Substance Abuse In Athletes

The performance of an elite athlete can sometimes be a stressful atmosphere to engage in. They are expected to train at a high level and continuously increase their performance to reach victory. Because competitiveness and the desire to win is so important to succeed, many will do anything to make this happen. Despite what the consequences may bring many professional and Olympic athletes take illegal drugs and supplements to help increase their performance.

Substance abuse is a recognized problem that occurs at all levels of competition. Athletes may take these drugs for therapeutic use, recreational or social reasons, performance-enhancing, or to cover up the presence of another drug that may be in their system. The use of ergolytic drugs ( performance-impairing) was found to be more commonly used the ergogenic drugs ( performance-enhancing). I think this is the case because athletes at all levels tend to have a more time consuming day then people who do not participate in sports. For example I have been involved competitively involved in diving during all of middle school, high school and now college. Although I fully enjoy diving its very time consuming because I would have practice everyday after school and meets on the weekends. Because I always have practice or a competition this also leaves me little free time between homework and other obligations that I may have. Even though this does not classify all athletes the American College of Sports Medicine reported that "athletes are thought to be vulnerable to recreational substance abuse because of some combination of the following variables: fame, fortune, free time, and the feeling on invincibility". Of the recreational substance abuse the most commonly abused drugs are cocaine, alcohol, and marijuana. Athletes that use cocaine and work out are endangering themselves of experiencing heart attacks. Cocaine increases the heart rate significantly and enhances the platelet activity which causes blood clots to form in the coronary arteries. ACSM also reports that "myocardial infarction (MI) has been reported in first-time and chronic cocaine users with and without risk factors for coronary artery disease". Athletes that abuse alcohol and marijuana often effect their careers because it can significantly impair performance. Although drug tests are required at a professional level these are two substances that are easier to avoid from showing up on a urine sample. Substance abuse is definitely a recognized issue in athletes. Coaches, trainers, health professionals, and other athletes should be alert to the possibility that this could be happening in their presence. These drugs may be putting athletes at an advantage for a short period of time however it will eventually catch up to them in the long run. For all of you who are athletes you should take this seriously and because you never no who you may help for the future.

Spectator Agression in Youth Sports

Spectator’s aggression is an issue that is often related to youth sports. Parents are the most likely to engage in aggressive behaviors because they get too involved in the game. These aggressive behaviors consist of yelling, swearing, shoving, and fighting. Parents mostly get aggressive towards other parents, spectators, umpires, coaches, other players and their own child. In researching more about spectator aggression I found this article that talks about two hockey dads that got in a fight during their son’s game and one father ended up being beaten to death.

'Hockey dad' gets 6 to 10 years for fatal beating

A jury of nine women and three men found Junta guilty of involuntary manslaughter January 11, rejecting the more serious charge of manslaughter, which carries a 20-year maximum prison term. Acting on the state prosecutors' recommendation, Judge Charles Grabau gave Junta double what the Massachusetts sentencing guidelines outline for such a sentence. Before the sentence was read, Costin's family painted an image of him as a devoted father. They countered reports in the media that Costin, a single father of four, had a violent past, noting that he had taken classes to confront his shyness. His sons, hoping to extend Junta's sentence, told the courtroom how their father's death has affected them. I saw Thomas Junta beating my dad into the ground. For the rest of that day and for the next day, my heart was in my throat," said Michael Costin Jr. "Please teach Thomas Junta a lesson: Let the world know that a person can't do what Thomas Junta did to my dad, to my family and to me ... we all want Thomas Junta to go to prison for as long as your honor can put him there."

On July 5, 2000, Junta -- a 6-foot-1, 270-pound truck driver -- fought twice with Costin, who was 6 feet tall and weighed 156 pounds. The second fight proved fatal for Costin. The two men had argued over what Junta described as rough play during hockey drills that both men's sons were participating in at the Burbank Ice Arena in Reading, Massachusetts. Junta's attorneys have described him as a "gentle giant" who was only trying to defend himself in his fight with Costin.

"This was a fight between two men that got out of hand," said Junta's attorney, Thomas Orlandi Jr., "He is, in no way, a threat to society."

Junta is married with two children. In an attempt to help his family, Orlandi asked the judge Friday to consider alternatives to incarceration for Junta, who Orlandi said does not have a past criminal record. Orlandi requested Junta be placed on "closely supervised probation" so he could perform his duties to his family as the sole breadwinner and also pay his debt to the state. The defense attorney noted that Junta is a "hardworking, honest" and "responsible" man who fully cooperated with police following the incident, and during the trial.

"All the families have suffered ... his children couldn't be here, they were so distraught," Orlandi said, adding that Junta's role in the fatal altercation did not represent who his client really is. Involuntary manslaughter is an unintentional killing as a result of a battery in which the defendant knew or should have known a human life was endangered.

