I enjoyed the following video a lot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2YtzJA6NoE&feature=youtu.be
I enjoyed the following video a lot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2YtzJA6NoE&feature=youtu.be
Running's just a thing and if you're looking for it to save you, it won't.
Glad she found her thing!
I imagine this is a condition that is more prevalent in recent decades where kids are asked to specialize in a sport from very young, and then identify themselves and their self worth solely by that sport and how they perform. It might make for some great athletes - but the process makes for some very shallow, unsatisfied human beings. If finding God is what brings them out of that shell and shows them a world outside of their very small bubble, good for them. Therapy would probably find a similar path, without the messiness of organized religion (forgive the bitterness, I was raised Catholic). Not sure how this shines a good light on Michigan athletics. She basically felt unsupported and depressed until she found an outside organization that helped her. I was expecting an LDS tag at the end of the video, not UM brandishing this as a positive outcome that they had any hand in. But anyway, good for her.
Oh my god this was painful to watch! I literally could not even get past the fake limping off at practice with a face that looked like she was searching for water in the Sahara!!!! PAINFUL. I have no idea if it got better after the first 3 mins but my quota for bad storytelling was full.
Kudos to Erin for speaking openly about her struggles with injury and the toll it can take on personal identity. I know I've hit a few low points over my running career due to injury or training just not "clicking." The pressure to appear perfect is a persistent issue, and I appreciate that people are more willing to speak up and normalize what we all think and feel.
Thanks, Erin, for publicly stepping forward to share how you maintain balance and perspective!
Rojo, while the overall message here is good (do not let running rule your life and cause severe mental illness -- e.g., depression), I feel there is a real problem in the program described in the video, and consequently the U of M-funded video.
As others on the thread have alluded to, the focus on the AIA program, described in the video as "a campus ministry program" must be seen as inappropriate solution for mental-health challenged athletes. Public institutions in the modern age (in which science-based curriculum should be prevalent) should not be using funding dollars to espouse the virtues of supernaturalism, which is offered as a panacea (to an actual human problem) in the video.
At present at the U of M, are only "believers" amongst depressed athletes able to access university-sanctioned services? And one would hope in this case that -- to be fair and equitable -- a full range of services is available for students that are humanists and don't subscribe to the supernaturalism that is central to the text in the AIA program.
I was part of AIA while at UofM, and stayed on to volunteer as a mentor for student-athletes with them for another 6 years. I was very very surprised to see AIA mentioned in this video, as the organization (at least in the past) has no formal affiliation with the university at all. The use of a meeting room is about all the support they have received. For a public institution to see value in the free mentor support provided for by a christian sport organization shows that the athletes must be benefiting from it. AIA helps any athlete who wants someone to talk through life with. Ann Arbor is the last place I would expect christianity to be promoted!!
But perhaps they just wanted Erin to tell her story, and this is her story. Good for UofM for not avoiding someone's faith.
Rojo,
Thank you for sharing this. I saw this earlier today on social media, and found it very positive. I coach high school athletes and some post collegiate athletes and at some point in their running, it becomes all to easy to find their identity tied to their running, and more specifically their performances. We work with each individual to help them understand their worth and identity is not tied to some athletic performance, and that they should have other outlets, purposes, etc.
I think the focus on student athlete/athlete mental health is so important, especially in light of the recent suicide of Tyler Hilinski. College students face a number of challenges at this period of life, and too often their identity and worth are wrapped up in academic and/or athletic performances, all while dealing with other stressors.
Some of those posting on here are complaining because Erin mentioned her faith as an outlet for her, that it gave her purpose beyond running. That's Erin's story, and it begins the conversation (which is really what a 3 minute video is supposed to do) on the realities of mental health and athletics. At no point was this a religious indoctrination video, or some endorsement of dealing with the stress of an athlete via religion. It was a small part of a larger issue, the mental health issue resulting from performance based identities for student athletes.
Apparently the bias of some of the more jaded members of the letsrun.com community have to come to these boards and complain about their own experiences and their own issues. But I think the video was completely appropriate, and yes, a number of my student athletes I coach and even the post-collegiates have found some faith based communities that help them find an identity outside of running. Others have picked up another sport to experience alongside, others find some community program, etc. In most cases, they haven't needed counseling, just some other outlet to help them or something else that gave them purpose than running.
