All-Star Substance Free Programs

[cheerisloving]

The fact that we actually don't know the details, we can't write this athlete off as a junkie or an addict. Unless it comes out that there was illicit behavior involved, I have no issue with people who memorialize her. At the end of the day someone is dead, and no matter the circumstances people should support the program that lost the athlete. If there is a dark side to the story, maybe this story can save a life.

It's like the wrestler a few years ago that killed his family, before they knew the details, the WWE memorialized him. When the story came out, they pulled all ties to him.

 

[njallday]

i think for colleges, the first hurdle is that at most schools cheerleading is not a sport, so they do not have to follow sport rules. I believe UK and probably other college programs do subject their athletes to the NCAA random drug testing. for the schools who do not - if they don't consider cheer a sport i doubt they'd spend their resources on drug testing them unless they had to. i hope that changes.

as far as all star goes - i don't see individual programs making a change unless it was a USASF rule. some gyms have morals, and they may choose to drug test their athletes. but at the end of the day, drug testing is a large expense, and if susie is using and wants to continue to do so, she can just go to the gym down the street where they don't test... or the gym may truly care and *want* a substance free program, but if a drug test turned up positive would they cut an athlete right before a major competition, hurting the 19 other kids or cut an athlete and lose that income? yes i realize that leaving an athlete on drugs on the team could hurt the 19 other teams members, too, especially physically... but at the end of the day i think a lot of gyms choose to turn a blind eye to the problem. and the smaller the program, the harder it is to lose an athlete.

i like where your head is at @BowCat i'm just not sure how to make it work. i think is will have to come from USASF or at the very least, EP's doing random drug tests like our European friends.

 

[Official OWECheer]

IT DRIVES ME INSANE. I was in Panama City with my family and it also happened to be the week all of my party "friends" went down there to well.. have their senior trip. They were staying at the same hotel as me and my mom was absolutely disgusted at how they acted, and how much alcohol they had. One of my "friends" since middle school, something happened with a boy (that was stupid and not even worth any upset-ness) and she got upset and her mom dropped everything in TN, drove all the way to Panama City to bring one of her friends to comfort her, bought everyone alcohol, and then left. All in one day. and I'm just sitting there like.... oh. okay.

Skip to 1:15

 

[coachrah]

It's a little too easy to blame parents for "bad kids". My parents are awesome. My school was awesome. I was an awful kid. There is never a right way to parent to ensure your child never touches drugs or alcohol until they're legal or the substance they want to use is legal. That's not why I started this thread.

I want to know what actions we can take as an industry or community to make taking drugs undesirable. Or does the industry benefit from maintaining the status quo? Fearless tiny flyers and jacked up bases. Kids who don't think twice about the dangers of throwing a risky skill because they actually can't think twice. Which programs do we know are substance free (and successful) and is it possibly to multiply that model while keeping the distinct culture of programs alive?


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There is a difference between mandatory and random drug testing. The argument for utilizing drug testing has had more weight to it if safety is involved ...right down to employers who can claim occupational safety hazards .All NCAA athletes, MUST sign an agreement submitting to drug testing or they will not be eligible to compete. Whether a University chooses to facilitate that right is up to them but there is a dotted line to sign in the event that the decision is made to test. In 2002 (I believe) the Supreme Court made it constitutional for schools to test students engaged in extra curricular activities. Marching band, cheerleading, and athletic activities were cited in the allowable categories. There have been a few cases where the ACLU stepped in on drug testing issues on behalf of a plaintiff that declared it to be unconstitutional. Some lost their case and other's won dependant on how the Court saw a value to the test being administered.

