The pressure to use performance enhancing drugs to get bigger, stronger and faster isn’t only placed on professional athletes. Unfortunately, youths are being introduced to these drugs at a younger and younger age.

To help use education and mentorship to combat the problem, Brock Sports and the Badgers women’s hockey team will host more than 1,000 elementary and high school students and teachers on Friday, Jan. 13 in an awareness game for clean sport.

The 2017 Badgers Believe in Clean Sport event will run from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Friday at the Seymour-Hannah Sports and Entertainment Centre in St. Catharines with an OUA regular season matchup between the Brock Badgers and University of Toronto Varsity Blues to start at 12:15 p.m.

Before the game itself, the students will have lunch and listen to a number of guest speakers. The message will be that youths can succeed in their sports, activities and lives without the use of appearance and performing enhancing drugs.

“Young people today encounter various external pressures, and we want them to know it’s important to pursue their goals with integrity, and that there is help available if they need it,” said Sara Bauer, Associate Head Coach of the Badgers women’s hockey team. “The Badgers Believe in Clean Sport event shares the message that we support these youths and want to encourage them to make informed and healthy decisions.”

The event is a collaboration between Brock Sports and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, which runs the Succeed Clean program.

Succeed Clean is a prevention program delivered by peer-mentors from local universities to educate children and youth in Grades 7-12 about the dangers of appearance- and performance-enhancing drugs. Rather than using these drugs, Succeed Clean encourages youths to set positive, healthy and realistic goals for themselves, learn healthy eating and lifestyle habits and educate themselves on the dangers of using drugs.

“Last year, more than 600 students in the Niagara Region participated in 14 different Succeed Clean presentations,” said Paul Melia, President and CEO, Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport. “Being able to bring the message of clean sport and clean living to more than 1,000 students in one day is a tremendous achievement. Kudos to Brock Sports, the Succeed Clean team and the Badgers women’s hockey team for creating this opportunity.”