steroid use in high school and college

Steroid use in High School and College Athletics

Performance enhancement drugs are a huge problem in the today’s time in both high school and college athletic life.  There are multiple reasons why kids take them and not one of them is for a good reason.  Steroids were a big problem in my high school, however very few actually used them to increase their athletic ability in any sort of school related sport.  I’ve seen kids that have never played a sport through their middle school or high school career just take different types of performance enhancement drugs and then just go to the gym and it barely had any effect.  To be honest most of the kids just started to gain weight and slip into obesity.  The only reason I can think of someone to be taking performance enhancement drugs is if they are severely sick and it is recommended by a doctor.  Other than that there is no excuse for anybody at any age to being putting these poisonous substances into their body.  I do not know anybody personally that has taken steroids in college but if someone does, I think it is unfair for the people that have been not taking any sort of performance enhancement drugs.  I consider steroids cheating and people that do not take them have worked really hard to get where they are today.

Motivation in P.E.

Motivation in Physical Education

“Most men stop when they begin to tire, good men go until they’re about to collapse, but the very best know that the mind tires before the body, and push themselves beyond those limits, and once those limits are shattered, the attainable can be reached”.  When I was in high school my wrestling coach made us remember and recite this quote after every practice and before every match.  Until this very day it is one of the most inspiring things that I have ever heard in my life and I have tried to live by it my whole life.  It is getting towards the end of the semester and things are getting much harder for both students and the teachers so I’d like to talk a little about motivation.  I know that I am personally struggling in some of my classes but I have to keep reminding myself everyday why I chose this profession.  The answer is that is because I want to help people.  I mean sure Doctors save lives but Physical Educators can help prevent a lot of people from every having to see the Doctor.  Meaning it’s going to be my job to keep students healthy and have them understand the importance of being healthy and physically fit through their whole entire life.  If you look at Magic Johnson and Lance Armstrong they are both professional athletes who have been beating deathly diseases.  Most people will say it’s because they have a lot of money and anyone with a big salary can pay their way out of any problem.  But as a physical educator I like to read in between the lines and point out that they were both PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES who train twenty four seven the whole year around.  With all of this technology in today’s world people look at physical fitness to lose weight almost as it’s the “old fashioned way” people would rather get liposuction or have their stomach stapled.  I think that is pathetic and probably one of the laziest procedures I ever heard of.  I personally know someone that got their stomach stapled and it lasted about 3 weeks until she snapped right back into bad hobbits.  Physical fitness not only makes you look better, but more importantly it makes you feel better, makes you think clearer, makes you more awake throughout the day and sleep better at night.  It is kind of an oxymoron that people are too lazy to do something that gives them more energy.

Outside of Physical Education Class

I think it is very important for students to understand that all physical activity, exercise etc should not have to be done only in a physical education class.  When I become a physical educator one of my goals are going to be to motivate the students to continue with physical fitness in and outside of the classroom.  What I mean by this is for students to get involved with things such as after school activities and sports, to go to the gym and workout before or after school.  Doing such things is beneficial in so many other ways then just creating a healthier lifestyle and living a lifestyle with physical fitness.  Playing on sports team is a great opportunity for social involvement and interacting with other people with similar interests.  I know when I was in high school I made some of the best friends of my life from being on the wrestling team.  I think every kid should experience that however I think some students are too shy to go out for a sport because they do not know how good they will be at it.  This brings to me to another topic why it is really important that in elementary and middle school level the physical education teacher do a good job teaching these skills because if you give a student enough confidence in a certain sport it can really change their life.  There are multiple ways to promote the outside of class activities such as flyers, over the loudspeaker, have your students go out of their way to ask around to get more people on a team.