The BYU phenomen--alternate theories

Here's the secret, guys. It's everything.

1.) Some of the athletes are older than the average athlete.

2.) They train at altitude.

3.) Have a great culture of success.

4.) Have great coaching in a nearly ideal running environment.

It's not one thing or the other, it's all the things.

A lot of good points made which explains why BYU seems to always have a stacked distance squad year after year.

Moral high ground wrote:

Why impose your morals on someone else? You sound like a typical liberal. Liberals are the most close minded group of people in our soviety.

What's moral (or immoral), about coffee and of-age alcohol consumption? Of not wanting to study Mormonism in painful detail?

I haven't voted for a democrat since the seventies knucklehead.

If Ed Eyestone suddenly announced that he was leaving the LDS financial empire, he'd be fired immediately and thrown off campus. BYU and Liberty (Protestants) are the only D1 universities where something like that could take place.

If The Church of Scientology owned a D1 university, it would bear a remarkable resemblance to BYU.

distance running is popular with Mormon kids and Mormon kids all go to the same school

end of story

Mueller Light wrote:

Moral high ground wrote:

Why impose your morals on someone else? You sound like a typical liberal. Liberals are the most close minded group of people in our soviety.

What's moral (or immoral), about coffee and of-age alcohol consumption? Of not wanting to study Mormonism in painful detail?

I haven't voted for a democrat since the seventies knucklehead.

If Ed Eyestone suddenly announced that he was leaving the LDS financial empire, he'd be fired immediately and thrown off campus. BYU and Liberty (Protestants) are the only D1 universities where something like that could take place.

If The Church of Scientology owned a D1 university, it would bear a remarkable resemblance to BYU.

Do you think that binge drinking helps in distance running? Do you feel that binge drinking should be excluded in any kind of moral code?

Your comments about BYU and Liberty? So what? What is your point? That private institutions aren't allowed to set their own rules and standards? Or do they need your approval before they set standards and rules? I would not want to go to either school, but that's the idea about America, free choice. Don't go there or teach there if you don't like it. Pretty simple. Are you bothered that the people at BYU like it there?

News flash: BYU students gather by the hundreds to protest Honor Code Office.

"We have a problem Houston."

Ever since they started selling those devilish caffeinated coca cola products on campus last year, faith in the ethics code has gone down the tubes. God dang liberal Mormon students. Next thing you know, they'll want Starbucks, mini- skirts and beards. The shame of it all.

There is less than zero academic stress at BYU; it is a clown college.

The two year age advantage is huge. Mormons should do their little missions after completing college eligibility. Absolutely no reason to let this cheating abuse to go on.

Missionaries travel in pairs so that they can rat each other out, simple as that.

Mormons are easy to coach because they don't have the intellectual capacity or the spine to question authority. They are easily duped, hence the whole believing in becoming a god and getting their own planet with all their wives and children when they die, believing in a convicted con man finding golden plates that he translated by using magic rocks, believing that Jesus and satan are brothers from the planet Kolob, believing that their underwear is magic, etc. etc. etc. with the endless list of bizarre and childish beliefs in this cult.

Don't know if the eat any healthier than others, but Utah has the highest consumption of Jello. Mormons eat a ton of sugar and processed junk, along with most americans.

Sitting through the mind numbing endless church sessions helps mormons learn to turn off rational thinking, which is a great advantage for running.

BYU has much higher admission standards than the average college. The average ACT score is 29 which is the same as Wisconsin, Georgia, or Washington.

It is sad when people make sweeping accusations against other groups such as blacks or women or Mormons or Hispanics. Try to judge people as individuals. As far as actual statistics go, try to look them up before making false statements. Mormons are more likely to be: married, younger, white, earn more, and have an undergraduate degree.

The stability and low-drama nature of the BYU TF/XC program (think Arizona), combined with Eyestone and crew being a great assemblage of coaches to work with, would have had great appeal to me as a non-Mormon coming out of high school. Utah has a lot to offer for an outdoors oriented person.

Unfortunately, the environment at BYU is like the former East German police state. From the moment they step on campus, non-Mormons have to deal with a full court press of psychological warfare.

If the controlling authority ever grows up, a more mature and welcoming approach towards non-Mormon students could involve:

a. Show newly arriving non-LDS students a movie about their Church. Book of Mormon studies requirement is now complete.

b. Introduce them to local missionaries and pass out phone numbers (and then leave them alone).

c. Create an independent religious studies program that would allow non-Mormon students to conduct research in areas of interest to them.

d. Let them to drink coffee and tea off campus.

Dude, BYU is a private Mormon school! If a student doesn't like their campus policies and practices, it's not a good fit and he/she should go elsewhere.

ShAwn H, I am very sorry you’ve wasted your talent on a false religion.

This dude recently quit the mormon church. He’s bitter and lashing out, but he’ll settle down after a few years.

What are you talking about? They don’t want non Mormons at the school unless it’s a non mormon who is on the path to becoming a mormon. Frankly, you are very much like them. You want them to conform to what you think is right.

It’s a private institution. They make their their choices. You make yours. Don’t go there if you don’t like it.

Thinks too clearly to have ever been a mormon. Everything in zoobie's post is factual and any mormon who says otherwise is a liar.

Joe smith and his 27 preteen wives wrote:

It will get better wrote:

This dude recently quit the mormon church. He’s bitter and lashing out, but he’ll settle down after a few years.

Thinks too clearly to have ever been a mormon. Everything in zoobie's post is factual and any mormon who says otherwise is a liar.

Guess what bro. You were also an LDS member at some point.

"don't have the intellectual capacity"

Yeah I don't see any bigotry there.

People of all religions believe crazy things. People who aren't religious believe crazy things. Welcome to humanity. There is strong psychometric evidence to suggest there is no association between religiosity and intelligence. They are independent of one another.

I think you can accuse mormons of a lot of things. They are definitely gullible and too trusting. But all the mormons I know are intelligent and well educated.

BYU has reached a fork in the road. Their effort to join the BIG12 was shot down

By some leftist university presidents and student organizations. Since then, Associate AD Darger has been conducting formal BYU outreach to that same community in an attempt to avoid resistance the next time around (if there ever is a next time). The athletic department broke out the smoke and mirrors and put a video together that attempted to showcase their diversity and inclusion. Diversity at BYU?

As the only major D1 University actually owned by a Church, they can pull the guns out and stand fast with their policies, or make some changes to the honor code and its enforcement.

In my lifetime, the majority of Catholic Universities have become anti-faith places ("The Land of Lakes Agreement"). This happened in the blink of an eye. Change can go haywire.

Just put the smoke and mirrors away and choose a path forward. Don't complain if the 1-2 star football players only win 4-6 games a season. BYU TF is doing fine without a conference.

This can't possibly be on LR - a thoughtful, articulate, self deprecating, and neutral discussion of a religious commitment. I learned a lot from this post, and now have a better understanding of the day to day life and time requirements of someone on one of these missions. (not to mention the mating habits)

I appreciate the time you took to write this, and hope that you have found success with your wife and family in many other ways.

Eyestone is a great coach, BYU gets great athletes, and the two extra years of maturity is beneficial.

The diet isn't an issue. Mormons don't drink alcohol, coffee or tea. Caffeine is not banned, so they can and do drink caffeinated sodas. They don't have any other dietary restrictions.

If you wanted to look at diet, you should look at colleges with a high percentage of Seventh-day Adventists. They are vegetarians and live much longer than the average person.

Diet is not a factor for Mormons with regard to running.