"Gaining the Competitive Edge: Strengthening Athletes' Mental and Physical Skills" to be held on August 13 at the Palm BeachCountyConvention Center
West Palm Beach, Florida, August 1, 2007 - Drug and alcohol addicted celebrities, dangerously thin starlets and famous athletes using steroids - today's role models? Everyday young kids and teens are watching the people they idolize brag about using steroids, go into a drunken rage or float in and out of a rehab facility daily as if it's normal, or worse yet, healthy. As the first line of contact with kids and teens in sports, athletic coaches can help prevent the abuse of steroids and drugs, recognize the warning signs of eating disorders, and, most importantly, know how and when to intervene.
On Monday, August 13 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., HanleyCenter will host the "Gaining the Competitive Edge: Strengthening Athletes' Mental and Physical Skills" Conference for athletic directors, coaches, school administrators, teachers, guidance counselors, parents and the community at large. This free conference will be held at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach and is open to all types of athletic coaches including middle and high school coaches, community sports teams and clubs, Parks & Recreation, dance teams, twirling clubs, cheerleading clubs and nurses.
The conference will feature experts in their respective fields who will provide coaches an informative program focusing on:
· Warning signs and detrimental affects of steroid use and abuse
· Warning signs and detrimental affects of eating disorders
· Effective drug and alcohol prevention methods
· How and when to intervene
· Developing a healthy athlete
· Developing mental strength
· The ATLAS and ATHENA prevention programs and how schools may participate in these proven programs
The day's Keynote Speaker is Former Major League Baseball Pitcher Jack Armstrong. Armstrong, who lives in Jupiter, made his Major League debut with the Cincinnati Reds in 1988. He pitched for the Reds in the 1990 World Series against the Oakland Athletics. Armstrong also played for the Cleveland Indians (1992), Florida Marlins (1993) and the Texas Rangers (1994). His promising baseball career was cut short when he tore a rotator cuff ending his career at the age of 27. Armstrong will talk about his drug-free career and how he avoided the use of enhancement drugs to better his performance.
One of the main reasons teens say they use steroids is to improve their performance in sports, and teenage girls are using steroids as a means of weight and fat control. Steroids are behavioral drugs that cause serious irreversible side affects such as depression, rage, intense pain, damage to liver and kidneys, heart attacks, and suicide. For parents, coaches, teachers and others in daily contact with teens, understanding and recognizing the warning signs of steroid use, eating disorders, and drug and alcohol use, and advocating a healthy mind and body are more important than ever.
According to Hanley Center's Prevention Program Coordinator Jamie Blosser, "Competitive sports are wonderful activities for high school girls and boys to participate in, and especially for girls because it helps to build relationships and self-confidence. Girls who participate in sports also tend to perform better academically and have better time management skills." However, Blosser adds "The positive rewards girls can gain from participating in sports can assert pressure on them to excel and 'be everything to everyone' and can lead some female athletes to develop full-blown eating disorders and as well as other abuse behaviors."
"Gaining the Competitive Edge" is sponsored by Hanley Center and the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA).
About HanleyCenter
Established in 1986, this world-class treatment center offers age-specific and gender-responsive programs to ensure that each patient's unique and individual needs, and that of their families, are met. Along with its primary residential treatment programs for men, women and older adults, HanleyCenter offers a multitude of continuing care, support services and prevention programs for patients, families and the community. Each year, close to 20,000 children and adults participate in HanleyCenter's nationally acclaimed Prevention programs. HanleyCenter is located at 5200 East Avenue in West Palm Beach. For more information about HanleyCenter, please call (561) 841-1000.