 

[Jennie]

I just graduated from high school and the amount of partying, drugs, and other things just AMAZES me. I never partied or did drugs but I'll go with my friends to make sure they have a ride home or (if I can) prevent anyone from doing anything stupid. I can't even count how many times I've been called to go pick someone up from a party because they didn't have a ride. Drugs is a huge thing at my school (mostly weed) but every class I had there was ALWAYS at least one person who was stoned. Freshman being caught with alcohol in their water bottles, every time you walked into any of the bathrooms it smelled like cigarettes and weed, it was just an awful experience. I also experienced the "prescription drug" thing while I was in school. I take vyvanse and before any big tests or the ACT/SAT I had friends, even people I had never spoken to before begging me to let them buy a pill, one kid even offered to give me $200 for 5 pills because he couldn't find anyone else that took vyvanse. I always said no and I never sold any but I just don't understand the dependance some kids have with drugs and alcohol. Waking up hungover and with no memory of what I did last night is not how high school should be spent.


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I'm about to go into my second year at uni and the thing that annoyed me the most was people that go out to bars and clubs with the intention of getting completely and totally off their face (uk phrase hehe) on alcohol. They start the night by saying "we aren't leaving until I'm sick/pass out". I think this just ridiculous and don't see how its enjoyable.

Yes, me and my friends enjoy and couple of drinks to loosen up and some dancing but I just cannot entertain the idea of intentionally and consciously consuming THAT much alcohol.

(Not to say I haven't - I did once when we had a Pub Golf night with my dance team. Drank far too much, felt awful, learned from the mistake and was so much more careful then onwards. P.S the legal drinking age in the UK is 18).

There is such a difference between having drinks and drinking. You can still drink and be sensible, it is not always bad.

 

[shawtyyBHADDx3]

The fact that we actually don't know the details, we can't write this athlete off as a junkie or an addict. Unless it comes out that there was illicit behavior involved, I have no issue with people who memorialize her. At the end of the day someone is dead, and no matter the circumstances people should support the program that lost the athlete. If there is a dark side to the story, maybe this story can save a life.

It's like the wrestler a few years ago that killed his family, before they knew the details, the WWE memorialized him. When the story came out, they pulled all ties to him.[/
QUOTE]
Chris Benoit! And it's off topic but they finally started acknowledging him in programs on the wwe network and saying his name again. Lol sorry I like wrestling a little too much.



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[ScottyB]

To be realistic, one could try a drug for the first time and end up overdosing.

Len Bias overdosed and died the first time he tried cocaine after being drafted into the NBA. A tragedy but a lesson for so many.

 

[ScottyB]

It's a little too easy to blame parents for "bad kids". My parents are awesome. My school was awesome. I was an awful kid. There is never a right way to parent to ensure your child never touches drugs or alcohol until they're legal or the substance they want to use is legal. That's not why I started this thread.

I want to know what actions we can take as an industry or community to make taking drugs undesirable. Or does the industry benefit from maintaining the status quo? Fearless tiny flyers and jacked up bases. Kids who don't think twice about the dangers of throwing a risky skill because they actually can't think twice. Which programs do we know are substance free (and successful) and is it possibly to multiply that model while keeping the distinct culture of programs alive?

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I think a big part of it beyond parenting and teaching good decision making, is having good role models. Coaches HAVE to be good role models, older athletes HAVE to be good role models. The whole "I am not a role model" stuff coming from young celebrities like Shia LeBouf and Jennette McCurdy are ridiculous, they know they're role models and are ignoring the fact they are having a negative effect on young people.

When you have a coach that doesn't talk about drinking and partying, the chances of one of their athletes wanting to do the same ultimately goes down. Gyms, schools, teams, the industry, parents, must all choose to be good role models for the young people who are watching quietly.

 

[coachrah]

It's a little too easy to blame parents for "bad kids". My parents are awesome. My school was awesome. I was an awful kid. There is never a right way to parent to ensure your child never touches drugs or alcohol until they're legal or the substance they want to use is legal. That's not why I started this thread.

I want to know what actions we can take as an industry or community to make taking drugs undesirable. Or does the industry benefit from maintaining the status quo? Fearless tiny flyers and jacked up bases. Kids who don't think twice about the dangers of throwing a risky skill because they actually can't think twice. Which programs do we know are substance free (and successful) and is it possibly to multiply that model while keeping the distinct culture of programs alive?


