Athletes light up and burn out

Where only first names appear, names have been changed to protect the identities of the sources.

Samuel, a junior, pulls himself out of the water, his chest burning and lungs frantically gasping for more air. Though he's a dedicated Blair swimmer, it's not a hard workout that's left him so exhausted. It's marijuana smoke.

This swimmer quit smoking before his first official team practice, but in an informal Silver Chips poll of 100 athletes on Nov 20 and 28, 38 percent said they had violated the Tobacco, Drug and Alcohol (TDA) contract that all players must sign, agreeing to abstain from the three substances during their season. These athletes risk not only negative effects on their performance but harsh penalties if their coaches catch them.

"You're tired, it's a lot harder to run. You just don't feel like playing at all," says Barry, a junior lacrosse player, describing the effects of smoking marijuana near game time on his playing. The drug makes the heart work harder to pump oxygen, lowering the body's aerobic capacity and impeding performance.

Athletes' performances can even suffer from moderate alcohol intake. Drinking on a Saturday night can render an athlete uncoordinated until Sunday afternoon and aerobically depleted until Monday night. Alcohol forces the body to stop producing its fundamental fuel for muscles: glycogen. Muscles tire more quickly, cognitive function slows down and muscle tissue has difficulty repairing cells after hard workouts.

Alcohol also robs the body of resources it needs to operate effectively, including vitamins and calcium. This dangerous deficiency can place an athlete in danger of injury because the body uses calcium to maintain strong bones.

Tobacco, also forbidden by the TDA contract, contains nicotine that can strain the heart by constricting blood vessels. Smoking's adverse effects on the lungs mean smokers lose their breath three times as fast as nonsmokers .

Many athletes believe their contract violations do not affect their performance. Alfred, a junior football player, is one of these. "People that do drink and smoke are smart about it," he says.

Jimmy, a senior spring athlete, agrees. He says that many athletes consider the big picture when they do use. "If we have a game on Saturday, we won't go out drinking on Friday out of respect for the team," he says. He adds that he would only feel guilty about drinking if it affected the outcome of a game.

Health teacher and varsity baseball coach John Macdonald, who wrote the TDA contract, does not think weekend violations of the contract noticeably hinder athletes. "Smoking marijuana on a Friday night will probably not affect you on Monday," he says.

However, performance is not the main reason to enforce the tobacco, drug and alcohol rules, Macdonald says. "Whether or not [drug and alcohol use] affects performance is secondary," he says, pointing out that drugs and alcohol are illegal to minors.

Jimmy feels an athlete's duty to uphold standards like not smoking or drinking does not extend past the stadium. "What I do in the off-season and on non-game nights is not important. The big thing is what happens on the field—that's when you represent your school," he says.

The TDA contract establishes the minimum penalties for any violations—one-game suspension for tobacco use and suspension for the duration of the season for a second tobacco offense or a first alcohol or drug offense. Coaches may invoke further penalties at their discretion.

Macdonald says that he enforces the TDA contract strictly. "My players know that if they're caught with even tobacco, I'll take their uniform that day," Macdonald says.

While Macdonald is explicit with his players about drug and alcohol use, cross country coach Angelique Bosse says that with the flurry of forms athletes must turn in at the start of the season, the contract can be overlooked. "It's like it's another detail that needs to be taken care of, and it probably gets slighted because of everything else that needs to be done," she says.

Alfred says that while coaches may not have concrete evidence that players violate the contract, they are aware of their players' activities. "The coaches know, but they have no hard evidence of it—they know we're smart enough not to let it affect our performance," Alfred says.

Coaches are realistic about their players' habits, Macdonald stresses. "I'm not naïve. It would be foolish to think there aren't players who violate the contract," he says.

Macdonald says he makes sure his players understand his bottom line about the policy. "They don't have to agree with it," he says firmly. "They just have to adhere to it."