craigdailypress.com

Talk of energy runs rampant in the Yampa Valley.

So do energy drinks.

Generally speaking, children and teens run rampant with natural supplies of energy.

And yet soda and energy drinks continue to be popular among teens looking for an extra edge in life.

Red Bull Energy Drink began in Austria in 1987 and hit North and South America in 1997.

While students may find Red Bull and the exploding energy drink market options enticing, local coaches seem resoundingly against the more than100 energy drinks currently available.

Gary Tague, Moffat County High School boys track coach and history teacher, has never tried one but sees them frequently.

"Kids come to class with them all the time," Tague said. "For years, we haven't been able to hydrate our kids, now we give them junk."

From a coaching perspective, Tague is among the majority against the drinks.

"We try to keep our kids away from them," he said. "I don't think they are any good. They are bad for the heart. If you want energy, get in shape and get energy."

Rich Sadvar, MCHS baseball coach, said if he had his way, the student-athletes would drink more water.

"I would say that 99 percent of the guys use them on a regular basis, " Sadvar said. "It is not always one. Sometimes they will have one before game one and another before game two in a doubleheader. I can say I wish they would drink more water, but ultimately, it's not illegal. How do you regulate that?"

Two common themes among the coaches are the health risks from the high amount of sugar and caffeine provided, and the resulting mental and/or physical slump after the buzz has worn off.

Dr. Allan Reishus, a family physician and The Memorial Hospital chief of staff, said the benefits of energy drinks are more psychological than physiological.

"The significant 'energy' comes from caffeine and sugar," Reishus said. "It's similar to having a stout cup of coffee. ... I think (energy drinks) are overrated and overpriced. I think it's more of a psychological effect than a physical one."

Kip Hafey, MCHS football coach and science teacher, doesn't see any benefits from the so-called energy drinks.

"I think it has a lot to do with the placebo effect," Hafey said. "A lot of the time it is simply hype and is filling the kids with nothing but sugar. I personally wouldn't recommend them. I would say on a regular basis less than 20 percent drink them, whereas more than 50 percent drink soda pop."

MCHS multi-sport athlete Markie Workman got a large smile when asked about her usage of artificial energy in a can.

"Yeah I drink them -- I love them," Workman said. "My favorites are Monster, Red Bull and Boo-Koo. I don't drink them very often, just once in a great while. They really give you a lot of energy, but can also give you a side ache with all of the sugar."

Workman's girls track coach Todd Trapp thinks that the advertised energy is in the consumer's heads.

"More than anything, it's caffeine," Trapp said.

Drew Turner can be contacted at 824-7031, ext 211, or aturner@craigdailypress.com