It’s scary to think that adults can take something so little so far. You would never think that an argument like this can be taken so far that it leads to death. Many adults have been reported for all kinds of aggressive behavior during a youth sports game. If adults are standing on the sidelines acting like this then what does it teach their children? It’s terrible for any kid who has to experience a situation like this because most kids that participate in sports are there because there friends are doing it, its fun, or simply because they enjoy that particular sport. You would think that spectator aggression is something that mostly occurs at a high school or college level yet it begins at youth sporting games. Hopefully a tragedy like this raised awareness for adults that have acted out during a youth game before. It’s terrible that these kids had to experience such tragedy at a young age. Spectator aggression is defiantly something that should be monitored but its to bad that within my own research I found many articles relating to adults at youth sporting events.

The Healthy Way To Engage In Sport

When an athlete engages in sport there are both physical and mental aspects that can effect the way one plays. Part of being in a sport requires the experience of violence. Even though its not always allowed there will always be an incident that leads to this. When athletes get physical it leads to all kinds of sports aggression where both teams now become enemies. This can be an unhealthy way to engage in sport because danger and violence is not suppose to be an outcome of the game. Not only can this type of behavior cause violent playing on the field, it encourages the spectators to burst into rage and start fights among themselves. Through my own experiences I have seen athletes get so built up with anger about a game that they carry this quality with them throughout the rest of the season. This type of behavior is one that carries unsportsmanship qualities which can result in an athletes absence to the game. Being an athlete myself I understand how frustration and anger can come into play but it may have a larger effect on you then imagined. A while back I was reading an article in a sports magazine that talked about the healthy way to engage in sports. This writer was talking about how important it is to go into the game thinking about your passion for sport. Defining the reasons for playing can help build encouragement. She also comments that if you can identify with positive qualities before, during and after competition you may find yourself playing better. Sometimes when people get out of hand and worry about loosing they have a better chance of leaving the game with a disappointment. By not allowing your mind to take over you body is an important aspect during sport because it is likely to happen when your anxiety sets in. Letting anxiety take over your body lowers your confidence which can decrease your performance. Some elite athletes see sports psychologists to face their fears however if you feel as though you are having trouble you should try self-educating your mind on positive aspects.

Speed Walking as an Olympic Sport

This week I thought it would be interesting to research about the Olympic sport of speed walking. It never occurred to me that this was an actual event in the Olympic games until recently. Speed walking was officially introduced at the 1932 Olympic games where they only competed the 50km. After a few years of declaring the rules and qualifications for this sport they re-entered the standard Olympic road walking distances of 20km and 50km, which has been a part of the Olympics since 1956. The 50km race was eliminated because of the many irregularities, which happened for the 1976 games. Both men and women compete in the 20km race. The race walking judges pay close attention during races to see if competitors cross the line from walking to running during the race. This means that the athlete’s front foot must be touching the ground while their rear foot is lifted in the air. During a race any single judge is allowed to hold up a yellow card, which means that they feel the competitor is not abiding by the rules. However, if they athlete doesn’t do anything about the way they are competing the same judge is not allowed to give them another warning. Another judge on the panel can only distribute this next warning, which can be a red card. Three red cards result in a disqualification. This Olympic event normally takes place on roads. This prohibits these athletes from setting world records because only times that are set on tracks are eligible. When a race walker competes they must make sure that they straighten each leg when it first comes in contact with the ground. In order to complete a race their whole torso crosses the finish line. After reading much about this sport I found a lot of articles that explain it as being a difficult event because of the rules. They are trying to walk as quickly as possible while making sure they are maintaining contact with the ground at all times. Many don’t see the point in a sport like this however I though it was quite interesting to read the level of competitiveness on this sport. In one of my classes exercise physiology we have a lab where we have to walk 5.0 for 3 minutes. This was extremely difficult and very hard to maintain this speed without lifting my feet off the treadmill. My legs were moving so quick that it was a very uncomforting and exhausting feeling. I think this is an interesting sport to watch because I don’t know much about it. I hope you enjoy the clip and it will be interesting to see how this sport develops in the future.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXb2RKprpmU&feature=related

Overuse Foot Injuries Are Common In Runners

One thing I became more familiar with while taking the class kinesiology was the typical walking patterns in humans. I found this topic very interesting and it can be directly related with runners and the type of injuries that they commonly experience. Foot injuries are typical in runners because of specific overuse patterns that they sustain. The analysis of how one stands or walks is referred to as gait. Gait can help to reveal any muscle, nerve or skeletal problems a person may have. Gait is also used by many running coaches to help athletes run more efficiently and to identify posture or movement related problems that contribute to ones overuse injuries.

