Michigan Swimming Honors Ian Miskelley With Be Better Invite – With Miskelley’s Former Teammates on All Four Teams

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The Michigan swim team poses with Jill and Steve Miskelley. Photo Courtesy: Dan D'Addona

Michigan Swimming Honors Ian Miskelley With Be Better Invite – With Miskelley’s Former Teammates on All Four Teams

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – When the University of Michigan lost swimmer Ian Miskelley, it wanted to do something to honor him.

The Wolverines had some special practice sessions dedicated to their late teammate during the pandemic, and did an Ian Miskelley Invite against Grand Valley State last year.

With the emergence of the Be Better foundation started by Miskelley’s parents, the first Be Better Invitational took place on Saturday at Calvin University.

More on Miskelley’s legacy

The meet featured Michigan swimming and other Michigan institutions Davenport University (Division II), Hope College (Division III) and Calvin (Division III). Each team had multiple swimmers who were teammates of Miskelley either in high school, college or club at Michigan Lakeshore Aquatics.

“It was awesome to have this meet. What we have learned and what we are taking away is that our minds have more power than what we want to believe,” Michigan coach Mike Bottom told Swimming World. “We have always known that we can push ourselves with our minds to be the best we can be, but we are learning that we can also use our minds to work with our emotions and feelings and use a system that Be Better is working to get to us so that we can be the best we can be – and have fun. That is always a goal in the sport. You want to have fun. Swimming fast is fun, but you want to have fun going through the process. That is why this Be Better Invitational is such a wonderful thing.”

Miskelley suffered from severe depression, anxiety and other mental health issues and took his own life in 2020, while a member of Michigan swimming.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, in 2020, 21% of U.S. adults experienced mental health issues – that is 52.9 million Americans.

Be Better is a foundation started by Steve and Jill Miskelley to honor Ian’s legacy and help others going through similar situations.

“Steve and I are on calls at least three times a month. We talk about Ian and the loss of Ian, but we also talk about how to support each other in this, and how as a coach, I can be better at supporting athletes,” Bottom said. “And what Be Better is doing. Steve understands what we are trying to do, which is swim and dive at the highest level. Each individual has to embrace that. I work with Steve and Jill to get an understanding to how we can work toward swimming at a higher level, but also be OK with failing. We need to be OK with mistakes and the good stuff. That is what they have helped me and helped our program do. We are a team and we need each other in ways we never realized.”

Michigan swimming senior captain Cam Peel was a teammate of Miskelley’s at Michigan Lakeshore Aquatics, making this meet extra special for him.

“It meant a lot. I was telling the Miskelleys that I haven’t been here at Calvin in years. It was nostalgic for me and brought me back to when I was an age-group swimmer looking up to Ian,” Peel said. “To have a chance to talk to them was comforting and special.

“This meet means a lot. I want this to carry on as far as possible. I think it can get bigger with more teams in the area. When I think about Ian, I think about all the people I was around Ian with. Everyone here reminds me of Ian. It feels like coming home.”

The meet itself was a mix of a couple regular events but a lot of fun relays and skins races.

Results

But the importance of the meet was not lost on the swimmers. They know what the Miskelley family has gone through and the meet was a testament to them as well.

“It takes a lot for them to dedicate the rest of their lives to Ian,” Peel said. “That means a lot to them and means a lot to us. To be able to represent Ian as the Be Better Scholarship winner has been cool. I can be that voice on the team.”

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