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Anthony Famiglietti: Steeple Chaser
Anthony Famiglietti isn't hard to spot on the track. But it's not just his tattoos and hair choices - a Mohawk for the 2004 Olympics, a full beard for the 2008 Games - that set this 29-year-old steeplechase runner apart from his fellow track and field athletes.
Famiglietti, who along with his college teammate produced an autobiographical documentary entitled "Run Like Hell," has always been a nonconformist. He chooses to train in New York City rather than a more spacious environment. He refuses to allow his sport to define who he is and feeds his creative soul by painting and making music.
Fam, as he is known, will represent the United States in Beijing in the 3,000-meter steeplechase event, a 7½-lap race around a track littered with barriers and a water pit. His personal record in the event is 8 minutes 17.91 seconds, which makes him unlikely to win a medal. (The Kenyans dominate steeplechase and have won gold at six consecutive Olympics.)
Raised by a Catholic mother and a Presbyterian father, Fam has explored many faiths and draws on all of them. In an e-mail interview from Sweden where he was competing in an Olympic tune-up race, Fam discussed his diverse religious background.
How would you describe your faith?
I don't necessarily like the phrase non-denominational. Similar to just about everything else in life, it seems that people feel a need to categorize things and simplify them to make them more palatable and comfortable to agree with. I enjoy the positive beliefs and pure truths embraced and taught by more than one particular faith. In a lot of ways each of these different faiths/beliefs compliment each other greatly and in essence speak the same truth. I really do like the to hear the truths spoken by Jesus Christ and try to abide by them.
Have you always been spiritual? Or was there an incident in your life that led you to become more spiritual?
I've always been spiritual to some degree, but by the time I reached my late teens I stopped applying my spirituality and stopped attending church or reading any holy texts. I was living more of a purely existential, hedonistic lifestyle -- not completely absent of faith, but I was more or less just living in the present. I just decided to let faith come to me if it ever would. I felt like if I was supposed to explore my faith or spirituality it would occur naturally if it was supposed to. Approaching faith this way was good for me because when it did appear it had that much more meaning rather than having someone push me towards any church or faith.
An article I read about you mentioned that you attend both Baptist and Methodist churches. Why is that?
I move around a lot. I've lived in so many places in the past eight years -- North Carolina, Tennessee, New York City, Monterey, Calif., Arizona -- and in each place I've met some great people. I've also traveled all over the world with my running career. What happened in some cases was I would get invited by friends to attend their churches and I felt that if they would be honest enough to open their friendship in that way then I should attend the service and take what I could and take the best out of it. I've worshiped at Catholic churches, which I was raised in, Presbyterian churches, Methodist and Baptist churches in the south. Each delivered a positive message in their own unique way. They all preached, 'The word of God' and I listened to what they had to say intently. This sort of thing wasn't all that new to me because my father was Presbyterian, my mother and her family devout Catholic. I was raised Catholic and enjoyed being part of the Catholic faith, but I always had a huge respect for my father's family's beliefs as well, especially my grandmother.
How does your faith guide you in your daily life?
Try doing something, anything, just for the sake of doing it or getting it done. See how productive you are at getting the job done? Then do the same job for a particular purpose and then see how effective and efficiently you are at getting that same job done. This is what faith does. It gives meaning behind all of the things we do in life. So it would seem that living a full and vibrant life lends itself to having meaning and purpose in what you do.
Do you pray regularly? If so, what do you pray for or about?
I actually do pray regularly in my personal time. My prayers are personal, but for the most part I pray that I can give positivity back into the world.
Do you read the Bible regularly? If so, do you have a favorite Bible verse? Why that verse?
My favorite bible verse right now is Romans 5:11. [And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.] It speaks to who I am and what I do as a runner.
What has been the most spiritual moment in your life?
I've had many spiritual moments. By far the most spiritual moment I had came when my best friend had been hit by a car which essentially made him brain dead immediately. The decision had to be made whether to remove the machines keeping him alive or not, so we prayed quite a lot. Nobody wanted to do this, but we knew in our heart this was what had to happen. When the decision was made for it to happen my friends parents were really hurting and had asked me to be there with him when the doctors shut off the machines.
I didn't know what I would do at that moment or what I would feel. I thought I might completely break down and shut down being there at the precise moment of my fiends passing. But when it happened I didn't cry, feel despair or scream in anger. I could actually feel this amazing energy and presence. A rush of incredible positive energy filled my soul and I knew this was what was supposed to happen. As I saw his last breath my spirits lifted for that moment and I could somehow deeply feel he had gone to someplace more important. A spiritual presence was definitely there with us.
From that moment I began to understand that there is much more to life and could see that death really is just a passage to something even more incredible. Now I try to live in honor of this gift of life and use it for why it has been given to me. I challenge myself for that reason. The immediacy of the material in life has become much less important to me. I strive to achieve real success.
The article also mentioned that you have a lotus tattoo on your right shoulder and wear a Tibetan ring on your left hand. What is the significance of the tattoo and the ring?
The Tibetan ring was gift from a friend who knew I had been meditating at a Buddhist stupa. I wear it and try to embrace a full understanding of the words on it. It is written in Tibetan sanskrit and says, 'Om Mani Padme Hum.' It is said that all the teachings of the Buddha are contained in this mantra. 'Om Mani Padme Hum' cannot really be translated into a simple phrase or sentence. The purple lotus tattoo has personal significance in a similar way.
What role does religion play in sports?
Probably the same role that sports play in religion.
What role does God play in sports?
The same role He plays in everything else.
How spiritual are most track athletes?
