Should Pre Workout Drinks Cause Suspensions?

          The Athletic Management website wrote an article describing how Wisconsin high school athletes were suspended for using energy drinks/ pre workout drinks. In this article they explain how 10 athletes were using legal energy drinks, and pre workout drinks that they bought at the local GNC. The drink that they were using was a Creatine Nitrate product called C4 Extreme that contained Synephrine, a substance banned by the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association. The students explained how they were just buying a pre workout drink like any other athlete would for their workouts, and had no idea that it contained Synephrine. They then said if they would have read the label and saw that it was banned, or their coaches would have reminded them that it was banned they would have never used it.

            So the real questions I am getting from this are, Should the students really be suspended for this? Is it their fault, the coach’s fault, or GNC’s fault? I honestly think that it is not the students fault at all. The first thing that the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association, should have done is inform the coaches on the banned substances that they have and make sure that they inform their athletes. This way the athletes know when going to buy a pre workout what they are limited to buying. Also the GNC store is at fault too. They should have bold letters on their products that say “contains Synephrine and is banned in some states.” This would have prevented the situation from happening at all.

            I think this article was great and all student athletes should read this, so they know that they are limited on pre workout products that they put in their body, and if they are unsure they should contact their coach and find out what is banned.

 

“Energy Drink Leads to Suspensions” Athletic Management (2012).

http://www.athleticmanagement.com/2012/07/16/according_to_the_eau_claire/index.php