Roisin just appeared today (6/19) as an entrant in the 800 at USAs (senior race).
So, hope this is positive news she's on the rebound.
Roisin said after her NCAA race that she was going to race at USA's. But then a few days later she said she wasn't doing very well. So yes, hopefully this is a good sign.
It probably helps that her friend and teammate Juliette Whittaker will also be at USA's running the 1500. (Just kidding, Juliette is back to the 800.)
Seems like she is just unhappy. It might not have anything to do with running. What is her situtation at home?
Is she considering transferring? I know a few that went into the transfer portal because they just did not feel right at the current school Some, it helped, but not all.
On the outside, getting an athletic ride to an elite institution like Stanford seems like a great deal. I often wonder if it is too much for some athletes to balance heavy athletic training and intense academic rigor? Having difficulty doing that doesn't make you dumb or a washout. It may be too much all at once. No one disputes that an Ivy or Ivy adjacent education is a huge step-up in life but perhaps many student-athletes would be better off going to an "inferior" school with a great track program if sports are their primary driver?
I don't know if this is what Ms. Willis is specifically going through but, might an Olympic potential talent better balance sport and life at Oregon, Washington, Texas A&M, or NC State rather than trying to become an elite athlete and trying to obtain an elite degree?
On the outside, getting an athletic ride to an elite institution like Stanford seems like a great deal. I often wonder if it is too much for some athletes to balance heavy athletic training and intense academic rigor? Having difficulty doing that doesn't make you dumb or a washout. It may be too much all at once.
No one disputes that an Ivy or Ivy adjacent education is a huge step-up in life but perhaps many student-athletes would be better off going to an "inferior" school with a great track program if sports are their primary driver?
I don't know if this is what Ms. Willis is specifically going through but, might an Olympic potential talent better balance sport and life at Oregon, Washington, Texas A&M, or NC State rather than trying to become an elite athlete and trying to obtain an elite degree?
Yes, Roisin said that it's been too much all at once.
Did you know that she was in her hotel room in Austin in between the national semi and final, doing a final online?
Fortunately, Stanford doesn't need her for cross country this fall. And I don't expect her to make the USA team this year, so she can take a break from running in a few weeks from now, and try to get everything sorted out.
To answer someone else's question, she isn't currently thinking about transferring, just trying to get her life back on track at Stanford. But if things don't go well for her this summer, then maybe she will change her mind about transferring.
Yes, Roisin said that it's been too much all at once.
Did you know that she was in her hotel room in Austin in between the national semi and final, doing a final online?
Fortunately, Stanford doesn't need her for cross country this fall. And I don't expect her to make the USA team this year, so she can take a break from running in a few weeks from now, and try to get everything sorted out.
To answer someone else's question, she isn't currently thinking about transferring, just trying to get her life back on track at Stanford. But if things don't go well for her this summer, then maybe she will change her mind about transferring.
Too much??
Yes. But stop blaming others when the most pressure she feels comes from even the slightest inference that she has a chance to make the USA team.
GREAT post, thank you! THERE IS NO shame in going to therapy or counseling to find the root causes of validation issues. Therapy is the way, and more therapists are addressing "social media issues." Trust me on this...
This post was edited 12 minutes after it was posted.
Most normal girls/women from 18-35 don't have that many likes/comments on their socials, not even the popular running women in Ohio. Maybe a few but the average is far, far less. And for males, much less than that (as you note).
It’s not only a problem at Harvard or Stanford but in general I would say most colleges are completely overwhelmed with mental health cases. I coached at a large mid major, where multiple athletes has major issues. A he university’s mental health department was completely over run with cases.
I do think it is magnified in super high achieving individuals. Those top schools are so competitive it takes such an insane resume to get in that it requires one to be unbalanced.
When I was at KSU in 2005, I covered the track team for the paper. Even back then there was a ton of pressure on mid-major athletes to balance it all. I'm assuming "mental health department" in your case was the equivalent of the student wellness center?
I remember Bobby Curtis former NCAA 5k champion going through severe insomnia during college so much so he left and went home. Here's an article but the good one is behind a paywall.
Yes, Roisin said that it's been too much all at once.
Did you know that she was in her hotel room in Austin in between the national semi and final, doing a final online?
Fortunately, Stanford doesn't need her for cross country this fall. And I don't expect her to make the USA team this year, so she can take a break from running in a few weeks from now, and try to get everything sorted out. . .
At 47:44 she states she will race USAs. Loves running too much. Believes her insomnia/depression issues originate more from other matters going on in her life.
Admits the seed of her current issues was planted at age 14 when she won her first national title and started to feel the pressure – from others as well as herself – to continue winning and keep breaking records.
Severe pre-race anxieties began last year after setting the hs national indoor record.
After listening to her repeated mentions of insomnia and sleepless nights, becomes apparent she suffered from exhaustion throughout most of her just-completed freshman year.
Seems then, all her fast times and accomplishments were achieved this year due to raw physical talent unsupported by all the "little things" such as sleep.
If Roisin can get to the bottom of this insomnia issue, no telling how fast she’ll be able to go.
How do you know she gained 15 pounds? I'm not going to listen to the podcast above but was it mentioned there?
Nothing about weight was mentioned in the podcast. Personally, in seeing Willis race this year I didn't notice anything like that, probably because there was nothing to notice and that was a totally made-up comment.
How do you know she gained 15 pounds? I'm not going to listen to the podcast above but was it mentioned there?
Nothing about weight was mentioned in the podcast. Personally, in seeing Willis race this year I didn't notice anything like that, probably because there was nothing to notice and that was a totally made-up comment.
And one wonders how ED get started!! Roisin is a young woman whose body is still adjusting to itself. Bodies can change on purpose (see Sifan Hassan from 2016 compared to now), but adjusting when young, as can misplaced comments, may have consequences.
What is wrong with you. She posted that she's struggling, so let's just start criticizing a young runner's weight? I hope that if you are ever struggling with someone everyone doesn't start making up stuff about you in an effort to act like the expert on YOUR life. Stop being obsessed with the weight of young women and go see a therapist.
She posted that she's struggling, so let's just start criticizing a young runner's weight?
Your reading comprehension is very poor. I never once criticized her weight. Read what I actually wrote, not what you want to imagine that I wrote.
I was simply agreeing with a previous poster that as fast as Roisin had run this year, she will be able to run much faster once she gets her issues sorted out. And I'm sure that she will be able to get them sorted out.
And then Roisin will be running much faster than 1:59.
