Newsletter MADD Teen Influencer November 2023: Giving Thanks!
Influencer of the Month
Pain into Purpose
Win at Any Cost
Teen Influencer Ben shares some insight into substance abuse among young athletes today.
Teen Influencer Brooklyn shares about the grief her family experienced after losing her siblings in a drunk driving crash.
Read about Brooklyn and the amazing rea- sons she was nomina- ted by her peers.
1
Drug & Abuse High School Sports: Winning at Any Cost
By Ben Haworth, MADD Teen Influencer Throughout history, athletes have always looked for ways to improve physical performance and gain the competitive edge needed to be successful in the world of sports. While some athletes have sought out more natural ways of improving fitness, like finding unique training methods or through good nutrition, others have chosen to take substances to change their bodies in pursuit of success and attaining physical goals. Even Ancient Roman athletes took various herbal concoctions to improve their fitness. In our present day, teenagers often struggle to find a healthy balance between high school academics and the demands of being a student athlete. The daily stresses of maintaining a high GPA while trying to make the high school team and get that college scholarship are all very real intense external pressures teens face every day. Unfortunately, some teens try to combat these demands by using performance-enhancing drugs. Speaking from personal experience, I have also been under extreme pressure from my coaches to get top grades, get enough sleep, all while expecting me to perform to the greatest of my physical ability after a long day of school. While I haven’t personally used anything stronger than Gatorade for recovery, it doesn’t help that the headlines are often filled with stories about top athletes who have used performance-enhancing drugs. Many athletes do not use these kinds of substances, but unfortunately,
MADD Teen Influencer
November 2023
we usually only hear about the ones that do. Still, education from both parents and coaches is essential in preventing substance abuse in young athletes. According to the World Anti-Doping Agency, or WADA, the following are the drugs banned at all times for athletes in and out of competitions:
Peptide hormones Growth factor-related
substances
Beta-2 agonists Hormone and metabolic
modulators
Any diuretics and masking
agents
Gary A. Green, MD, a clinical professor in the UCLA division of sports medicine said about the issue, “It is clear that a vast majority of athletes in most sports do not use performance-
enhancing drugs. A recent study shows that about 10% or 11% of high school kids are using human growth hormone. I would be skeptical of that because human growth hormone, even when you go to one of these anti-aging clinics, is expensive,” Green said. “Several hundreds of dollars per course, and I would bet that it is probably out of the price range for most high school students.” A recent survey directed by the CDC showed that 3.2% of high school students stated they’d used anabolic steroids without a prescription at least once. High school boys were also more likely to take anabolic steroids than girls. One way to prevent this kind of drug abuse is to identify the type of athletes that might use. Younger athletes are usually more prone to using as they don’t see the long-term effects and possible health risks. Overall, it is best to avoid taking anything that could affect your health. Even mild caffeine intake in teenagers can pose a health risk and cause a reliance on it before a meet or race. If you start to feel the pressure to become a little faster or go a little further and you feel you can’t do it naturally, it’s best to reach out to a coach or your parents and ask for help. There are many healthy and natural solutions to make those extra gains in your sport.
MADD Teen Influencer
November 2023
Drunk Driving on Our Family 2
Turning Pain into Purpose: The Impact of
By Brooklyn Morales, MADD Teen Influencer
Drunk driving is a difficult topic to talk about in general. Imagine how hard it is to talk about losing a loved one to this tragedy. From getting that awful phone call to the fight for justice, this tragedy is shattering for families. Sadly, my family was faced with this fate five years ago. Ever since that night living through
everything has been harder than normal. Our family is forever thankful for the endless support we get daily from MADD, friends, and everyday people, it reminds us that our advocating is not in vain. The two family members we lost were my older brother and sister, Kaleb and Madysyn. Kaleb had just turned 19 before the crash. He was a compassionate, loving, and funny brother. He was always joking around and playing video games. He had just built his first PC from scratch. He graduated from Golden Valley High School and during his time there, he found a passion for music. He was in Honor choir and had won the Semper Fedelis of Music Excellence Award. He could play almost every instrument there was and planned to pursue a career
Nominate an Influencer of the Month! Do you know an influential teen who is a great role model? We would love to spotlight them! Click on the icon to the left or use the link below to share why they should be MADD's Influencer of the Month!
TINYURL.COM/MADDIOTM
MADD Teen Influencer
November 2023
He had planned to start college in the fall. One of my favorite memories of Kaleb is when he gave me his hat, which I still keep close to me.