There will be a Bible study in Beijing among some of the track and field athletes. It's open invitation to whomever wants to join in. I've already heard some athletes discussing it while racing overseas. Many athletes in my sport are spiritual; some just choose to express it more than others.
Does your faith help or hurt you in your sport?
Well, you have to have faith in yourself, faith in your ability and faith in what your doing, or you'll never reach your goal. To have the ultimate faith lends well to those other three.
Are you conflicted about going to China for the Olympics? How do you use your faith to help you work through the conflict?
I'm an athlete. I'm not a politician. My job is to try to push the physical human limits of achievement and move spectators in a positive way by overcoming adversity. If I can go to a place that may need some positivity, then it lends even more meaning to what I do and makes it that much better. I raced in a major meet in China seven years ago and it was a great experience maybe for that same reason.
What do you think of athletes who invoke God after a victory?
I think if someone feels moved enough by their performance to express their faith in that way they should do so.
Any additional thoughts on sports and religion?
I think it is very easy for what we do to consume us and, in effect, have it drive us toward things like social status, making us lose sight of why we started. Whether it be running, career, business, or any sport, it seems more beneficial to let what we do be a gateway to better living rather than a simply living for what we do or doing it to achieve.
By
Kathy Orton
|
August 5, 2008; 4:10 PM ET
| Category:
Praying Fields
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Posted by: paulthefan | August 6, 2008 10:53 PM
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While I understand the motivation of athletes who are religious to display their faith during or after their participation in an event or game, I am quite tired of these displays. What I'd rather see is for them to actually put their faith to work. For example, while our Olympic athletes are in China, I'd like to see them spending time with the poor, the sick, the downtodden Chinese in the rural areas as well as in Beijing, not to proselytize but to actually bring relief, using their "star" power to shine light on the plight of these people. Instead of giving glory to god for having won a gold medal and maybe a lucrative endorsement contract when they return home, maybe these athletes could dedicate the money they will win (or at least 10 percent of it) to creating a fund to acually help the Chinese people who need it.
Displays of religious belief, such as crossing oneself or lifting one's eyes to the sky or telling an interviewer how god helped them to the victory, are tiresome. Why don't these athletes just accept that they worked hard and earned whatever they won through their efforts and their genetic endowments. Then they can get on with the real work that most major religions expect; taking care of the needy and working toward a just and peaceful world.
Posted by: Dr. Demented | August 6, 2008 5:09 PM
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CAN anyone PLEASE tell me why atheists continue to post comments in the religion section??? If you don't believe, don't comment. If you don't believe, why would you even care what is said in the religion section?
It is the same on every board and discussion site on the internet. Always inserting comments. JUST let it be, already. If you don't believe, fine, just keep quiet already and let those of us who do in peace.
Washington Post- free speech should not include rude, insulting and nasty comments towards others. Please remove them.
Posted by: D. Rodriguez | August 6, 2008 3:19 PM
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Interesting. I always wonder if people realize that when they believe they can pick and choose between so called holy text and the many versions of the so called Bible in English and the true English Bible (all of which differ and say OPPOSITE things) that they are making themselves God? Instead of diligently finding the one truth they make their own. If the Lord Jesus Christ wasn't the One and only true Way to God then He was a liar.
Here are a few of the Lord’s words:
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." John 14:6
“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. 15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?” Matthew 7:13-16
Posted by: Shane W. | August 6, 2008 2:45 PM
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Religion is an absurd fiction, like astrology and homeopathy, and remains an absurd fiction even if it makes some feel happy (or depressed), gives them a sense of purpose (or confuses and confounds them).
Posted by: David | August 6, 2008 2:31 PM
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Good racing Fam.
Posted by: joe | August 6, 2008 12:52 PM
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Nice sport/faith double entendre. I was a steeple chaser long ago. I found it to be the most grueling of all distance running track events requiring exceptional mental and physical toughness. Sounds like Fam has that. I wish him well. The training mileage required to become a world class distance runner affords a lot of time for prayer/meditation.
Posted by: jj | August 6, 2008 11:11 AM
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Man, I am so encouraged. Thanks Fam.
Posted by: EHALL | August 6, 2008 11:01 AM
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GREAT interview. Right on, FAM! You are obviously a non-conformist, but in a truly Christian way. I applaud you and I think you have some important insights and ideas. Good luck and keep the faith!!! You are an inspiration.
Posted by: D.Rodriguez | August 6, 2008 10:33 AM
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Who cares about the faith of a runner or anyone for that matter? Why don't you write about his other imaginary friends/interests while you're at it?
Posted by: miknugget | August 6, 2008 10:11 AM
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"I thought I might completely break down and shut down being there at the precise moment of my fiends passing."
"friend's" is misspelled as "fiends," an unfortunate typo
Posted by: DM | August 6, 2008 9:37 AM
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I'm a 68 year old runner from Washington State. I will be running a 2000m steeplechase at the US Masters Track and Field Championships in Spokane on August 8th. As with Anthony, I'm a spiritual person who has put his faith in Jesus Christ. God has given me what abilities I have to use them to reach out to others. I try to give glory to God through what I do from running to coaching to writing books for my granddaughters. I hope that Anthony will run his best race ever at he Olympics.
Posted by: Dallas Kloke | August 5, 2008 11:21 PM
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The comments to this entry are closed.
It gets so tiresome reading comments from people criticising athletes for not feeding the poor. I look forward to watching the olympics because I usually get a glimpse into how important God is in the lives of these gifted and disciplined sports stars. I hope to see many of them giving thanks and praise to God and even "crossing themselves" before their event. That they can see that they owe so much to God is a real credit to their families and loved ones.