Beyond Performance: The Taylor Hooton Foundation
After five years, the Taylor Hooton Foundation returned to CVA’s campus to lead an important conversation about the realities and risks of performance-enhancing substances. The nonprofit leads a national campaign to educate youth and their adult influencers about the pressures, misconceptions, and potential consequences surrounding their use.
Brian Parker, the Foundation’s Director of Education, made the tone of his presentation clear within the first few minutes: “I’m not here to tell you what to do. I’m here to tell you some stuff that Taylor didn’t know when he was your age.” The Foundation was established in memory of Taylor E. Hooton, a high school student from Plano, Texas, who took his own life after using anabolic steroids. Through Taylor’s story, the Foundation works to ensure young people have the knowledge and information needed to make informed decisions about performance-enhancing substances.
For teenagers striving to reach their potential while navigating the pressures of competition and unrealistic image standards, Parker’s message connected deeply with CVA student-athletes. The setting made that message especially powerful. With CVA’s High Performance Center as the backdrop, students were surrounded by the specialized equipment and resources they use each week in pursuit of their athletic goals. The contrast reinforced an important point: no matter the pressure to get ahead, lasting performance should never come at the expense of health and well-being.
By bringing conversations like this to campus, CVA continues to support student-athletes not only in pursuing their goals, but also in developing the knowledge and perspective to make informed decisions along the way. Parker covered several different types of performance-enhancing substances, including anabolic steroids, human growth hormone, energy drinks, and dietary supplements, delivering information with both reverence and clarity. “Supplements are never going to give you a head start,” he explained, while also reminding students that “steroids work, but at a heavy cost.”
Supplements, for instance, are incredibly common, but not all are created equal. Student-athletes were encouraged to consider whether a product contains banned substances, whether they are using it properly, and whether it is necessary. As Parker put it, “If I read every ingredient and I don’t know all of them, I don’t put that in my body.” When the conversation turned to energy drinks, one of the most popular products among many students, the room was especially engaged. Parker shared that even a single energy drink can negatively affect blood vessel function, particularly when considering beverages with long lists of ingredients.
So how do you get more energy when you need it? Get more sleep, with eight hours being optimal. Eat a proper diet. Drink more water. And when those things are not enough, remember that not all products are created equal. Being an informed consumer is essential. Students were also reminded that they do not have to navigate those questions alone. The Taylor Hooton Foundation provides a text line where young people can get answers to their questions about supplements and performance-enhancing substances.
The final topic of the talk was anabolic androgenic steroids, the substances at the center of Taylor’s story and the reason the Foundation’s work continues today. The reality is that most people do not take steroids to improve their athletic performance. Parker explained that the number one reason people take steroids is to change the way they look.
With looksmaxxing culture on the rise and social media influencers shaping the narrative, young people are constantly being exposed to new pressures and messages about appearance. The truth behind it all was perhaps the simplest message of the day: “Every single person in this room, you are supposed to look like you.” In a world where 85% of young people have never had a conversation with an adult about performance-enhancing drugs, that message is vital.
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