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This FAQ might help you understand USA legal issues: Frequently Asked Questions About Drug Testing in Schools | National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

 

[Helen uk uni cheer]

I'm about to go into my second year at uni and the thing that annoyed me the most was people that go out to bars and clubs with the intention of getting completely and totally off their face (uk phrase hehe) on alcohol. They start the night by saying "we aren't leaving until I'm sick/pass out". I think this just ridiculous and don't see how its enjoyable.

Yes, me and my friends enjoy and couple of drinks to loosen up and some dancing but I just cannot entertain the idea of intentionally and consciously consuming THAT much alcohol.

(Not to say I haven't - I did once when we had a Pub Golf night with my dance team. Drank far too much, felt awful, learned from the mistake and was so much more careful then onwards. P.S the legal drinking age in the UK is 18).

There is such a difference between having drinks and drinking. You can still drink and be sensible, it is not always bad.

 

[Mamarazzi]

As much as many of us would like to ignore it, the fact is that athletes, our athletes, cheerleaders, good ones, "'lebrities," with rings and trophies, can also be addicts. They can also get turnt on the wrong stuff one time and not make it.

I'm praying for the comfort of all the GT/Louisville family. And I hope someone has sense enough to investigate who was with her, who may have abandoned her that night, and who has equal culpability.

 

[TheVipersMom]

Here I go again ...


First - maybe I'm lost. I have read and understand that drugs may be involved. I don't know the girl or anything about what truly did happen to her so this is just speculation.

How do we know if this was or wasn't an accident?

Growing up I went through multiple occasions of wanting to die. I hoped someone else would kill me so no one would hate me when I killed myself. Funny I still cared what people thought of me even After I died!One of the ways I tried to die was by taking a lot of prescription meds. Not because I wanted to do drugs. I've never used drugs prescription drugs for anything other then why I had them. I smoked weed like 3 times in my life never understood why people kept doing it. Didn't even try any other drug. If people would of found my body they would say she overdosed and then everyone would automatically assume I was a drug addict. We don't know what was going on in her life. I'm not saying the girl tried to commit suicide, I'm not saying she wasn't on drugs.... I don't know. However I get the feeling everyone just assumes it's because of her lifestyle and what they suspect she was doing.

Unless I missed some type of article or repost about her.

 

[cheernerd5678]

The fact that we actually don't know the details, we can't write this athlete off as a junkie or an addict. Unless it comes out that there was illicit behavior involved, I have no issue with people who memorialize her. At the end of the day someone is dead, and no matter the circumstances people should support the program that lost the athlete. If there is a dark side to the story, maybe this story can save a life.

It's like the wrestler a few years ago that killed his family, before they knew the details, the WWE memorialized him. When the story came out, they pulled all ties to him.

Nobody is saying that we can't memorialize her... But that can't be the extent of it. People shouldn't be all "rest in peace dani" for one week and then forget about it.Even if it was accidentally mixing two prescription drugs that don't go, it's a lesson. So many kids don't know about these things, and then when they get the freedom, they try stuff. They aren't careful bc they don't know the dangers, and if having discussions saves ONE life or keeps one person from trying something, it's worth it.



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[caitlyn_the_camille]

This is way off topic, but you saying you liked wrestling made me think of it: I just saw Guardians of the Galaxy, and Batista is in it (like, is one of the main characters)! And he actually did a great job. I highly recommend it; my favorite Marvel movie yet :D


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[SharkDad]

I don't know Dani but maybe the fact she's a college kid is why improper use of a substance is suspected. No matter what, her loss is tragic and there are people mourning. I personally feel very sorry and my heart goes out to those close to her.

I think the important point @BowCat is making with this thread is that there some programs, schools, and even individuals in the sport/industry that are known for this and other destructive behaviors that have been mentioned. How many Danis will it take before the industry takes a stand and makes/enforces policies so it doesn't happen anymore?