Drug Free Sport's Continuing Education Awards Celebrate Athletic Trainers in National Athletic Training Month!

March brings about many things in the athletics world – spring, “Madness” in college basketball, the start of baseball – but it is also important for the unsung heroes behind these feats. This month is National Athletic Training Month, a time where many athletes across America have taken to showing appreciation for the men and women that keep them on the fields and courts of the sports world.

Drug Free Sport is proud to acknowledge these valuable contributors. Along with their day-to-day duties that often make for long hours, they are also on the front lines of drug abuse prevention and drug education for student-athletes. Frankly, their contributions go relatively unnoticed to many when the winning shot or touchdown is scored or when an athlete is being interviewed for recovering from an injury beyond expectations. They spend most days devoted to the greater good of others. We would like to devote a special honor upon them, to better their careers and experience.

Since 2013, Drug Free Sport has awarded more than $20,000 to high school and college athletic trainers who are working in drug use deterrence. This year, in honor of National Athletic Training Month, we have extended our submission deadline for the 2016 Drug Free Sport Fund Continuing Education Awards to May 1. Awards can be used toward continuing education opportunities, including the “Sport Exchange Summit, Powered by Drug Free Sport” in July. If you would like to be considered or know of an AT that is deserving of one of these awards, please review our qualifications and the application process on the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation website. Multiple awards (at a minimum of $1,000 per non-renewable award) will be granted, depending on the number and quality of applicants.

Thanks to all athletic trainers for the important work that is being done to educate athletes on the perils of drug abuse.

For additional questions about the award or application process, please feel free to contact Gene Willis, Director of Marketing, at gwillis@drugfreesport.com. 

Meldonium (Mildronate): What is it and What does it do?

In light of recent media attention surrounding meldonium and its detection in elite athletes, we thought it best to share reliable information about the drug, its intended purpose, and potential use as a performance-enhancing substance.

Blog Article Contributed by Eric Smith, PharmD.

Expert Consultant for the Resource Exchange Center (REC), Powered by Drug Free Sport™

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) added meldonium (Mildronate) to their 2016 Prohibited List in late September 2015. This modification—among others­­—went into effect January 1, 2016. WADA added meldonium as a prohibited substance due to “evidence of its use by athletes with the intention of enhancing performance.”

A Latvian pharmaceutical company with primary distribution in Eastern Europe and Russia manufactures meldonium under the brand name Mildronate. In the 1970s, Mildronate was developed to promote the growth of livestock. Currently, the drug is marketed to treat a variety of medical conditions including ischemic heart disease, heart failure, stroke, peripheral artery disease, and alcohol withdrawal.  Also indicated for use in healthy individuals experiencing physical and mental stress, Mildronate targets athletes as well.

Recent studies identified Mildronate as having anti-ischemic properties. Ischemia is a medical term used to describe a decrease in blood supply to certain parts of the body. A reduction in blood circulation minimizes the delivery and availability of oxygen and sugars needed by the body’s cells. Having anti-ischemic properties makes Mildronate beneficial for treating situations associated with decreased blood supply.   

The drug primarily functions to increase oxygen efficiency in certain body tissues. This makes sense when you reconsider that decreased blood supply (ischemia) reduces oxygen delivery to the tissues. Mildronate works to optimize energy production by interfering with energy pathways that use more oxygen (less efficient) and alternatively promoting pathways that use less oxygen (more efficient).

Mildronate achieves this by blocking pathways involved in carnitine production. Carnitine is an amino acid derivative used in the process of breaking fats down into fatty acids and converting them into energy.  Mildronate creates lower levels of carnitine thereby reducing the body’s ability to breakdown fats for energy.

The body adjusts by increasing the use of an alternative energy pathway called glycolysis.  Glycolysis is more efficient than fatty acid metabolism because it not only uses less oxygen, but also decreases the amount of toxins (such as lactic acid) that build up in cells during energy production.

