Let’s be truthful, many young athletes are going to go over to the ‘dark side’ by giving in to the drug demons! It is a shame, but not everyone is thinking about their health, reputation or legal ramifications. This article is an attempt to help those that may be thinking of using some illegal drug to think heavy and hard about that move before it is too late.
It doesn’t matter what your chosen sport is or your genetic limitations (in your mind), you can achieve things that seem un-reachable if you dedicate yourself. You don’t think great athletics thought they were going to really reach the pinnacle of their sport when they began? But they did work extremely hard from the beginning and through dedication, hard work and sacrifice, slowly but surely, they reached one goal at a time until they were the best. Now I will be the first to admit that genetics plays a big part in being the best but we also must admit that our goals must be realistic. By this I mean, a Bill Pearl, Babe Ruth, Lance Armstrong, Michael Jordan, etc. come along rarely but I doubt that these guys, even in their wildest dreams, ever imagined they would reach the success that they have. But they did have great genetics for their sport and they worked harder than most to sharpen their skills, strength, endurance, etc.
Understand this: there is no ‘magic pill’ out there that will turn you into a champion of any kind. If you think otherwise, you are living in a dream world. Dissect your sport from end to end. Make short term goals for yourself and go after them with a vengeance and expect to sacrifice much along the way. Know that hard work will be necessary otherwise find something else to do with your time. Be realistic, you probably will not be the best even if you work harder, sacrifice more and dedicate your life to your sport but work to be the best that you can be and you might just surprise yourself!
There will always be two sides in sports because I don’t think ‘drugs’ will go away anytime soon. But you have a choice. Know that you can’t keep it a secret if you use something illegal. Those athletes are looked at differently and it also says something about them as a person. Their character suffers along with all of the above negatives. And if you are a ‘natural athlete’, you can be proud of taking a stand to be so! Let others know how you feel because so many young athletics think that ‘everyone’ is on the juice. They need to hear that it’s not so. Strength in numbers means so much. Let young kids hear that being natural is cool because they are the ones that will fill your shoes after your life is heading in a different direction and they will remember your words of wisdom. And when you put your head down on the pillow at night, you will have one thing less to worry about…let’s face it, life can be rough, why add to it.
Write these words down and look at them daily: Dedication, hard work, sacrifice and consistency. These are the building blocks of a champion!
