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Wednesday, October 25, 2006 - The Michigan Daily
1 '00
PSYCH
From page 1B
Dearborn campus, who has worked
with NHL players and other world-
class athletes. During hockey sea-
son, he comes in once a week to talk
to the Michigan hockey team.
"(Bray) will come in and work
on things like building teamwork,"
Berenson said. "He knows that kids
come into college and play a sport
and have a lotofstress on them."
Berenson doesn't sit in on the
meetings Bray has with the team,
but he thinks that the sessions do an
excellent job helping the team over-
come the inherent ups and downs
that are associated with the six-
month season.
The players, for their part,
couldn't agree more. Former team
captain Andrew Ebbett considered
Bray's input invaluable for the team's
performance.
"(Bray) knows how to talk about
things that will get you focused on
the right things," Ebbett said.
Bray is happy to meet with play-
ers individually as often as they like,
but his main focus is on team-build-
ing exercises.
Ebbett recalls one such exercise
during the 2004-2005 season that
helped the team focus on the task at
hand.
"We all stood in a group and
(Bray) had a balloon," Ebbett
recalled. "The first guy, the captain
that year, (Eric) Nystrom, had a bal-
loon in front of him and we were in
first place and he made us look back-
wards at the teams behind us, and as
soon as we looked back he popped
the balloon.
vel at how well they manage and
handle the day-to-day pressure,
how they handle criticisms and the
armchair experts, because remem-
ber everyone could do better than
our athletes and our coaches, when
they're at home, sitting on their ass,
watching it on TV."
In Harden's view, some Michigan
coaches are almostas invested inthe
mental battle as he is. Harden points
to Lloyd Carr as a specific example.
A token of Carr's commitment to the
mental aspects of sport is the pick
ax that rests on the windowsill in
Harden's office.
The ax was a gift from Carr after
the 1997 football team's national
championship season as a token of
appreciation for Harden's work with
the team.
"That pick-ax was the symbol of
thatyear," Harden said."Allthrough
that year, (the football team) knew
that the goal was to get to the top
of the mountain, not just to get to a
plateau, but to get to the top of the
mountain."
Casting a wider net
Since Harden began working in
the athletic department in 1994, he
has seen the support network for
athletes and coaches grow around
him.
One of Martin's first acts whenhe
was named athletic director was to
hire a female counterpart to Hard-
en, Cookie Mankowski.
"I thought it was important we
have a female counselor also," Mar-
tin said. "(Harden and Mankowski)
decidebetweenthemselves whowill
work with certain kids, or the kids
have a choice if they want. They're
3B THE JUNK DRAWER
What you should and
shouldn't be talking about on
campus this week.
4B ARCHITECTURE COLUMN
Austin Dingwall examines
the architectural spin put on
the recent Big House plans.
5B ESSAY
Chris Gaerig on the Tigers'
Kenny Rogers and the con-
troversy surrounding him.
6B SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY
A look at how Michigan
athletes conquer mental
obstacles on and off the field.
10B HISTORY COLUMN
Christopher Zbrozek exam-
ines the bombing of the CIA
building on Main Street.
MagazineoEditor: Jares V. Dowd
Associate MagazineEditor
ChrsGaerig
Desigers:Brdgt O'Donnelln
thMgaMcKay
s "aement EditorinChief: DonnM Fesard
ManagingEditor: Jeffrey Blooner
depends on the academic calendar,
with up to 32 a week seeking her
counsel during the exam periods,
Mankowski said.
Both Harden and Mankowski
rely heavily on the University's
CAPS - short for Counseling and
Psychological Services - program
for issues they feel are out of their
ability to assist with.
According to its website, "CAPS
offers a variety of services aimed at
helping students resolve personal
difficulties and acquire the skills,
attitudes, and knowledge that will
enable them to take full advantage
of their experiences at the Univer-
sity."
Said Harden: "CAPS has a rich
history of being there for us in ath-
letic counseling and for the athletes
in this department."
But Harden knows mental limi-
tations on performance aren't just a
concernfor athletes.
Harden often uses the Greek and
Egyptian formulas of mind, body
and spirit as a foundation for his
work.
"What we talk about here is fit-
ness," Harden said." But we talk
about physical fitness, mental fit-
ness and spiritual fitness, and we're
suggesting the mentally fit will beat
anybody."
In that light, Harden suggests
that all students participate inintra-
muralsports. Hesaid thatthose who
excel on all three levels - physical,
mental and spiritual - will have a
distinct advantage over their peers
in all aspects of life.
Though Harden knows he can
only touch a select few at the Uni-
versity directly, he hopes his les-
sons will inspire others to try and
conquerthe ultimate enemy:the one
within.
Workingwithpeople
Everyday,Hardensitsdowninhis
office with campus celebrities. Some
will soon be drafted to professional
teams and sign multi-million dol-
lar contracts. In coming years, oth-
ers will stand atop a podium as the
National Anthem is played with an
Olympic gold medal hanging from
their necks.
None ofthatisimportantto Hard-
en. When he sits down his office
with a student-athlete he is just one
person helping another overcome
the difficulties of the tasks before
them. Harden wouldn't have it any
other way.
"I have the best job in the athletic
department and possibly in the Uni-
versity of Michigan," Harden said,
smiling widely. "I get to see student-
athletes as real human beings who
are simply trying to grow up and
become the best that they can be. I
don't have to be preoccupied with
whether or not they won. I have to
be preoccupied with how would
they handle victory or defeat."
With Harden's help, more often
than not, Michigan athletes will be
handling victories.
JEREMY CHO/ Daily
With the help of the University's cutting edge use of sports psychology,
Michigan's athletes have experienced great success on all playing fields.
With Harden's help, more often
than not, Michigan athletes will
be handling victories.
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"It was a very simple (exercise),
but it helped us to see that we don't
need to be looking at teams behind
us, we've got to worry about our-
selves."'
Harden does not take offense
when coaches bring in outside help.
He knows his role in the department
is to bethere for players, coaches and
teams that need his help. Itis not his
job to seek out the problem.
Some coaches actually seek out
Harden to help them with their own
mental struggles.
"Some coaches will allow me
to consult with them and to give
them advice," Harden said. "They're
under tremendous pressure. I mar-
critical to us."
Harden is happy to have
Mankowski on board. While he
specializes in mental aspects of
performance and substance abuse,
Mankowski's skill set covers a num-
ber of other issues athletes face.
"She is an amazing clinician who
has a real good expertise inthe men-
tal health aspects of counseling, does
an extremely good job with depres-
sion, eating disorders and things of
that nature," Harden said.
Mankowski says the majority of
student-athletes that see her want
to discuss issues from their daily
lives, not the playing field. The num-
ber of athletes she sees a week often