Senior Laura Morrison, perhaps the best female runner Fredonia has ever had, also has a deep interest in psychology. So in explaining how she's been able to compete with the best runners in the country, it's helpful that we do a quick psychology experiment:
Take a look at the series of lines below. If you were asked to match the line on the left to either line "A", "B", or "C" on the right, which would you choose?
But in 1951, Solomon Asch at Swarthmore College gathered a group of eight students to perform this same experiment, but with a catch. Seven of the eight students were told beforehand to purposely give wrong answers so that only one student was truly participating in the experiment. When confronted with the pressure of peers giving the wrong answer, the "real" subjects gave at least one wrong answer 70% of the time.
The experiment reveals a contradiction in human nature: on the one hand we have a desire for individual freedom, and on the other, a desire for relationship. We fear that by standing out, we'll no longer be accepted by the community.
This contradiction gave me a framework to understand how Morrison attained a No. 3 national-ranking in the half-mile run (2:12.05). Blessed with running ability since grade school, beating all the boys in the mile-run, she was scared to reveal her full potential in college if it meant outrunning her training partner at the time.
It wasn't until junior Bonnie Binggeli encouraged her to step out of her comfort zone during races that Morrison began climbing the national rankings. It turns out that individual freedom and relationship are deeply interconnected:
Ryan Maloney: Is there any sense of isolation that comes with being this good at what you do? The reason I ask is because a lot of athletes are uncomfortable with standing out. Especially in the weight room, they tend not to put weight on the bar unless that's what everyone else is doing.
Laura Morrison: In cross country people will limit themselves based on what other people are doing. When you're trying to achieve a certain time, that's not going to be very beneficial. Bonnie (Binggeli) gave me one of the best pieces of advice I've ever heard this past season; she said, "don't be afraid to just go ahead of her." I would feel obligated to stay with (my training partner) for most of the race. Bonnie told me I might be faster than her. If she didn't say that to me I probably would have run slower the entire season.
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| Laura Morrison (center), and Bonnie Binggeli (far left) |
RM: It sounds like a courageous act on Bonnie's part. Would you really have done that?
Morrison: I think it made a really big difference, just knowing you're not limited by someone else. I see it in our weight room too. People will use whatever weight the last person was using. You're now either lifting too much or too little. And they're just doing it because it's what the last person did.
Morrison: I think it made a really big difference, just knowing you're not limited by someone else. I see it in our weight room too. People will use whatever weight the last person was using. You're now either lifting too much or too little. And they're just doing it because it's what the last person did.
RM: Could you have done this on your own, without Bonnie's help?
Morrison: It probably would have taken a lot longer. I wouldn't have taken as many chances with it. After these past couple weeks Bonnie said, "I just can't keep up with you. I'm going to have to train with other people." Well, who am I going to train with? All the boys have been joking that I should train with them.
RM: It's getting to the point where you probably could.
Morrison: (laughs), They'll say, "Laura, do you want to run the 800 for me today?" It's funny at first, but they're putting themselves down in that same comment. It's kind of uncomfortable. I wish the encouragement that I get is what other people would see in themselves. They unconsciously put themselves down while building me up.
RM: This happens with the athletes I coach every day.
Morrison: I believe it. Last year I remember everyone had so many encouraging things to say to me around the time I went to Nationals. "You're going to run great this weekend!" But I didn't hear people saying that to each other. Nobody was really believing in themselves, in a way they were believing in me, and I often still wonder why that is.
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Morrison is currently ranked No. 3 in the country in the 800-meter run (2:12.05), virtually assuring her a spot at NCAA Championships next month in Iowa. This weekend, she'll compete in the one-mile run at SUNYAC Indoor Track and Field Championships at Brockport.
Morrison: I believe it. Last year I remember everyone had so many encouraging things to say to me around the time I went to Nationals. "You're going to run great this weekend!" But I didn't hear people saying that to each other. Nobody was really believing in themselves, in a way they were believing in me, and I often still wonder why that is.
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Morrison is currently ranked No. 3 in the country in the 800-meter run (2:12.05), virtually assuring her a spot at NCAA Championships next month in Iowa. This weekend, she'll compete in the one-mile run at SUNYAC Indoor Track and Field Championships at Brockport.