Meanwhile, Madysyn was 14 and was a funny, sweet, and playful sister. She was passionate about color guard, dancing, and being a social butterfly. She had just started high school at Ridgeview and was exploring all the world had to offer her. She was always joking around and filming her music.ly videos. She was a sassy yet sweet person, she always knew how to make a room light up. One of my favorite memories of Mady was when she was sitting in my room talking to me about my day. Madysyn and Kaleb changed our family and community by showing us the bright side of life. On the night of March 25, 2018, my mom got the phone call that would change everyone’s life, forever. Madysyn, Kaleb, their dad, and their younger sister Jordan, who were 41 and 11, respectively - these four lives were taken in an instant. I remember hearing my mom crying and rushing to leave the house repeating the same phrase, “I have to find my kids.” I found out my siblings died a few days after the crash. On the way to the hospital, my mom told me they weren’t at the hospital, and that they’ll never be coming home. Since I was nine at the time I didn’t fully understand what all of this meant. It wasn’t until the day of their funeral. Looking at the pictures and videos of them being happy, to looking at them in their caskets with scars made things more real than ever. We then moved and started off fresh, but things would just never be the same. The days from the crash to their funeral was a tornado of emotions. My mom was sleeping in our car in front of the hospital while I and my sister were being cared for by family members. I missed going home and I missed my mom. The realization of the crash just added to these feelings. My mom was going through grief unlike any other. She describes it as a twilight zone. The grief never fades away. We’re always missing them for holidays, birthdays, and even the little events. We’ve faced many challenges after their loss. My mom received backlash for getting married and moving to a new house after my siblings passed. This hurt my mom deeply because she knew that her kids would have
MADD Teen Influencer
November 2023
wanted her to continue on. People didn’t even know us and were trying to put us down even more. Even further down the line, my mom had to fight the school about saying Madysyn's name at the end of graduation. This was one of the hardest battles I’ve seen my mom fight. She was making phone calls, posting stuff, and reaching out trying to get her school to spare three seconds at the graduation just to say her name.
Our family as a whole has never been the same. When we get to Thanksgiving or Christmas it’s always quieter than usual. Birthdays are lonelier. Everyone in our family was impacted by this 100% preventable crime. They don’t get to see new babies or weddings for our family. Grief was a lot harder for my mom to grip and even harder for people around her to understand. People don’t know what to say or sometimes believe she is “overreacting.” We have realized that grief is something not everyone understands. I’m sure everyone reading this had felt like no
one understood them before. Dealing with grief sometimes separates us from people. After the crash, my friends started to drift away from me. I notice in my younger sisters when they tell their friends, they give them an odd look and walk away. This feeling was 10x worse for my mom. This happens to families every day. Drunk driving is everywhere. My siblings were just two of the 10,511 people who were killed in these crashes in 2018. Drunk driving is an increasing problem. There are so many ways to prevent these crashes like using rideshare apps, drinking responsibly (for those over 21), and using designated drivers. Making responsible choices like these can help save other families from this heartbreak and support the fight against drunk driving. Another way to help fight this problem is to provide information on volunteering with organizations, such as ours. I believe that change is possible and every little bit helps, advocating for safer roads and helping to keep my siblings' memory alive will help save other people’s siblings just like mine. If you or someone you know is affected by an impaired driver, call 877-MADD-HELP for free 24/7 victim assistance.
MADD Teen Influencer
November 2023
Influencer of the Month Brooklyn Morales, MADD Teen Influencer 3
Congratulations to our Influencer of the Month, Brooklyn! She is a contributing writer on the newsletter committee and recently presented at our 2023 MADD Teen Influencer Summit. “I think she handles her job as being part of the Newsletter committee very well. She’s very determined to do well, has her priorities straight, and is just generally a good person.” - Vallery “She has been in MADD for 5 years, and she's one of the funniest people I've ever met. She has an amazing story that she's not afraid to share. I've seen her at the summit just instantly connect with everyone, finding ways to connect. She's an amazing person.” - Riley
Ask A Teen Influencer Looking for some advice? Each month our MADD Teen Influencers will offer helpful tips based on questions submitted by other teens. You can submit questions anonymously with the link below or by clicking on the icon to the left. TINYURL.COM/MADDTEENADVICE MADD's mission is to end drunk driving, help fight drugged driving, support the victims of these violent crimes, and prevent underage drinking. The purpose of the Teen Influencer Group is to provide leadership development for teens by training them to be peer-to-peer educators. These teens provide MADD with the youth perspective and use their voice to educate the public. By reducing and then eliminating underage drinking, these teens will help MADD end drunk driving.
@MADDCalifornia
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker