This is the minds on icon.

Look around you. Can you see or think of anything you use to help you do something better? Easier? Faster? The working world is full of gadgets, ideas, and even foods to help workers be faster, more efficient, thus making them better workers and eventually resulting in bringing in more money for their respective companies.

Now can you think of who the employees are of the Toronto Blue Jays? Ottawa Senators? Or even the London Lightning of the Canadian Basketball League? If you listed any of the players on any of the teams, then you have just uncovered an interesting issue: Why are professional athletes treated differently than the majority of the work force when it comes to doing whatever it takes to be the best "employee" they physically can be?

This is the discussion icon. Assignment 1: Peak Performance

Should it matter if an athlete is a professional or amateur when it comes to getting their body to perform the best it can regardless of how they achieve it?

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This is the discussion icon. Assignment 2: Enhance Performance

What does it mean to enhance performance? What are ways it can be done?

Create a mindmap on ways you think physical performance can be enhanced or improved. Once completed, save it to your Portfolio.

1. Nutritional Aids

  • Nutritional ergogenic aids are dietary supplements that supposedly enhance performance above levels anticipated under normal conditions.
  • By definition, a supplement is something added to the diet to make up for a nutritional deficiency. Athletes, however, consume dietary supplements to improve athletic performance and health.
  • Dietary supplements are a multi-billion dollar industry that targets a wide range of populations, including athletes. Between the years of 1990 and 1996 supplement sales almost doubled from $3.3 billion to $6.5 billion.

Common Examples:

  • Beetroot Juice (Nitrate)
  • Bicarbonate of Soda
  • Carbohydrate Loading
  • Caffeine
  • Creatine
  • Sports Drinks

This is the did you know icon. Did You Know?

Creatine is one of the most commonly used dietary supplements seen today. Here are the facts associated with this "high-intensity" athletic aid.

  • Creatine is produced by the body and helps release energy in muscles.
  • Creatine helps muscles make and circulate more adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the fuel the body uses for quick, explosive activity of short duration like weightlifting or sprinting.
  • Creatine also reduces energy waste products. As a result, it claims to enhance performance and decrease fatigue.
  • It can delay onset of fatigue which gives athlete the ability to train harder to build muscle.
  • Doesn’t work well for runners, helps for high intensity exercise lasting less than a minute (weight lifting, jumping, sprinting).
  • Concerns with creatine:
    • Kidney damage and failure are a prime concern.
    • Creatine also tends to draw water away from the body into muscle cells, which can lead to serious dehydration. Users should make sure they drink plenty of water or other fluids.
  • Creatine is not classified as a drug, so there is no governing body to guarantee it’s pure.

2. Pharmacological Aids

  • These include performance enhancing drugs, both illegal and legal;
  • In professional and Olympic sports, these are the most widely discussed and tested of all the aids;
  • Should be used with caution as even the legal ones can have unpleasant side effects.

Common Examples:

  • Anabolic Steroids:
    • Oxygen - is essential for the production of energy by aerobic processes. The greater the body's capacity to supply oxygen to the muscles during exercise, the greater the ability to maintain aerobic activity without fatigue. If a person can improve their capacity to utilize oxygen they are likely to improve their performance in endurance events.
    • Sports Massage - Massage is the most effective therapy for releasing muscle tension and restoring balance to the musculoskeletal system. Received regularly this may help athletes prevent injuries, which might otherwise be caused by overuse.
  • Human Growth Hormone:
    • Blood Doping - involves putting extra blood into the body which increases the level of hemoglobin thereby providing an increased oxygen carrying capacity for delivery to the working muscles.
    • EPO - EPO (erythropoietin) stimulates red blood cell production. It causes an increase in the total number of circulating red bloods cells.
  • Amphetamines:
    • Exerts its effect on the Central Nervous System
    • Elevates Blood pressure, heart rate, cardiac output and breathing frequency
    • Increases alertness and wakefulness
    • Increases the capacity to do work by depressing the sensation of muscle fatigue

3. Physiological Aids

  • Natural substances like herbal tea and treatments like acupuncture are physiological ergogenic aids and can be used to aid performance.
  • Most of these aids are safe and effective.
  • Physiological aids are widely available and can be a good alternative to drug supplementation.

Common Examples:

  • Legal:
    • Oxygen - is essential for the production of energy by aerobic processes. The greater the body's capacity to supply oxygen to the muscles during exercise, the greater the ability to maintain aerobic activity without fatigue. If a person can improve their capacity to utilize oxygen they are likely to improve their performance in endurance events.
    • Sports Massage - Massage is the most effective therapy for releasing muscle tension and restoring balance to the musculoskeletal system. Received regularly this may help athletes prevent injuries, which might otherwise be caused by overuse.
  • Illegal:
    • Blood Doping - involves putting extra blood into the body which increases the level of hemoglobin thereby providing an increased oxygen carrying capacity for delivery to the working muscles.
    • EPO - EPO (erythropoietin) stimulates red blood cell production. It causes an increase in the total number of circulating red bloods cells.

