Parents,
have you noticed the athletic performance in your student-athlete diminishing
lately? If so, there are numerous possibilities from lack of sleep to stress,
as well as just being too busy.
But have you given thought to the possibility of drug and alcohol use?
Over the last few months I’ve continued to hear more stories of how marijuana
use is on the increase, so I decided to do a bit more research on the
subject. As you may know FCA has a
program called One Way 2 Play - Drug
Free, and steroid use has been the main focus for a number of years, along
with underage drinking.
“Illicit drug use among teenagers has continued at high
rates, largely due to the popularity of marijuana. In 2012, 6.5 percent of 8th graders, 17.0 percent of
10th graders, and 22.9 percent of 12th graders used marijuana in the past
month—an increase among 10th and 12th graders from 14.2
percent, and 18.8 percent in 2007. Daily use has also increased; 6.5 percent of
12th graders now use marijuana every day, compared to 5.1 percent in the 2007.”
(National Institute on Drug Abuse- December 2012)
“Marijuana use poses
the greatest threat to high school athletes’ future, say some coaches, who also
indicate the use of pot has increased since it was legalized (in Colorado )
last year.” According to wrestling Coach Barrett Goyler of Poudre (Co.) High
School, he has seen the impact of marijuana use. “This kid was a good wrestler; he enjoyed wrestling. He started using marijuana then started
skipping classes. He got two F’s then became ineligible. Then he starts skipping practice. One thing leads to another. Then he’s got problems at home; he’s
running away from home. You can
see it, one thing leads to another, and then another.” (Coloradoan.com)
On most (college) campuses, the athletic training room is ‘rumor
central,’ according to Charles Thompson, head athletic trainer at Princeton
University. "When you talk to athletes, you hear the stories," says
Thompson, chair of the National Athletic Trainers' Association's
College/University Athletic Trainers' Committee. ‘There are a lot of athletic
trainers who feel that marijuana use on campus has grown exponentially, even
among the athletic population.’”
The issue has been smoldering for some time. In
2011, Sports Illustrated reported that nearly a dozen first-round
prospects in the 2010 NFL draft were known to have marijuana use in their past,
leading one team personnel official to term the situation an ‘epidemic.’ “
(Paul Steinbach, AthleticBusiness.com)
Life
does get busy, especially with teenagers in the home, but there are some signs
you can pay attention to if you sense some unusual changes in your student’s athletic
performance.
According
to Dr. Gary Wadler, a New York University School of Medicine professor and lead
author of the book “Drugs and the Athlete”, marijuana is stored in the body fat
and its effects may be long lasting. “It has been shown that performance skills
can be impaired for as long as 24 hours after usage.” He states the effects of marijuana on performance:
·
Impairs
skills requiring eye-hand coordination and a fast reaction time
·
Reduces
motor coordination, tracking ability and perceptual accuracy
·
Impairs
concentration, and time appears to move more slowly (from ESPN.com “Drug and
Sports”)
Dr. Jeff Milroy interviewed
a sophomore student-athlete (Division I institution) on drinking alcohol and
this was her response:
“Why
do I choose not to drink? Sure I know it is illegal at my age, but to be
honest, that isn’t my number one reason for not drinking. See, I expect my
teammates to perform at their highest ability, so why shouldn’t they
expect the same from me? Drinking and using other drugs compromises my ability
to perform at my best. If I chose to use alcohol or other drugs I would be
letting them down. Everyone always seems to forget about practices during the
week; athletes who choose to drink only think about game day. I don’t
think they see the importance of practicing at their best. I know drinking
on a Saturday night affects the way I feel and how I perform at
practice on Monday and Tuesday. I had a coach once tell me – play as you practice
and practice like you play – It really makes sense doesn’t it?” (From
myplaybook.drugfreesport.com)
For
more information on One Way 2 Play-Drug Free, visit dfwfca.org.