Alot of runners that have high arches and flat feet are more prevalent to injuries because of how their foot is built. Athletes with high arches are often referred to as "supinators" or "under pronators". This is because in their running gait they have decreased mobility which is related to their inadequate pronation while running. This means that while they are running their feet do not absorb shock well which can be very painful during running. Its common that they will have pain radiating on the lateral side of their ankle. The pain can also increase to their lower leg and knee. When an athlete has overpronation, this is the opposite. They have too much mobility while their foot is pronated and this excess force contributes to pains on the medial side of their ankle. A great way to check your arches in your feet is to get your feet wet and step on the concrete. If your mark only show the ball of your foot and heel, it is likely that you are an underpronator. If your mark shows your whole foot then you are considered an overpronator. Overpronators need shoes that will provide them with extra support. Underpronators need shoes with extra cushioning. There are certain shoes that are especially made for both these issues or you could look into buy orthotics with will also help during running. Other injuries that are common in runners are plantar fasciitis, calcaneal stress fracture, achilles tendon bursitis, extensor tendinitis, sesamoiditis, metatarsal stress fracture, posterior tibialis tendonitis, peroneal tendoitis and many more. If you experience any type of pain that relate to your lower extremities, it could be related to the arches in your feet. Be sure to talk to your doctor about this because if you catch it early enough there could be alot of things that will help to further reduce your pain!

Wrestling

Wrestling is a worldwide competitive sport where there are two contestants that use their maximal muscle strength to try and force the other player to touch their shoulder to the floor. As you may know wrestlers are subjected to compete in specific weight classes with similar age groups in order to have a fair competition.

I chose to write about this sport because my brother has been a competitive wrestler since as long as I can remember. One thing that I saw him struggle through was the amount of health issues that these competitive athletes can have. He was constantly on diets and try to cut weight before his matches so he would be able to weigh in as less as possible. Athletes would do this because it was better to get into lower weight classes so it would be able to give them some sort of an advantage. It came to the point where his coaches were encouraging the wrestlers to cut weight because of the heavy competition. These habits consisted of eating small meals with limited portions while also putting forth a lot of vigorous exercise. This sport contains a lot of strength training to be able to defeat the opponent. Right before competitions sometimes wrestlers try and cut out as much water weight as possible to decrease their size. Ive seen athletes run in a full sweat suit in the heat or run with a trash bag to sweat all that extra water. Being an athlete myself, I understand that people do whatever they can to win however, sometimes this can be very unsafe to the athletes body. In the severity of this situation athletes can have long term effects that can result in kidney failure and heart malfunctions. Some other physical problems that some people develop later on in life is hypoglycemia and chronic fatigue syndrome.

In 1997, the death of 3 collegiate wrestlers sent a message to the public on what this strenuous activity can do to an athlete. Since then there has been a lot of changes in the rules and weight classes for precaution. Today, it is common for people to stereotype wrestlers as the starved and malnourished athletes however, in most cases there are many who participate in this sport that don't participate in extreme weight loss. I think its amazing how much muscle strength and endurance that these athletes contain. In experiencing the the intense weight training that my brother regularly works out to, I find it unbelievable how much dedication it takes to built up this type of strength.

A Time Consuming Sport

This week I chose to write about gymnastics because it was once a sport that consumed a big part of my life. In reading many articles and hearing from others I found that many people felt that this sport requires dedication in the amount of training hours. It can really take away from ones social life and the opportunity to focus on multiple sports. In my own experiences this was my reason for quitting. From elementary school to the beginning of high school I would spend countless amounts of hours at the gym almost every night. As I grew older I realized that this was not something that I wanted to continue with and decided to take another path. Writer Eleni Edwards comments that "in order to thrive in gymnastics you must maintain a high level of dedication."Gymnastics is a sport that involves a performance of exercises that require a lot of physical strength, flexibility, agility and coordination." ( new york times). I always found that gymnastics took more time then any other sport I was involved in.

Often times we notice that elite gymnasts are of a certain stature. They are small, slender and have defining muscle activity. Female gymnasts are known to have lighter body masses compared to other athletes and females of the general population. Elite gymnasts are at the increased risk of the adverse effects for growth and maturation in their lifetime. Because this sport requires various stresses and high impacts to the body it directly effects one growth patterns. Gymnastics requires that athletes build up muscle strength, endurance and flexibility at a young age. While these athletes participate in this intense training their muscles begin to develop and its preventing a normal growth spurt because theres so much built up muscle holding it back. The greater the number of years in gymnastics the greater reduction in growth. However this also works to an advantage for these athletes because the smaller the better. Short gymnasts ofter have an advantage of spinning faster while tumbling and getting around easier on the uneven bars. From my own experience I remember watching taller people do the bars and sometimes there heals would hit the low bar or even the ground if they wernt able to hold their body weight.