Mikey Brannigan

malmo wrote:

Pre841 wrote:

I'm pretty sure there are some D-1 T&F coaches who were wishing there was a workaround to get him enrolled in their schools.

It's a shame that accommodations weren't made to allow his admission. I would hazard to guess that are quite a few FB and BB players who got in under special circumstances.

There are some Universities that actually make room for kids like Brannigan. I think that Clemson has a program.

Great to see him do well.

Brannigan is a great story.

I have a non-autism related, practical question for those of you discussing his running in college. Has he accepted sponsorship or prize money that would preclude him from running for an NCAA program?

Great question, and great read on this here:

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-19371031

Much more interesting info in the article, but key info below:

How the Paralympics checks intellectual disability

By Bethan Jinkinson and Claudia Hammond

BBC World Service

"In London they will be competing in three sports:

Athletics - long jump, shot put, 1500m (sport class T/F 20)

Swimming - 200m freestyle, 100m breaststroke, 100m backstroke (sport class 14)

Table tennis (sport class 11)

All competitors in these sport classes have to fulfil the World Health Organization (WHO) definition of intellectual disability:

An IQ below 75

Impairment in adaptive functioning - for example, social, domestic and communication skills

The disability must have occurred before the age of 18

Many countries have a standard test which assesses such things as ability to use public transport, handle money and respond appropriately to weather conditions. Measured against these criteria, intellectually disabled people are in roughly the lowest 2% of the population."

jjjjjj wrote:

Think any NCAA coaches are looking around for scholarship money for him right now?

Since he's a non-qualifier? No. No offense to the kid but why do we think a guy with an IQ of less than 75 should be in college?

He's a GREAT STORY but a college is not where he needs to be.

He needs to be in a trade school.

malmo wrote:

Pre841 wrote:

I'm pretty sure there are some D-1 T&F coaches who were wishing there was a workaround to get him enrolled in their schools.

It's a shame that accommodations weren't made to allow his admission. I would hazard to guess that are quite a few FB and BB players who got in under special circumstances.

There are some Universities that actually make room for kids like Brannigan. I think that Clemson has a program.

Great to see him do well.

You;re right. It was on NPR last month.

really wrote:

jjjjjj wrote:

Think any NCAA coaches are looking around for scholarship money for him right now?

Since he's a non-qualifier? No. No offense to the kid but why do we think a guy with an IQ of less than 75 should be in college?

He's a GREAT STORY but a college is not where he needs to be.

He needs to be in a trade school.

I don't think it's up to you, or anyone else on LRC, to decide what is best for Mikey Brannigan.

Autism is ultimately just as much a physical disability as any other, it's just that we don't know quite enough about how the brain works yet. It's all neurochemical; there's no such thing as "the mind" or an "intellectual disability" that is not rooted in the physical mush that is our brain. There is nothing that is "just in your head", other than your brain. This is phenomenology, obviously, but also modern science.

However, I can see how autism not affecting the physical act of running is quite different than other types of abilities which limit mobility, sight, etc. I wonder how autism affects the mental aspects of running, though, in terms of strategy, recovering from setbacks, and dealing with the everyday drudgery of training?

really wrote:

jjjjjj wrote:

Think any NCAA coaches are looking around for scholarship money for him right now?

Since he's a non-qualifier? No. No offense to the kid but why do we think a guy with an IQ of less than 75 should be in college?

He's a GREAT STORY but a college is not where he needs to be.

He needs to be in a trade school.

Why do you think he has a sub 75 IQ? I have no clue about his specific situation but there are plenty of autistic kids going to college (and a lot that don't) and from the couple of interviews I have seen, he is pretty functional.

And let's remember there are a lot of DI schools that graduate people that barely can read. If Brannigan was a 3:57 equivalent football player (call top 50 in the college), there would be a line of schools waiting to enroll him

really wrote:

He needs to be in a trade school.

This is true. He is type perfect type of person to learn a skill, become expert at it, and do it better than most of the people. A trade type job would also allow him to train. That type of job is one you completely leave when you go home. You can concentrate on something else.

IRunXC wrote:

really wrote:

He needs to be in a trade school.

