Ethical line with performance enhancers of parents

[JohnEdward]

It has been a year or so since the neighbor kid took up martial arts, 14 years old and he is going to his first tournament. He parents asked it I would go to watch and support him. Mentoring the kid a bit over the year I agreed. We arrive at the tournament, the kid won his first match, but lost a second. He was guarantee a third. His parents crushed by their son's lack of competition glory at this point, the mom pulled me aside and asked for some advice. What I heard surprised me and shocked me. The mother suffering slightly from Asthma, asked if it would be wrong if she gave her son her inhaler to help his performance for the next match. The mother rationalized that it would increase her son's oxygen intake, as a smaller kid, had a smaller lung capacity the the other boys. She went on to explain what she gave her son prior to the contest. He had several energy drink's either Red Bull or Monster. Along with a host of other pills such as vitamin B's, and what ever else they tell you increases human performance they can stuff into a pill legally. I was waiting for her to say she juiced her kid. Though she didn't say she juiced her kid, I told her I felt ethically it was wrong despite the argument everyone else is doing it and it was means of equalization.

The bigger issue I see is all that the mother did is preparing her kid for steroid use. She didn't give her kid anything illegal according to her, it was all natural herbs and vitamins, and legal stimulants like caffeine. But, she did contemplate Asthma medication which is a steroid. It isn't testosterone, but a steroid never the less indicating to me she has thought about juicing her son, and testing the ground water for it. Where is the ethical line, there is so much out there that is legal performance enhancers, from vitamin B to caffeine you can give to kids, by uber parents does this set up for steroid use latter; is it a permission? Should (imo fanatical) parents be giving kids legal performance enhancers and stimulators to increase their performance at competitions?

 

[David43515]

This is just wrong on so many levels. You can`t buy an inhaler w/o a scrip. There are maximum doeses just like any other prescription drug, and I`m guessing mom is no MD. Even caffine in high doeses isn`t good for the heart. I`d advise you to talk to the parents but they`re probably beyond listening. If you`re mentoring this kid try to teach him that A) there are more important things than winning, B)he can win without that crap if he is willing to work hard, and C)that stuff is just gonna tear him up for a couple shiny plastic trophies.

 

[oftheherd1]

My concern would include yours and those of David43515, but also does she know something you don't? That is, are your other students doing it? I think you owe it to the parents and students to take a strong stand against this. In healthy students, correct and continuous training will get them to their peak, not drugs which will always be a temporary fix. Whan are we going to learn that there can only be so many greats in any endeavor?

Especially in sports, there is a pyramid. We cut many athletes at every level of advancement. Some just aren't cut out for the rigors of their sport. Sadly, others could do well but don't have the desire to spend the time to improve. Encouragement to good training will improve anybody, but especially those who are inherently better athletes, but not good practitioners. That's what parents and studends need to learn.

Also, we are learning MA. Hopefully we never have to use it, but if we do, is an assailant going to patiently stand by while we consume stimulants and suck on inhalers?

 

[punisher73]

There are some inhalers you can buy over the counter without a script, but would not have the steroids in them.

As to PE's, there is a reason that inhalers are on the BANNED substance list for IOC competitions under their rules. It does give an unfair advantage in competition. I would really have to question the mother's reasons for why her child is competing in the first place. It seems that the only lesson she is really teaching him is "do whatever it takes to win" and don't care how you do it.

 

[clfsean]

Soccer parents... I hate'em ...

 

[Brian King]

John, Congrats on mentoring the young man. Your and his relationship and the lessons it will teach the youngster should be primary in my opinion. You will have very little influence over the mom so expecting to change her attitude and reasoning will not likely be successful. Keep trying and always remember that both the youngster and parents are watching you.

It is not totally the mothers fault John. Today society is bombarded with messages screaming that without this or that product you aren't cool, you aren't up to standards, you are falling behind. It is easy to get caught up in that thought process. Billions of dollars are spent on reinforcing those messages and so many of the sports and entertainment heros either fall into the trap or make money reinforcing the image that makes the trap possible.

This commercial makes the case that to be a hero, and who doesn't want to be the one to win the game, to be like these heroes, drink Gatorade...

People get caught up in seeking the results. In my opinion the results of honest hard martial training might be a belt or a trophy but those should be seen as just shiny candy, shallow but nice to earn. The deeper results is the confidence, the curiosity, the work ethic, etc, that get ingrained in the martial practitioner. It is these earn and worked for attributes that will make that young man a successful part of society. The difference between a second or third place trophy is minuscule when seen in the larger purpose of living, yet, how a person learns to deal with challenges and set backs is huge. Looking for magic pill or learning to dig deep and stand up, which will serve better in the longer term.

For your young man (and his family) it might be time to start emphasizing the journey is what is important. Showing up and doing the work is enough, but, really start now to show and encourage the deeper results of the training. While doing push ups encourage him not to give up, it is not about the number of minutes held or number of repetitions, but about trying hard and digging a little deeper and learning about himself. Notice in the two writings below, neither suggests getting a vitamin supplement, that you will succeed but only if you take a vitamin B pill or use an inhaler.