For athletes, taking this medication could potentially increase muscle and nervous system oxygen efficiency. Using oxygen more effectively in working tissues may lead to performance enhancing benefits such as improved exercise tolerance, improved recovery, stress protection, and improved central nervous system functions. 

Isn’t biochemistry and pharmacology fun?

Mildronate is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for sale in the United States.

Drug Free Sport Presents Sport Exchange Summit 2016!

We are gearing up for our first education conference and are thrilled to share our dynamic program featuring sport industry professionals and subject matter experts. From our work, we know that bridging effective communication and collaboration between all of these parties is essential for providing optimal care to athletes AND supporting organizational success. 

The Sport Exchange Summit not only provides current information on topics related to athlete care, but also encourages the opportunity to learn and network from other sport professionals. Attendees will be a multidisciplinary crowd of sport dietitians, athletic trainers, strength & conditioning coaches, team coaches, team physicians, sport psychologists, athletic administrators, and others who directly impact athlete performance and well-being.

This week we are excited to highlight three of our speakers!

Out in Sports: Considerations for Supporting Trans Athlete Identities

Day One, July 12, 2016 at 3:15 pm.

Jonathon T. Pryor, Assistant Director for LGBTQIA Programs and Services at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, will be engaging attendees in a timely discussion on strategies to support transgender athletes. Over the past year, the transgender community has received increased exposure in the media. In anticipation of this social movement, it will be important for athletic organizations to proactively create opportunities that support these individuals while maintaining the integrity and competition of sport. This session will not only cover "transgender basics" such as appropriate terminology, but also provide discussion and considerations for transgender athletes in competitive sport. 

Running Effective Drug Testing Programs

Day Two, July 13, 2016 at 9:30 am.

Mary Wilfert, Associate Director for the NCAA Sport Science Institute,  will join this panel discussion on current trends and perspectives related to the administration of effective drug testing programs in sport. Wilfert will be joined by Dr. Tom Hospel, Medical Director for the PGA Tour, and Dr. Bryan Smith, Medical Representative for the Major League Baseball Drug Program. Attendees will gain a heightened understanding of why drug testing is an effective deterrence model, and explore the new science and technologies being used to identify performance-enhancing substances. This session will also provide an opportunity for attendees to ask the panel questions in an open forum. 

Race & Diversity Issues in Sport: Action and Influence

Day One, July 12, 2016 at 2:30 pm.

  

Dr. Pat Ivey, Assistant Vice-Chancellor for Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity for the University of Missouri-Columbia, will be presenting as a panelist for the Race and Diversity discussions on Day One of the event. Ivey's doctorate in sport psychology effectively folds into his experiences as a professional athlete (signed by the San Diego Chargers in 1996), award-winning strength and conditioning coach, and current work at the University of Missouri to address university programs and partnerships available to athletes of all backgrounds and ages. Given the recent media coverage on racial tensions at the University of Missouri, Ivey and his colleagues are making positive strides to create change on campus, and have much to offer on this important topic affecting sport organizations around the country. 

SESSION TOPICS

INCLUDE:

• Building an Effective "Team Behind the Team"
• High Performance Sports Nutrition: Impact & Influence on Sports Programs
• Innovative and Effective Athlete Engagement Strategies: An Introspective and Synergistic Approach
• Life after Sports: Helping Athletes Transition and Build a New Identity
• Marijuana: Impact of Legalization and New Forms of Consumption
• Out in Sports: Considerations for Supporting Trans Athlete Identities
• Prescription Drug Abuse in Sport
• Race & Diversity Issues in Sport: A Case Study
  (led by University of Missouri officials)
• Race & Diversity Issues in Sport: Action and Influence
(led by University of Missouri officials)
• Running Effective Drug Testing Programs
• Sport Psychology: Professional Issues & Psychological Care of the Athlete
• Supplement Certification Programs:
  State of the Industry and What You Need to Know

Early Bird Registration ends March 31st! 

Get more information and register at sportexchangesummit.com.