The University of Michigan is a highly respected research university with an excellent medical school. If their mental health department felt that this was an appropriate video, and that the MAIN POINT was sharing one athlete's story about how finding purpose outside of their sport improved their mental health, then I will defer to them without any concerns. After all, they are the experts. One can debate the efficacy and value of religion if they want. That's not the point of the video. If Erin Finn found fingerpainting was her outlet or way to find purpose, comfort, and mental stability, would anyone complain that fingerpainting wasn't appropriate, scientifically based, or whatever.
Personally, I'm thankful that student-athletes are willing to be vulnerable with their struggles, and share their stories to help others.
Thanks Nick and gobluesasquatch for the thoughtful replies to my viewpoint.
Again, I'm totally on-board with the intent of the video (young people's mental health is so critical) but had to question the way the video "reads" as a public-institution-based recommendation. Nick, you mention that AIA is not funded by the university and I'll go along with that.
My concern is that as the U of M facilitates AIA to run a program like this on campus for student athletes with mental health concerns, they would thus encourage inclusivity in accepting programs like this one on campus for those that are of "non-faith", or as I put it humanist philosophies.
If that’s her story then let her tell it. It would actually be more of a problem for the U of M to approach her and ask for a testimony, only to ditch it when they realized it had religious undertones. This is what being unbiased means. She didn’t seem to imply that AIA was the only way to achieve a healthy perspective on running.
I'll admit in the year 2018 I was shocked that a public university had a video talking about an athlete finding God. But I don't have a problem with it at all. I found it to be refreshing.
The message of the video - was find something outside of your sport so you don't become depressed if you get injured. What she found (whether it's christian god, Muslim God, volunteer work, etc.) is pretty much not the message. I applaud UM for not running away from the video simply because it had a religious tone to it in this particular case.
It's interesting the conversation has focused so closely on AIA and overlooked the creator of the video, Athletes Connected, a collaboration among the athletic dept, School of Public Health, and UM Depression Center. The program is a pilot of sorts and started with a grant from the NCAA. Essentially, Michigan is recognizing the natural pressures that student-athletes undergo and looking for a way to improve overall well-being. For Erin, that's her faith and AIA was an outlet. But AIA is separate from Athletes Connected as a whole, which is not a religiously affiliated.
Thanks for this additional information and clarification. "Athletes Connected" appeared to be the title of the video, and there was more in the narrative about AIA than Athletes Connected -- though the URL is listed at the end.
Erin will be the best AmerIcan Marathoner ever. I just know it.
Nothing matters except what you do for God and what you do for others in God's name. Even nonbelievers accomplish this everyday, many times better than Christians.
Who cares about the person who won a NCAA title 10 years ago. Erin is giving back by sharing..
Our country was founded on Christian principles and we should not be oppressed by those who want to change our laws to sinful ones.
Thanks for sharing this video, Rojo. I graduated from Michigan, and I admit that I was surprised to see that the university did not shy away from Erin's faith. As others have noted, the segment is not about her faith, it is about her finding purpose in something aside from an activity. I doubt that people have this sort of response if she had joined something like Big Sisters instead of Athletes in Action. Let's be glad that she has learned that running is something she does rather than her source of identity. That's a healthy approach.
Go Blue.
This is a great video (although I cringe at the religious overtones). Please know, for everyone reading this, that there is more to life than running. At younger ages, we may not be able to realize this, but we always need something to fall back on beyond one thing that we sometimes let define our identity.
vivalarepublica wrote:
This is a great video (although I cringe at the religious overtones). Please know, for everyone reading this, that there is more to life than running. At younger ages, we may not be able to realize this, but we always need something to fall back on beyond one thing that we sometimes let define our identity.
The god thing was depressing knowing she's going to have to recover from Christianity now once she grows ups & realizes it's all a lie. But as a college coach at a similar institution, I can say not getting in the way of this cult is still better than watching a kid go down the drain of depression & possibly committing suicide. I guess I kind of liken it to getting your kids to believe in Santa Claus or later telling them they can be anything they want when they grow up...neither are true & are going to take some serious damage control once they realize this...but if it gets them through a rough patch...hey, better than the alternative. And yes, one of the tougher conversations I have to have with my athletes is that there is more to life than running. If this is what does the trick to convince them of this...hey, whatever.
As an engineer I am not a huge fan of the AIA. Architects are a bunch of idiots.
What's the over/under on times Michigan grads mention they graduated from Michigan on this thread? 6?