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Youth Sports and Performance Enhancing Drugs
Should we just say enough?
Legalize steroid use at the professional and Olympic level
of sport.
They’re going to be used anyway.
Just make it legal and stop the madness of masking agents,
scandals and cover-ups.
What do I really think?
Not a chance.
Kids deserve mentors who speak with a degree of common
sense.
We make it "okay" at one level, the connotation is that it’s
"okay" in general.
Yeah, it’s a headache and, quite frankly, a topic I’m growing
weary of having to deal with.
But to me, kids are MORE than worth it.
What do you think about steroids in Youth Sports?
Leave your thoughts and comments below –
Right On, Brian,
The kids are definitely worth it and a lot more. My grandkids are into BMX Racing, now that it is an Olympic Sport we may see drugs into that area too. I am going to do everything I can to make sure that steroids are not part of their lives.
I agree with the weariness too, it seems I get a lot of questions on my allexperts.com site about steroids. It seems the cycling world is really heavy into that sort of thing, especially at the pro level.
It is important for us all to do our best to combat this problem in our youth and set hem on the right course.
Legal steriod use poses a triple problem (and probably much more), but this is how I see it:
1. They are teaching kids to win at all costs. Whatever happened to honest sportsmanship and the gradual development of the accomplished athlete?
2. The cost to one’s health is far too significant to be ignored. Messing up your body’s physiology has lasting, dangerous effects, as we all know.
3. Kids learn from guilt. It’s true. You think twice about something if it’s not permissible. If you take the guilt away from this, then it opens the doors to wider use.
Ultimately, it takes good mentors to educate children and steer them clear of such things and there will always be those kids who fall prey to steroids, whether they’re legal or not.
-Liz
http://www.TrainingbyLiz.com
http://www.FamilyFitnessGuru.com
I agree. The win at all cost attitude is already way too prevelant in youth sports. Making it leagle in pro sports only ensures that to be successful at some point you must start using them. So why not start at 12 or 10 or 8.
Brian, its another indication of how out of whack or wack the sports world is. We are starting at the youth level and have an obligation to change the culture. Remember sports are fun! Steroids are the ultimate indicator that they aren’t. Not only the pressure to win but the chance at the D-1 or pro salary is wreaking havoc. We have to change what kids value and that isnt easy. Its worth the fight though.
I have lived around the world and I can tell you that in countries where steroids are available over the counter the is not an abuse problem.
Also Steroids are not a Class III drug so why have the US government classified as one?
As far as the youth being allowed to use, absolutely not but adults can make their own decisions we don’t need big brother telling us what is good or bad because so far their track record has been shocking.
Why are cigarettes and alcohol legal when they cause so much damage and are such a huge health risk?
Just as we are trying to encourage a more physical culture in our youth, we must also encourage values and principles as well. I never have any reservations about bringing the subject of steroids with my athletes at any age.
After all, in many cases I may be the only one educating them on the dangers of them.
I have had several, young athletes as well as their parents ask me about sports inhancing supplements. My main response to this is lots of protien and a good healthy diet. Steriods are not only dangerous to the athletes but they take away from the true ability of them. We as youth trainers should do our best to discourage this every chance we get.