Many high school student-athletes in the Roaring Fork Valley are taking dietary sports supplements in attempt to enhance athletic abilities, decrease fatigue and increase physical appearance.

The products, however, come with much concern.

BEAU KNOWS

When Aspen High School football standout Beau Seguin first tried the dietary sports supplement CelTech Hardcore, he gained 10 pounds in the first 10 days.

But with the quick muscle gain also came unwanted side effects.

"It definitely can help but it has some strange effects," Seguin said. "It gave me highs and lows throughout the day and it really messed with my body when I got off it. I was on a crash for two days."

Because of the negative effects, Seguin said he swapped the CelTech supplement in favor of creatine monohydrate. Seguin said taking supplements has become part of his everyday routine.   

"It becomes a habit after you do it for a while," he said. "You feel stronger and you can lift harder when you're on it - that's why people like to take it."

Because of all the easy muscle Seguin packed on during such a short amount of time, the senior speculates more of the valley's prep athletes are taking supplements without proper research.   

"I think there is an increase in (prep athletes) taking this stuff," Seguin said. "But they have to know what  they're taking and be ready for the risks."

BIG GAIN JAMES

Tempted by a sports supplement product's claim to help athletes increase muscle mass faster, Aspen High football player James Britvar decided to buy and consume Anabolic Halo - a nutrition supplement whose creators, MuscleTech, advertise it as "the most hardcore muscle builder on the planet." 

Britvar said he purchased the product at the EL Jebel General Nutrition Center after a salesman recommended it because he was lifting so much. There is currently no age limit to purchase many dietary sports supplements in Colorado.

Britvar said he noticed huge improvements almost immediately after ingesting the powder.

"I went from cleaning about 175 last summer to cleaning 235 recently," he said. "It helped with everything and I haven't had any problems."

Maybe Britvar, 16, is at an age when metabolism overrides everything. Maybe the product really works. Whatever the case, Britvar, who will be entering his final year in prep sports, says he will continue consuming the supplement in an attempt for an athletic advantage.

"We don't have much time and before you know it you're back in next football season. It's really important to take advantage while you can," Britvar said. "As soon as football season is over I will be taking it again."

PROFESSIONAL OPINION

"The person who wins is the one who can enjoy life the longest in a functional manner with the highest quality."

That is the way local personal trainer Ted Keith looks at life. After more than 20 years of helping Aspenites reach their fitness goals, Keith said he is concerned with youngsters taking performance-enhancing supplements.

"That quick-fix attitude, it's the cheater's way," he said. "If you want to put on weight, eat more than you expend and if you want to lose weight then do the opposite."

Keith added that supplements are for "cosmetic appearance" and that creatine adds mainly water weight. So when an athlete stops taking it they lose all that they have gained.

Sports like football encourage athletes to be bigger, faster and stronger.

With an attitude like that, Keith said a lot of sports trainers don't have the kids' best interest at heart.

"If a coach says to gain 20 pounds so a kid can play nose tackle or center, I think that's more to fill a role than help a kid," he said. "My advice is to play a position your body is made for. Don't adapt your body to fill a role. A lot of these supplements can open a gateway down the wrong path."
 
THE GATEWAY
SUPPLEMENT

Creatine is the most used dietary sports supplement in the United States today, with yearly sales topping $400 million according to a study by the American College of Sports Medicine.

Its supporters claim improvement in speed, strength and stamina. Critics allege negative side effects such as dehydration, stomach pain and muscle cramps, while some health care professionals suggest large doses of the supplement may be linked to liver, kidney and heart problems.

Whatever the outlook, creatine is currently being sold over the counter at many local health stores to children of any age. 

Though the physical effects of the product have not been well researched, that hasn't halted use by youth.

A recent study by the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics found that 44 percent of grade 12 athletes surveyed reported using creatine.

Sport specialists like Keith view creatine as a potential gateway drug to more dangerous substances, like anabolic steroids.

NO REGULATION

The use of dietary sports supplements among Colorado prep athletes is becoming a big concern for state high school sports officals.

"Any time you use performance enhancement chemicals of any kind you are potentially harming yourself and challenging the integrity of the game," said Bert Borgmann, assistant commissioner of the Colorado High School Activities Association, the governing body for Colorado prep athletics. "We discourage the use (of dietary sports supplements) even though they are legal and can be bought over counter."

Borgmann added the risks of using performance-enhancing supplements are heightened because government does not regulate them and the long-term effects are unknown.

LIFE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL

Aspen High School football coach Mike Sirko has been coaching prep athletes for more than 30 years. In that time, Sirko has sent several players off to college programs where the competition to play can make some athletes turn to the darkside. 

"I've had players throughout the years that have been pressured once they got to college and had coaches say, 'Unless you get bigger you're not going to get to play,'" Sirko said. 

"Sometimes kids will do whatever it takes," he added. "Obviously you can make decisions to go against the grain, but I think players like Beau and kids from this program are smart enough to know there are no shortcuts. You've got to bust your butt the right way."

kai@aspendailynews.com