Don’t Quit!
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low, and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
when he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow,
You may succeed with another blow.
Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit,
It's when things seem worst, that
You Must Not Quit.
- C. W. Longenecker

It Couldn’t Be Done
Somebody said that it couldn’t be done,
But, he with a chuckle replied
That "maybe it couldn’t," but he would be one
Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.
Somebody scoffed: "Oh, you’ll never do that;
At least no one has done it";
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,
And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.
There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure;
There are thousands to point out to you one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle it in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start to sing as you tackle the thing
That "couldn’t be done," and you’ll do it.

Edgar Albert Guest 1881-1959
​

Good luck John on the mentoring, you will get as much out of it as the young man. It is an important thing to help guide and grow and something you can take pride in. Not the number of trophies won of course but in seeing the changes and strengthening that occur in both your and the young mans relationships. Good luck in countering the negative influences. It is an uphill battle-so win or lose- take to it with a chuckle and a grin!

Regards
Brian King​

 

[shesulsa]

John,

I can't support performance enhancing supplementation on many levels. It's bad for the body, it's unethical and removes the requirement to train mentally and physically for the challenge. I don't, however, see an end to this happening and I really can't say what you should do here with this mom. Have you any thoughts on carrying on?

 

[JohnEdward]

It is hard to fight the uber-parent. Sure I can try to influence the kid, but the parent is the most influential person in a kid's life. But these uber-parents keeping up with the Jones and living neurotically vicarious though their kids is a mental condition for the pros to handle. They set patterns and permissions for their kids that have damaging consequences later their lives that diminish those plastic dust collection trophies, and pot metal ribbon necklaces shown off to the other competing uber parents.

My feeling is that martial arts for kids is about discipline, exercise, personal goals and expanding their world. It isn't or should be about winning trinkets at any cost. And never should be at the expense of a kid's health and perspective.

 

[Dirty Dog]

If she gives her kid her prescription asthma meds, she's breaking the law. If her asthma is "mild", as you said, then the inhaler is probably not a steroid at all. It's most likely something like albuterol which works by relaxing the muscles in the bronchi, thus opening them up a little. And even it is a steroid, it's not the sort of steroids used to build muscle. It's the sort that reduces inflammation.

If it's an OTC inhaler, that's even worse. The only commonly available OTC asthma inhaler in the US is primatine. Primatine is evil, and I sincerely wish it would be pulled off the shelves. It's nothing but adrenaline. Yes, it provides a brief improvement, but this is MORE than offset by the rebound bronchospasm. Imagine this kid with a couple red bulls, a bunch of B12 (most common energy vitamin) and some pure adrenaline on top of the natural adrenaline he's already dumping into his system. This is a recipe for disaster.

I've treated more than one person in the ED for caffiene OD (usually things like NoDoze or energy drinks) and I've seen people go into atrial fibrillation and even one who had a heart attack just from the strain on the heart from an OD of these "safe" stimulants.

You can't stop her from being stupid. But you owe it to the kid to try.

 

[OKenpo942]

All of the above posts are true and I agree, but I would reinforce the fact to the mother and the son that he was successful in his first ever competition. He won his first match and did not need the performance enhancer. This was a building block that should be a motivating factor for improvement and hard work.

I appplaud your stance on the issue and feel that this boy needs your guidance more than you may have realized prior to the competition. Keep up the good work.

James

 

[shesulsa]

All of the above posts are true and I agree, but I would reinforce the fact to the mother and the son that he was successful in his first ever competition. He won his first match and did not need the performance enhancer. This was a building block that should be a motivating factor for improvement and hard work.

I appplaud your stance on the issue and feel that this boy needs your guidance more than you may have realized prior to the competition. Keep up the good work.

James

What he said.

You could try to point this out to Ubermom and Uberdad and emphasize how well-respected and virtuous this is!

 

[Steve]

Jesus christ, there's so much wrong in this I don't even know where to begin! As a parent, I'm... stunned.

I've posted in the past that activities for kids are, in my opinion, all functionally doing the same thing. The over arching lessons the kids should be learning have less to do with the specific activity than how they are being mentored. Kids activities should teach life lessons that include sportsmanship, work ethic, how to lose and also how to win. Kids should be taught that you don't have to be a professional to enjoy something. It's okay to enjoy golf even if you aren't Tiger Woods. It's okay to enjoy band, even if you'll never make a living at the philharmonic. What kills me is that we have an entire generation of parents who have decided that if you can't be the best at something, it's just not worth doing. I love playing chess, but I'm not very good at it. I like BJJ, but I'm not going to be an elite grappler. I think it's a real shame when people give something up that they enjoy simply because they don't see the point of it if they can't be the "best." And passing that on to one's kids is doubly tragic.

 

[msmitht]

So wrong. She is teaching her son that no matter how hard he works he will still need a performance enhancer. Now it is red bull and supplements. What next? HGH? Steroids? She is setting her son up for failure.
If she does not want to believe that her son can succeed w/out, fine. Someone needs to tell him different.
Kudos for acting as a mentor BTW.

 

[David43515]

People like this kid`s mother make me wish all tournaments were conducted like one I saw in India. There was no audience of spectators. When you competed for forms or fighting, the only people in the room were the judges and the people competing at that moment. (No, you never saw what the competition`s forms looked like unless you happened to see them practicing in the hall. You never saw anyone fighting until you were fighting them.) And the trophies were cups about the size of the palm of your hand.