Be Better Invite Sees Michigan, Purdue, Hope, Calvin, Slew of Olympians Honor Late Ian Miskelley
When Michigan coach Matt Bowe recruited Ian Miskelley he knew there was something special about him, and his family.
Ultimately, Miskelley decided on Michigan though that isn’t were Bowe was at the time.
Now, Bowe has had the opportunity the past two seasons to honor the late Miskelley with the Be Better Invitational.
“I actually recruited him and knew him and his dad really well beforehand. When I took the job here and saw Steve here, it was pretty emotional. Just a great family,” Bowe told Swimming World. “This is such an important date on our calendar. We really talk to the team about what this meet means to us.”
The Be Better Invitational is a non-scoring meet that honors the late Ian Miskelley, a Holland, Michigan, native and former state champion who swam at the University of Michigan. Miskelley took his own life amidst a constant battle with mental health issues and this meet raises awareness and funds for mental health care, led by the Be Better Foundation, set up by Miskelley’s parents, which is a non-profit mental health resource specifically geared toward athletes.
“This meet is one of the most important meets that we have,” said Michigan’s Gal Groumi, an Olympian from Israel. “Just the fact that we are here representing Michigan and representing Ian is huge for us. Ian went through so much and unfortunately there weren’t enough tools. This meet represents that we are going forward with mental health, we really are going to Be Better. We are not trying, we are being better. We owe it to Ian’s parents and this organization.”
Eleven Olympians competed at the Be Better Invitational, from left, Purdue’s Matheo Mateos from Paraguay, Michigan’s Eduardo Moraes from Brazil, Eitan Ben Shitrit from Israel, Groumi from Israel, Letitia Sim from Singapore, Rebecca Diaconescu from Romania, Natalie Kan from Hong Kong, Yousuf Al Matrooshi from United Arab Emirates, Stephanie Balduccini from Brazil, Jon Jontvedt from Norway and Lorne Wigginton from Canada.
This is the third annual Be Better Invitational.
“The point is to be aware of mental struggles but also the resources for that,” Bowe said. “We have stressed to them the mental side of the sport. There has been a stigma attached to it. We are trying to break that down. You train your body 25 hours a week, so you need to train you mind too. The team is starting to understand that it is not a weakness and something to talk about. There is comfort there with us talking about it so much.
“I have seen it so much with athletes tying their identity to the sport. You are Joey who swims, not Joey the swimmer. That is part of our culture and it creates a more healthy environment.”
Miskelley swam for Michigan Lakeshore Aquatics, based in Holland, Michigan, and a number of MLA alumni participated in the meet.
The non-scoring meet featured short races, including a 25 freestyle, and a skins race with seven heats in a row of the same swimmers until there was just one winner remaining, plus mixed relays and other fun events.
“This meet is one of the most fun,” Groumi said. “It is all about fun and the athlete. There are no expectations and no pressure. You are just here to swim fast and have a good time with people around you. We want to remember that you can have fun while you are swimming. It is about enjoying the sport.”
And honoring the legacy of Ian Miskelley.