ASEP
– The Revolutionary Spirit
Jeremy Fransen, MS
Doctorate Student
The
University
of New Mexico
Albuquerque,
NM
These
are the times that try men's souls. The
summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the
service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and
thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we
have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious
the triumph.
-- Thomas Paine
|
It has been over a week since the
10th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Exercise Physiologists (ASEP). As I sit in the exercise physiology lab at
the University of
New Mexico and reflect on
the whirlwind weekend of the conference, I find myself contemplating what I
consider the deep philosophical underpinnings of ASEP and all exercise
physiologists. Of course, there were
plenty of research presentations that I found quite interesting. It was great to meet up and connect with old
friends and colleges. It was also a
pleasure to meet other exercise physiologists who are passionate about the development
of exercise physiology as a profession.
However, when I think back to the meeting, I get a feeling of community
that I can only describe as the Revolutionary Spirit.
To be a revolutionary, one must
be a visionary in the sense of looking beyond the current social, political, or
economic structure and see not only the flaws or injustice, but to take a stand
for what one considers is right. To be a
revolutionary, one must take risks. Standing up to the current paradigm takes
tremendous courage as there is always the risk of losing a position, a job, or,
in some cases, one’s life. True
revolutionaries push on, regardless of the risks.
Revolution, by definition, means
new or inventive. It is looking beyond established procedures. Spirit on the other hand, can be defined as
the essence, disposition, or soul of an individual or group. The Revolutionary Spirit can be looked at as
an attitude that inspires new ways of thinking and immediate action for change
in exercise physiology. ASEP is leading the way in change and professional development
for all exercise physiologists in the United States.
To have the Revolutionary Spirit
in exercise physiology means that our connection to sports medicine is a thing
of the past. Exercise physiologists are not sports medicine doctors.
Understanding that very simple child-like logic brings us to the conclusion
that it is time to stand up for ourselves and proclaim that we, exercise
physiologists, control our own destiny and we are willing to fight for it if we
have to.
When I think of a revolution, I,
like many others in this country, think of the American Revolution. Think, for
a moment, about the challenges our Founding Fathers faced when they decided to
take a stand against a seemingly invincible British Army. At first, many of the colonists thought the
idea of standing up to the British was suicide.
The British controlled the seas and had a well trained military
force. How could a bunch of rag-tag Colonialists
stand up to the Redcoats? The answer was
the Colonialists caught the Revolutionary Spirit. They decided enough was enough. No more taxation without representation! No more cowering to the English throne! No more of being looked down on as the
bastardized son of England! In short, the colonists banded together…and
the rest, as they say, is history.
Now, think about the current
state of exercise physiology in the United States. ASEP is the minority in the larger exercise
physiology community. ACSM is the
dominant group because of history and numbers.
However, when it comes to philosophy, when it comes down to the
definition of exercise physiology, and when it comes down to the soul of our
profession, ASEP is the organization that truly represents exercise
physiology. Like the Founding Fathers of
our country, the ASEP founding fathers laid down a philosophy and path for all exercise
physiologists to follow. We, like the Colonialists,
need to rally under the ASEP banner and stand up to ACSM or anyone else that
gets in our way. No more exercise
science! No more cowering to ACSM! No more of being the bastardized son of
sports medicine!
Now that the revolution is under
way, we must never let up or give in. I’m
sure some of you may say, “Well, ACSM is the larger organization and we need their
certification, and blah, blah, blah…”
All I can say is- do what you must.
During the American Revolution, some of the colonists fought on the side
of the British. Many ran for the hills. Others, like Thomas Paine, wrote pamphlets
titled Common Sense and The American Crisis in which he stirred
up the Revolutionary Spirit and urged American independence [1].
When I walked away from the ASEP
conference, it was hard not to feel the sense of community and spirit amongst
my fellow exercise physiologists. When I
think of spirit, I think of the soul. We
all have our personal belief on what the soul is; or, what having soul is, but
when you feel it, you know it. In many
ways, some of the most profound and spiritually influencing leaders throughout
history had a way to connect with the human soul. Mahatma Gandhi is one person who exemplifies
the Revolutionary Spirit. His way of
revolution was through non-violence means, yet it was an effective way to bring
about change. Jesus Christ and early
Christian followers were revolutionary in their teachings and thought. According to Christianity, Jesus made the
ultimate sacrifice, giving his life for the souls of all humans on earth. When I think of the Revolutionary Spirit, I
not only think of standing up and demanding change, I also think of the sacrifice
we must make to create the change we desire.
As I finish this article in the
exercise physiology lab, I can’t help to think of all the work ASEP has put
into the development of exercise physiology. ASEP was the first organization to develop a Standards
of Practice [2] and Code of Ethics [3].
ASEP was the first organization to develop accreditation and
certification for exercise physiology.
Most important, ASEP was the first organization to create the first and
complete definition of exercise physiology! Think about that! Before ASEP, our profession didn’t even have
a common name, much less an identity.
Much of the work ASEP has
accomplished has been suppressed or criticized by others. What other organizations do or write has
little impact on a person or group of people if they have the Revolutionary
Spirit. History has shown time and time
again that one person can spark a revolution, and as others join in the cause,
change can and will happen. As long as
we support the work of ASEP and continue to fight the good fight, history will
show that it was worth it. The preamble
to the U.S. Constitution reads: “We, the People of the United States...” Now, we, the
Exercise Physiologists, must take a stand and fight for our own revolution - The
Exercise Physiology Revolution.
References
1. Hirsch,
Jr., E.D., Kett, J., and Trefil, J. (2002). The
Dictionary of Cultural Literacy. (3nd Edition). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.
2. American Society of Exercise Physiologists.
(2008). Standards of Professional Practice. [Online]. http://asep.org/services
3. American Society of Exercise Physiologists.
(2008). Code of Ethics. [Online]. http://asep.org/organization/ethics