TrueSport Talks - TrueSport

Mental Wellness & The Young Athlete:

The Path Forward

While the concerns around athlete mental health and wellbeing continue to garner national attention, the youth sport landscape lacks clear direction for coaches, parents/guardians, and athletes as to how to respond to those challenges.

Join TrueSport and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency as we explore mental wellness through the lens of youth sport. TrueSport is proud to bring together nationally-recognized youth sport influences through this hybrid, two-day event. Together, with athletes and experts, we will discuss challenges commonly experienced by young athletes and address practical solutions that chart a path forward for a healthier future.

Participants can expect to leave this initial and vital conversation equipped with evidence-based insights and actionable next steps and tool kits.

Registration Opening Soon!

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Event Schedule

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2021

Reception
U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum
By Invitation Only

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2021

Mental Wellness and the Young Athlete: The Path Forward

Final session details to be released soon.

Featured Guest Speakers

Check back often as we continue to update our list of speakers.

Registration

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With Support from…

Noah Lyles

Noah Lyles sprinting in a race — Adidas Boost Boston Games

Noah Lyles, OLY
Professional American Track & Field Sprinter
2020 Olympic Bronze Medalist

Since he was just a kid, it was clear that Noah Lyles was destined for greatness. Along with his brother, Josephus, Noah was consistently the best short sprinter of his age, winning race after race, not just in Virginia, but around the world.

In 2014, Noah took gold over 200 meters at the Youth Olympic Games in China. A year later, Noah took first in the US junior championships and then took home gold for Team USA over 200m at the Pan American Junior Championships in Canada.

Perhaps most notably, in his final race as a high school senior, Noah finished an incredible fourth in the final of the 200m at the 2016 US Olympic Trials, just missing a spot in Rio. His time of 20.09 broke the national high school record, set 31 years earlier.

Noah’s final competition of the 2016 season was at the World Under-20 Championships in Poland, where he took home gold in the 100m and anchored Team USA home to first in the 4x100m Relay. Following his gold medal wins in Poland, Noah turned professional and signed a long-term endorsement contract with adidas.

In March 2017, Noah won his first senior national title, taking first over 300m at the US Indoor Track and Field Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Noah’s winning time of 31.87 broke the previous world record of 31.88 set back in 2006.

Though injury prevented him from competing at the IAAF World Championships, Noah was able to return to competition by the end of the 2017 season. In his final race of the year, he defeated the world champion to win the 2017 IAAF Diamond League overall title at 200m.

Fully healthy in 2018, Noah was virtually unstoppable. At 100m, Noah won the US Championships in a lifetime best 9.88sec. At 200m, Noah went undefeated, running a world-leading 19.65 and breaking 19.70 three times. For his phenomenal season, Noah was named the 2018 Jesse
Owens Award winner, given to the USA’s most outstanding track and field athlete of the year.

Not missing a step from the previous season, Noah began 2019 in top fashion, winning his first IAAF Diamond League 100m race in Shanghai in a new lifetime best of 9.86 seconds. That July, Noah improved his 200m best to 19.50, making him the fourth-fastest man in history. He also won his first US outdoor title over 200m, as well as his first IAAF Diamond League title at 100m, making him the first man to win IAAF Diamond League titles at 100m and 200m.

At the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Noah capped off his season with his first world title, winning gold in the men’s 200m and then anchoring Team USA to its first 4x100m relay gold in twelve years and a new American record.

In a limited 2020 season, Noah was again the world’s dominant 200m runner, winning all of his races and ending the year with the fastest time in the world. The following year, Noah won the 200m at US Olympic Trials in dominating fashion, in a world-leading 19.76, qualifying for him for his first Olympic Games. At Tokyo 2020, Noah won the Olympic bronze medal in the 200m in 19.76, equaling his season best. In his final race of 2021, Noah demolished a world-class field at the Prefontaine Classic, winning the 200m in 19.52, the fastest time run in 2021 and the second-fastest of his career.

Social Media: Twitter: @LylesNoah | Facebook: @LylesNoah | Instagram: nojo18

THE SIMPLE TRUTH: DECODING THE SUPPLEMENT INDUSTRY VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

At first glance, dietary supplements look the same. They seem safe and healthy, but just because the label says a product is a dietary supplement, that doesn’t mean it’s safe. Unfortunately, you can’t tell whether a product is safe or not just by looking at the label. Most vitamins, minerals, fish oil, and other supplements containing nutrients are probably just fine, but supplements are not evaluated or approved by FDA before they are sold. Although it is rare for vitamins or minerals to be contaminated with drugs, there has been at least one case of a vitamin containing an anabolic steroid.

At the other extreme are products that contain drugs, stimulants, anabolic steroids, or other hormones. Even though these are not technically dietary supplements, many of them are labeled as supplements. For example, body-building products sometimes contain anabolic steroids or Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators, known as SARMs, or other hormones. Some pre-workout or energy products contain illegal stimulants like DMAA, ephedra, or other amphetamine-like stimulants. Weight loss products might contain prescription drugs like sibutramine, or hormones, like human chorionic gonadotropin, also known as hCG. All natural or herbal sexual enhancement products might contain hormones or Viagra-like drugs. Products like these can harm your health and career, but they’re for sale online, in some nutrition stores, and they’re labeled as dietary supplements.

When you pick up a supplement, especially one that promises performance enhancement, you don’t know if it belongs in the “Mostly O.K.” pile or in the “Dangerous” pile. After all, two products might look the same, but one might contain just amino acids and other legitimate ingredients, while the other also contains anabolic steroids. Because of this, FDA has issued a warning about certain categories of supplements: body building products, weight loss products, and sexual enhancement products. Be extremely careful when considering a supplement in one of these categories. We strongly recommend that you avoid products in these categories.

Even when FDA tests supplements and finds dangerous ingredients, companies sometimes refuse to recall them. Sometimes, they simply repackage their product and continue selling it under a new name. Just because a product is on a store shelf doesn’t mean it is safe. You need to do your research and be an informed consumer. The dietary supplement industry is enormous. Supplements that appear to be safe could actually be dangerous products in disguise. If you use dietary supplements without doing your research, you may be taking serious risks with your health and your career. Please visit USADA’s Supplement 411 for more information about dietary supplements.