Training Oneself Isn’t Same as Training Others

After reading the article “Paying to Pump Up” (Prep Extra, Oct. 15), I became very concerned about the welfare of those high school athletes and their families who are turning over their time and money to self-proclaimed “experts” calling themselves “Personal Trainers”.

How qualified are these “gurus” to be teaching mental skills or offering therapeutic remedies to young athletes? Just because an individual once aspired to or competed in a powerlifting contest or two, does not give him or her the right to claim to be an expert in mental-skills training or sports nutrition.

It is one thing to know what is right for yourself and quite another to know how to properly and ethically train young people whose sport activity, physical makeup and goals might be completely different from your own.

JAMES P. HOUSEHOLTER

Fullerton