Dare to Dream:  Boldness has Magic!
Tommy Boone, PhD, MPH, FASEP, EPC
Professor and Chair
Director, Exercise Physiology Laboratories
Department of Exercise Physiology
The College of St. Scholastica
Duluth, MN 55811

“It is up to us to set our own standard.  Act like we don’t deserve it and that just what we will get.  Act as a professional and we be treated with respect.” 

What is it that makes the American Society of Exercise Physiologists (ASEP) the organization of exercise physiologists?  It’s my belief that the mission of the organization makes all the difference.  A mission statement defines the business of the organization.  It is the business of the ASEP leadership that everything about ASEP speaks to exercise physiology.  There is nothing about ASEP that speaks to exercise science or sports medicine.  Hence, all exercise physiologists need to know and feel that ASEP is their organization.  

When my friend, Dr. Robert Robergs, and I founded ASEP in 1997, we were convinced that we could create a new kind of organization; one where all exercise physiologists (not just the doctorate prepared) would know and feel that they are needed, where they would be treated with respect, where they would have the opportunity and responsibility to influence exercise physiology, and where they would have a voice.  Just weeks after the 7th ASEP National Meeting, we are confident that we have turned our dream into reality.  However, this doesn’t mean that the hard work is over.  There is still much to be done. 

Most importantly, the leadership and members must stay encouraged, keep taking risks, and continue going about the business of exercise physiology.  This is what leaders do, and it is how they inspire others.   We are in the professional development business.  We must have the courage to stay the course.  Our success is linked to our passion and emotion; both inspire new ideas and set the stage for credibility for all exercise physiologists.  It doesn’t matter if we fail doing the impossible.  No one is perfect.  No organization is perfect.   Progress is founded on the backs of men and women who have been knocked to their knees but keep getting up.  

Success comes from taking risks and learning from mistakes.  There’s no doubt in my mind that ASEP is a successful organization.  There is a wide-range of opportunities with flexibility woven into the professional fabric of the ASEP organization.  Some members may be more interested in publishing their research in the Journal of Exercise Physiologyonline, while others may prefer to publish their thoughts about professionalism in the Professionalization of Exercise Physiologyonline.  Still others may wish to spread the message that an alternative is available to exercise science through the electronic medium, the Journal of Professional Exercise Physiology. 

In fact, to get away from the inertia of the failed academic path of exercise science, the ASEP leaders unleashed the power of accreditation.  But, unlike non-exercise physiologists, the leaders of ASEP understood from the beginning what was necessary to improve exercise physiology.  It is my belief that accreditation with integrity has been satisfied by the members of the ASEP accreditation board.  Looking to the future, the ASEP organization will continue to revolutionize exercise physiology.  

This is just the beginning of what the organization will accomplish.  The agreed-upon mission is clear.  It is all about exercise physiology.  Members know where the organization is headed.  They understand ASEP is not in the exercise science business.  Their business is exercise physiology.  That is a very different purpose.  To achieve that purpose, ASEP leaders, in the spirit of Star Trek, have “…boldly [gone] where no one has gone before.” 

Exercise physiologists with an undergraduate degree are now living their reality.  All exercise physiologists, not just those with the doctorate degree, have the opportunity to shape the profession of exercise physiology.  The journey of professional development is finally underway.  Our job is to stay committed and, in the words of Goethe:  “Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.  Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.”  

Boldness has magic!  Above all, the magic of ASEP is that it has changed the way people think about exercise physiology.  It has also rearranged what is important in exercise physiology.  No longer a discipline or trapped in the limitations of exercise science, the ASEP boldness is the exercise physiologist’s power.  The ASEP organization is therefore the exercise physiologist’s most important asset.  The organization recognizes that what is important is not its history, but what is its future.  Conventional wisdom may argue otherwise, especially for those seek something other than professional development of exercise physiology.  The evidence is clear that exercise physiology is about students and their right to make a living with respect and credibility. 

In today’s world, just any certification is not the key to success as it might have been.  Putting students first or at least taking the time to address accreditation issues from the exercise physiologist’s perspective is the ASEP commitment to restructuring exercise physiology.  Non-ASEP members may not understand, but that is exactly why boldness is imperative.  It makes perfect sense to do the right thing with respect to students.  After all, students are the most important part of ASEP.  In fact, when students graduate and become leaders in the profession, they pass on the ASEP passion for professionalism.  

Students are ASEP’s greatest legacy.  This is the lesson all exercise physiologists must learn.  But, of course, we’ve known that from the beginning.  The transition from physical education to kinesiology to exercise science and, then, our connection with sports medicine left us confused.  Life is full of tricks.  Thanks to our vision of the future, our perspective has changed.  ASEP members have let go of their security with other organizations.  Now, rather than getting by, they are designing their own future with their persistence and they are determined to stay on target. 

In time, colleagues who are afraid of releasing their attachment to sports medicine will do the same.  After all, it is all about believing in your ability to be successful as exercise physiologists.  And, as Robert R. Kennedy said:  “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.”  It is clear to me that the becoming our dreams lies in our will and desire to take risks.  I hope this brief essay on the importance of boldness will help you with your decision to join the American Society of Exercise Physiologists.  Whether your interests are professionalism, standards of practice, research, or lifestyle management, regardless of how much time you may have to invest in the organization, join now, and become a force of change.    

“Follow through with what you begin and ‘stay with it.’” – Peter U. Bender