Added links to NFHS position statement on supplements.

Added information on the NCAA and NAIA.

Change in formatting only...no new information entered

Thanks for the info on ACSM. Nice article. I made some minor formatting adjustments to your entry. Thanks again

Added information regarding Illinois High School Association position.

I am a trainer/ strength coach and I have recommended creatine monohydrate to many of my athletes. Some indeed have been adolescence with the minimum age of 16. I must say that I have not or do not recommend to kids who are obviously have not hit puberty. I think that some people do not understand that creatine is indeed naturally occuring in the body, and we take it in, in our diet through a variety of red meat products. Let me tell you why I support the use of creatine. There are a couple diffent energy sources that someone uses in anaerobic training. The main being adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and creatine phosphate (CP) (phosphate system). When an athlete is doing resistance training or high intensity training these are the main energy scources being used. ATP and CP are stored in the muscle cell and are the biproduct of glycolysis; the break down of carbohydrates which is then stored in the muscle or glucose delivered in the blood, to produce ATP (National Strength and Conditioning Association). So based on this you can see that each individual stores different amounts of glycogen in the muscle and the blood based on nutrition as well as exercise compasity. Once the individual uses up all his his glycogen stores he then has no way of producing ATP or CP to sustain the intensity of the workout. The biproduct of the production of this is lactic acid which in tern limits the muscles ability to contract. By supplementing creatine into a training regimine to increase the amount of creatine stored withing the muscle belly as stated above can therefore increase the amount of time an individual can workout at a high intensity before the build up of lacitc acid takes place. This can be directly correlated to strength increases as well as muscle belly size. Hope that helps Roger W. Earle and Thomas R. Baechle (National Strength and Conitioning Association) Essentials of Persoanal Training pg. 38

I have become increasingly concerned about the long term effects of creatine supplementation, particularly on youth athletes. I have a 17yr old son who plays football and runs track in high school. He is currently taking a creatine supplement, as are most of his teammates. I found this to be a bit concerning. Upon further research, it is not a banned substance, although in Illinois, coaches are not supposed to recommned or provide it. As I looked a little more, I began to realize there is very little information available on this substance, and even less information readily available on the position of major organizations. I have created this collaboration in hopes that many of you have some experience with this, and may also be members of some of the organizations, and can provide a postion statement. I am also interested in the position you take as coaches when asked by your athletes. I have started a framework with which to work on a listing of positions, by organization. Feel free to enter as much detail, including links, as you can for any organization. Please also add any additional organization and associations as you see fit. My goal here is to create a comprehensive list of offical positions and guidelines, which can then be used to educarte students onthe use of creatine.