell someone is down or someone that I think is feeling down about anything, I will always check on them to make sure they are okay as will the coaches, teachers, trainers. Mental health is a huge deal these deals as suicides increase every year, just by a conversation, I could save someone’s life."

CRAIG SMITH: I am lot more mindful of mental health issues during this pandemic because the kids are experiencing unprecedented challenges and disruption. We as adults can’t ignore these facts and be so self consumed that we forget that we weren’t as emotionally on top of things as we now are. So I check in on kids all of the time and have one on one relaxing activities with my son. At the end of the day we have to be better listeners and even more intense champions for these kids and their uniquely challenged goals.

JAMES THURN: We talk about mental health more than we ever have. I know in our program, we encourage our young men to talk to us about what they have going on and as coaches, we want to be there for them in whatever capacity they may need. Whether it is a shoulder to cry on or just an ear to listen we want to make sure that that family atmosphere is in place. We are getting better and better every year at understanding mental health and how important it is to our young people. As a school, we just entered a no homework weekend so students have a chance to spend time with family and relax without having to worry about homework or tests on Monday. Little things like this can make a big difference.

QUESTION 2: What are some specific things you believe can be done or should be done to continue to improve race relations in schools and in athletics?

BURGER: I think leaders need to step up in the world right now, not only in schools but in the world with all of the events going on with race right now. People need support and to feel that are wanted with all of the violence and actions in today’s world. In athletics, all schools don’t have great coaches/leaders, but you don’t have to be a great coach to be a great leader.

CRAIG SMITH: I think more team functions that include families should be funded by the district. The more kids get to know each other the better their level of racial assimilation. Intolerance comes from the unknown so being able to get folks comfortable with each other in team building exercises involving faculty, student athletes, coaches, etc. would be a great way to improve race relations.

THURN: I believe that conversations are the most important thing. If we do not have open conversations with other people to hear their side and what they have been through we will never learn and grow. It is vital to learn from our mistakes but you cannot do that if you do not put yourself in someone else’s shoes. Those conversations can be difficult and sometimes uncomfortable but they are necessary in order to progress and actually make change.

QUESTION 3: What does it mean to you to be a good teammate?

BURGER: A good teammate is someone who looks out for other teammates. You can have jokes and fun and everything but at the end of the day, a good teammate is respected and thought of highly by his/her teammates. That’s what a good teammate is, a great leader, person and well respected.

SMITH: To me a good teammate is a competent leader and a willing follower. To hold teammates accountable and hold yourself accountable. Good teammates are good teammates to every player from the super star to the fourth string center.

THURN: As a player, I always wanted to make sure that my actions matched my words. I never wanted to allow anyone to outwork me and I always wanted to be there to support my teammates. I do that same thing as a coach. You have to be real and authentic otherwise you lose people’s respect. You have to set a standard of excellence and ensure that everyone is pursuing that same goal. Without this, your team and/or program will fail.

QUESTION 4: Regardless of the topic, what are some things you’d like to see implemented in high school athletics to help players from a mental and physical standpoint?

BURGER: I think a person needs to be hired at every school for mental health. A mental health counselor. Their job would be to check on kids and make sure everyone is okay and make sure that they are there for a person when they are in need. Kids in sports can get sad about playing time or they have a bad game or a loss but really, it’s not that big of a deal and someone to talk to would benefit the kids greatly.

SMITH: As far as things to be implemented, I think their should be all-academic awards for student athletes if we are indeed putting academics first. Colleges have figured out how to determine these awards so high schools can as well. I would also like to see a sports psychologist being a more intimate part of programs with more hands on interaction with the student athletes. And thirdly, there should be more leadership training in our schools regardless of athletic participation. Our kids need it.

THURN: I think it is imperative that we are teaching our young men and women life skills. Most high school athletes will never win a state championship and some will never even play in the playoffs. So winning and losing should not be at the forefront of what we are doing in high school athletics. As coaches, we need to ensure that our young men and women are better 15 to 20 years down the road then they are when they are with us. In my mind, high school athletics should be about helping our young student-athletes become better brothers and sisters, future parents and citizens. If it is all about winning and losing and obtaining a scholarship, then we are failing our young people.