The average age that our children begin taking dietary supplements is 10.8 years old. Few people realize that these products are unregulated – that no one is verifying that what’s on the label of the container is what is in that container. As a result, some are spiked with banned substances like anabolic steroids, stimulants, and other contaminants.
Little League® parents, coaches and volunteers should be aware of the prevalence of the use of anabolic steroids and other Appearance and Performance Enhancing Drugs (APEDs) among today’s young athletes. The Taylor Hooton Foundation (THF) was formed in memory of Taylor E. Hooton, a 17-year-old high school athlete and former Little Leaguer® from Plano, Texas. Taylor took his own life on July 15, 2003, after using anabolic steroids.
Taylor’s parents founded the organization after learning of the growing number of middle school, high school, and college students using anabolic steroids, HGH (Human Growth Hormone), and other APEDs. They discovered that this is a serious problem among a large and growing number of young athletes and non-athletes, both boys and girls, and learned that young people and their parents are generally misinformed of either the prevalence of or the real dangers of these powerful drugs.
The primary mission of the Taylor Hooton Foundation is education. Today, the THF is widely recognized as the national leader in education in regards to youth APED use. With Major League Baseball as a primary sponsor, the THF has been able to speak directly to almost 700,000 people across the continent about this important topic. To find out more about THF and to invite them to speak in your community, please visit their web site at www.taylorhooton.org.
With the increased exposure of children to anabolic steroids and other APEDs at a younger age, it is imperative that parents use their training course that we are offering to them in partnership with Little League Baseball and Softball to further educate themselves on these topics. Little League and the Taylor Hooton Foundation are excited to educate Little League families and volunteers about the importance of this topic and the truth about these drugs. We hope that you will take advantage of the free THF education program.