Sacred Heart University coach Andy Lausier conquers Spinning 2 St. Louis

SHU coach Andy Lausier in front of the Scottrade Center Photo: Courtesy of Sacred Heart Wrestling

Sacred Heart University wrestling coach Andy Lausier recently completed a seven-day, 1,116-mile journey from Fairfield, Conn., to St. Louis, Mo., home of the 2017 NCAA Division I wrestling championships.


The expedition, known as Spinning 2 St. Louis, covered nine states and was an effort to raise money for the SHU wrestling team.


Lausier and his squad set a goal of $100,000, which was easily surpassed as the team collected $120,000 for the program.


To show support for Lausier during his ride, the SHU wrestling team joined in, cycling 24 hours a day in one-hour relay segments on the SHU campus for the duration of the seven days.


A short video recap of Spinning 2 St. Louis can be found here.


Below is Lausier’s blog reflecting on his experience.

From Have to Get
October 12, 2016 | Andy Lausier


I saw the devil. He was not a red, fire-breathing demon with horns. The devil was the torturous reality of unavoidable pain, exhaustion, fear, and doubt. We came face-to-face many times during my 7-day, 1100-mile journey to St. Louis, and he had one goal: make me quit.


Each day started with the jolt of the alarm, to which my mind and body would respond with rejection, “It can’t be time to start again!” I stretched, ate, stretched again, and accessed my body’s damage from the prior day. Before sunrise I departed from my nightly oasis, the Holiday Inn Express, and immediately felt overwhelmed by the enormity of the day’s journey.


My mind instantaneously tormented me, calling out harsh realities. You have 170 miles to go. You have another 12 hours to ride. You have to climb over 10,000 feet today. You have to endure relentless headwinds. You have to push through a 90-degree heat index. You have serious injuries. You have 5 more days of this and you have to do it alone. I was overwhelmed with an endless barrage of “you have…”


What followed was my most frightening moment of Spinning 2 St. Louis. In my most vulnerable and exposed state I asked the question, “How am I going to do this?” This simple question reduced me to tears.


This moment was my encounter with the devil, and his evilness was disguised in the simplicity of a question that unleashed an onslaught of self-doubt. The devil had one mission: make me quit.


Prior to departing from Sacred Heart University, I openly accepted that failure was possible. However, failing to achieve my 7-day goal of arriving in St. Louis would only be the result of a catastrophic external variable, such as being hit by a car.


No matter what, I would not voluntarily fail by quitting. The potential effect of quitting on my spirit and soul is so haunting that it drives me to extremes. So, in my shattered physical and mental state I exercised the gritty response mechanism that wrestling has instilled in my life. I fought back. Realizing I enabled the devil to surface through the gateway of my own language and self-talk, I made a change. I counter attacked.


I changed my HAVES to GETS.


I GET to ride my bike today! I GET to lead the wrestling team that I love! I GET to achieve this goal that has consumed me for the past year of my life! I GET to pursue my passions! I GET to work for Sacred Heart University. I GET to Spin 2 St. Louis! I GET to experience the love and support of so many people during this journey! I GET to be alive and chase my dreams each day, on and off the bike, on and off the mat!


Gratitude silenced the devil. Sure, he’d stubbornly reappear each day and the 1,100-mile journey was not just a fairytale ride of “cupcakes and rainbows.” The devil and I continued to battle each day, but gratitude won the war.


From HAVE to GET I became genuinely grateful, and learned my most valuable lesson during the Spinning 2 St. Louis campaign. The attitude of gratitude is the most enlightening and empowering state of awareness that propels human potential and performance.


From HAVE to GET I became aware. Aware that my ride to St. Louis, and the journey of our Sacred Heart University wrestlers is more about who we become, rather than what we accomplish. In fact, through the 1,100-mile journey, I have earned the unique perspective that who we become is the driving force behind what we accomplish. If I had failed to change my perspective, I would have most certainly failed, not just in the 7-day journey to St. Louis, but as a coach, an educator, and a leader of SHU Wrestling.


I expected the book on Spinning 2 St. Louis to close after peddling my way to the Scottrade Center, but I have realized the impact and influence of this journey is permanent. I GET to take this lesson and apply it to every aspect of my life. More importantly, I GET to encourage others to move from HAVE to GET.


I got to ride my bike from Sacred Heart University to the Scottrade Center, and now I GET to work on earning a trip back to that exact location in March for the 2017 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. I am absolutely certain this goal will be experienced, but only if every Pioneer embraces the attitude, from HAVE to GET.


I am overwhelmed with gratitude. There are not enough Thank You’s in the world to express my appreciation for all of your financial contributions, your endless messages of support, and your passionate belief in Sacred Heart University Wrestling.


I hope that by sharing my experience from HAVE to GET, I can repay you with an opportunity to shift your own perspective and unleash this most empowering state of awareness and potential. Lastly, I will make a promise to you – that I will honor your support through an attitude of gratitude, and I will embrace every chance I GET to positively influence our student-athletes, not just in what they aim to achieve, but who they become.