I don't think it's up to you, or anyone else on LRC, to decide what is best for Mikey Brannigan.

A-fvcking-men.

Bhabbi wrote:

IRunXC wrote:

I don't think it's up to you, or anyone else on LRC, to decide what is best for Mikey Brannigan.

A-fvcking-men.

Take a chill pill. There is nothing wrong with being a trade-skilled worker. This country would be dead with them.

IRunXC wrote:

I don't think it's up to you, or anyone else on LRC, to decide what is best for Mikey Brannigan.

This goes both ways, though. He's a sub 9:00 3200 runner. I have no clue where he lies on the spectrum, but that he's not on a college team right now suggests to me that college may not be the best fit for him.

I know people on both ends of the spectrum, including some who have succeeded in college, and others who will never be able to live on their own. Again, I don't know where Mike falls, but I sense some posters just look at him being fast, thus he has to be in college. He's doing great running for a club right now, and we should appreciate, respect, and applaud that.

Name wrote:

He's doing great running for a club right now, and we should appreciate, respect, and applaud that.

+1

Mickey has tremendous focus. It doesn't matter who he runs for. He hasn't shown any sign (3:57 proves that) of losing interest in training and running. He should be around for many years. Sponsors should pick him up; he does very well in interviews, and is a very likely person.

IRunXC wrote:

really wrote:

Since he's a non-qualifier? No. No offense to the kid but why do we think a guy with an IQ of less than 75 should be in college?

He's a GREAT STORY but a college is not where he needs to be.

He needs to be in a trade school.

I don't think it's up to you, or anyone else on LRC, to decide what is best for Mikey Brannigan.

You all sound like idiots. Do your research. He literally is not allowed to compete in college because of his condition. Not because he "isn't smart enough" even if he was. His father wrote a article about this.

Mickey has tremendous focus. It doesn't matter who he runs for. He hasn't shown any sign (3:57 proves that) of losing interest in training and running. He should be around for many years. Sponsors should pick him up; he does very well in interviews, and is a very likely person.[/quote]

This. Kid is a beast runner with a great story. He would be a great sign for a sponsor. NBC would do a piece on him every time he races on TV. Plus he has the chops. How does his mile rank against other members of his hs class.

Mikey is such a humble guy i've met him in a local track meet alongside Brandon Johnson and Coach Cruz. His ambition to succeed is tremendous. I hope he gets far in his running career.

This is amazing!

Hope he stays healthy and continues his upswing. I've never been one to get overtly excited about running performances but this was special. Last time I felt like this was when Leo got his silver. I hope he gets picked up by a shoe company, such a great story that isn't close to being over.

IRunXC wrote:

really wrote:

Since he's a non-qualifier? No. No offense to the kid but why do we think a guy with an IQ of less than 75 should be in college?

He's a GREAT STORY but a college is not where he needs to be.

He needs to be in a trade school.

I don't think it's up to you, or anyone else on LRC, to decide what is best for Mikey Brannigan.

Letsrun.com has hit a new low in how offensive they can be. This guy in this post actually says "No offense to the kid but…."

Yea. Right. No offense.

And the front page of Lets Be Really Offensive.com from rojo /wejo and the editors here actually have this as their comment:

Sir Walter Mile MB: Lauren Johnson (4:25) and Kyle Merber (3:54) Win As Drew Hunter (3:57.15) and Mikey Brannigan (3:57.58) PR It’s a Paralympic WR for the autistic Brannigan. *Meet Home

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Absolutely amazing. You guys at this site have a hit a new low.

You delete posts with valuable contributions to the forum.

You leave up threads and posts that are complete filth.

And now you actually write and put this comment up on your front page.

You should be absolutely ashamed Mr. Ivy League boys.

You do not even understand how offensive you are.

He's a wonderful young man and absolutely deserves to be in college. Please don't tell me this isn't discrimination. People used to think and act like Down's Syndrome adults could do anything productive and needed to be a home under professional care.

Along the college programs:

http://www.friendshipcircle.org/blog/2016/07/22/spotlight-10-colleges-with-programs-for-asd-students/#.V5634VdH1pN.facebook

Way to go, Mike!