“They are such a veteran team that one of the theories I would say is a lot of times with veteran guys who have been out there quite a bit and have had success you need a little bit more arousal or activation to get them to peak performance,” Anderson said. “I play a lot better when we’re putting money down,” he said. “There’s a little bit more edge. These guys with such a long season and such long playoff series, I think these guys are able to sort of step back and not have that little edge to be in the zone. When they get their backs up against […]

Just down the hall from the weight rooms, practice gym and study areas of the Bierman Field Athletic Building sits a special place where student-athletes can find help when stress levels from balancing school and athletics skyrocket. An office in Bierman houses the athletics department’s three-person sports psychology staff, which ensures Minnesota’s student-athletes are healthy in both body and mind. Each year, the staff helps about 200 student-athletes with varying mental health-related issues. “There have been a growing number of mental health instances on college campuses,” deputy athletics director Beth Goetz said. “And athletes aren’t immune from that.” The growing number of cases led the NCAA to launch two studies […]

“I think there have been several red flags over the course of the last two seasons,” said Anderson. He says the Vikings were putting the fun in dysfunctional long before Coach Childress got the boot. Anderson says Childress’ first mistake was sending three players to Mississippi to beg Brett Favre to come back for a second season. He says that move set Favre up as the “power” on the team, but Childress wanted some of that power himself, which led to conflict.  

The Andersons both have doctorates in counseling psychology with a focus in sports. Carlin Anderson received hers from the University of North Texas, while Justin Anderson earned his from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. They have been trained in treating a variety of mental disorders ranging from clinical depression to eating disorders. “There has been a need for these services for many years,” Carlin Anderson said. “Just like in the larger realm of college campuses, this is a national problem.” Though the Andersons don’t call themselves a traveling psychology team, they have done work around the country and seen first-hand the issues campuses are facing. Read the […]

“To Compete is to Win” – ATA World, Winter 2012 Issue