4. Psychological Aids

  • Techniques that support the athlete's mental state are psychological ergogenic aids and can aid performance;
  • Most of these aids are safe and effective;
  • Psychological aid techniques are easy to learn and can be done anywhere;
  • Techniques which athletes can use in the competitive situation to maintain control and optimize their performance. These include relaxation and imagery. Once learned, these techniques allow the athlete to relax and to focus his/her attention in a positive manner on the task of preparing for and participating in competition.

Common Examples:

  • Hypnosis - a very effective tool to distract the mind from negative thought before an event. It is a good idea to consult a professional for help.
  • Cheering - having affirmation from friends and family can improve the mental state of the athlete resulting in an improved performance.
  • Imagery - involves positive visualization including seeing yourself winning an event, mastering a challenge, relieve feeling of stress, seeing yourself perform a specific skill and planning game strategy.
  • Music - soothing music can calm pre-game jitters while energetic music can pump you up before an event.
  • Relaxation - involves breathing techniques and muscle manipulation to help ease stress.

5. Mechanical Aids

  • Mechanical aids are designed to help athletes improve performance and gain an edge over the competition;
  • Mechanical forms of ergogenic aids include specially-designed clothing, enhanced forms of sports equipment, and/or physical devices in contact with a person's body;
  • In a general sense, any physical object that affects performance qualifies as a mechanical aid;
  • Most often associated with performance enhancements related to a competitive sport rather than just with day-to-day life;
  • They are usually a safe and effect alternative to other ergogenic aids such as drugs;

Common Examples:

  • Heart Rate Monitors
  • Computers - Used to analyze VO2 max, technique, test results etc.
  • Video recorders - Used to analyze technique
  • Weights
  • Downhill running/Uphill running
  • Treadmills
  • Sports clothing, footwear and equipment
  • Timing equipment

The Evolution of the Swimsuit

The evolution of the competitive swimsuit brought the Olympic committee to it’s knees in 2008 when Speedo introduced a suit that shattered world records. It was eventually banned for helping out too much, but still it is amazing to see just how far science can take sport.

WADA - The Watchdogs

Who is WADA or the World Anti Doping Agency? Where are they? What do they do?

Watch this video to learn more.

This is the dropbox icon. Assignment 3: Well, WADA You Know! This Might Be Banned!

WADA has just released its most up-to-date list of banned substances and techniques in January of 2016. This is an extensive list of drugs, chemicals and even techniques which have been deemed in one way or another to give an unfair advantage to athletic performance. However, there have been cases of athletes taking medicines for certain everyday conditions (ie. allergies, colds) that have gotten them in trouble with WADA and the athletes have claimed to be unknowing of their "banned" ingredients.

The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport has also provided resources that allow athletes, coaches, and even parents to find out if medicines that are being taken by athletes are allowed for competition and/or training.

Are you or someone you know taking something on the banned list?

Take a look at some of the common medicines either you or someone you know may be taking and create a list of 5-10 medicines.

Research to see if any of the medicines on your list could put an athlete’s accomplishments in jeopardy.

The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport and globoDRO websites might serve as good resources for your work. As will the WADA: List of Prohibited Substances and Methods.

Complete a chart similar to the following:

Medicine Common use Banned or Not Performance Enhancing Effect
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Submit your completed chart to your Portfolio.

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This is the dropbox icon. Assignment 4: Performance Aids and Banned Substances

Choose to write A Letter To The Editor or create an Elevator Pitch. Either task will help you demonstrate your understanding of the factors that affect performance during human movements, specifically the effects of various ergogenic methods, substances and equipment on human performance.

Task 1: Letter to the Editor

Some people argue that we should stop drug testing altogether in sport and just allow athletes to do whatever they need to do in order to get the best performance out of their bodies that they can.

The other side to that logic is the morality of fair play and the dangerous practices some athletes and coaches have taken to get the most out of their performances. Even WADA sometimes has a hard time detecting cheaters in sports. Leading into the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil, drug doping in sport was on most people’s mind as the reputation of the entire Russian Olympic team remained in question after they had been implicated in a government-run doping program.

However, the use of performance enhancing drugs is not the only way Olympic and/or Paralympic athletes are trying to illegally gain an edge. The following examples are of how far Olympic and Paralympic athletes have been going to "win at all costs".

Resources

Write a "Letter to the Editor" to convey your opinion on whether or not athletes should be using performance enhancing means that have been deemed illegal. Include the following information in your letter:

  • accurate information about the issue (e.g., the problem, the cause, who is involved, what decision needs to be made relevant to the use of ergogenic methods, substances, and equipment);
  • summarize alternate courses of action or opposing views about ergogenic methods, substances and equipment;
  • offer a reasoned conclusion or plan of action;
  • be sure to elaborate on your position and support your view by using examples from the articles or videos or any other sources you can find.

If you like information about how to write a "Letter to the Editor", read through this coppelljournalism blog and this thoughtfulLearning post.

Add your “Letter to the Editor” to your Portfolio.

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