One parent wrote to me talking about guys that improve their sport performances by getting the times bringing us to suspect the use of doping and of how to support his/her motivation to continue the commitment to sport. We have to face with two problems. The first concerns the suspicion of doping. At this regard, if you want to know more you should discuss about this with the managers/coaches of your sport club, to understand if your perception is correct for them or whatever. If you continue to have these doubts you should decide what you want to do and what are the procedures for reporting these allegations to the anti-doping commission of the sport federation.
In relation to the motivation of the young swimmer who feels helpless and demotivated, first the parent must certainly listen him/her, accepting the feelings of disappointment and anger. At the same time we must tell you that in the sports world there are athletes who choose shortcuts, while there are others who base their improvement only and exclusively on their commitment. These last must be his/her model and should refer to them thinking about the future as an athlete. As in any other human activity there will always be those who get the results with the fraud, they may win some battles but they will not win the war until we are many who practice a sport clean. In my opinion these are the reasons for which I would speak to my son, telling that hard work pays off, maybe more slowly at the beginning, but no one can ever take away the satisfaction of knowing that we are what we are thanks only to ourselves, to our commitment and dedication. I think this is a good reason to be proud of ourselves.
