nickel
03-01-2011, 08:22 PM
Would you get your kid tested for curiosity's sake at least?
DNA Test For Athletic Potential In Children Debated
Company Promises To Help Parents Choose Between Football, Soccer
POSTED: Monday, February 28, 2011
EUSTIS, Fla. -- It's really hard to argue that as a nation, we're sports-obsessed. Weekends are dominated by athletic events on TV, in local parks and in many back yards.
Parents everywhere might dream of their child becoming the next great American athlete, and now, there's a company promising to tell them which sport their child is born to play.
James Baxley, of Eustis, is his son's biggest fan and often his coach. Ever since 7-year-old Cole could hold a ball, the two have been on a field or a court, practicing and competing.
“I always try hard to win, and I always do good on the team,” Cole said.
Cole's little brother, Caleb, is only 2 years old, but he's already trying to join the game, attempting to jump and throw the ball.
Like most parents, the Baxleys wonder which sport is right for each child?
With the simple swipe of a Q-tip and a couple of weeks of waiting, Atlas Sports Genetics promises to help the Baxleys figure it out.
The company’s DNA test, which sells for about $160, measures the presence of a muscle protein in a particular gene.
Dr. Philip Wood, a genetics expert at the Sanford-Burnham Institute, believes Atlas is selling a theory that the level of the muscle protein in the body could determine whether a child will be good at endurance sports, such as long-distance running and swimming, or sprint-power sports, such as soccer, or speed-and-power sports, such as track and football.
Wood said there is no one gene that can determine a person’s athletic ability.
“Any of these actions that occur in sports are complex actions and complex traits,” said Wood.
Wood said you can't take the brain or the heart out of sports, either.
“What if he [an athlete] has tremendous will and drive to play football and perhaps he'd be a running back instead of a linebacker?” said Wood.
Former Major League Baseball player Dante Bichette, whose son is trying to follow in his footsteps, said parents shouldn't need a scientist to tell them what their child can do.
“I can watch a 2- or 3-year-old and watch him throw, or run, or hit a ball, and I can tell you if he's got those skills,” Bichette said.
Neither Caleb's mom nor dad were surprised by his Atlas DNA test results -- a mixed-sports gene, meaning power and speed or endurance.
They said they're excited to see what will Caleb will decide to do with his genetic makeup.
more here: http://www.clickorlando.com/news/27030962/detail.html
DNA Test For Athletic Potential In Children Debated
Company Promises To Help Parents Choose Between Football, Soccer
POSTED: Monday, February 28, 2011
EUSTIS, Fla. -- It's really hard to argue that as a nation, we're sports-obsessed. Weekends are dominated by athletic events on TV, in local parks and in many back yards.
Parents everywhere might dream of their child becoming the next great American athlete, and now, there's a company promising to tell them which sport their child is born to play.
James Baxley, of Eustis, is his son's biggest fan and often his coach. Ever since 7-year-old Cole could hold a ball, the two have been on a field or a court, practicing and competing.
“I always try hard to win, and I always do good on the team,” Cole said.
Cole's little brother, Caleb, is only 2 years old, but he's already trying to join the game, attempting to jump and throw the ball.
Like most parents, the Baxleys wonder which sport is right for each child?
With the simple swipe of a Q-tip and a couple of weeks of waiting, Atlas Sports Genetics promises to help the Baxleys figure it out.
The company’s DNA test, which sells for about $160, measures the presence of a muscle protein in a particular gene.
Dr. Philip Wood, a genetics expert at the Sanford-Burnham Institute, believes Atlas is selling a theory that the level of the muscle protein in the body could determine whether a child will be good at endurance sports, such as long-distance running and swimming, or sprint-power sports, such as soccer, or speed-and-power sports, such as track and football.
Wood said there is no one gene that can determine a person’s athletic ability.
“Any of these actions that occur in sports are complex actions and complex traits,” said Wood.
Wood said you can't take the brain or the heart out of sports, either.
“What if he [an athlete] has tremendous will and drive to play football and perhaps he'd be a running back instead of a linebacker?” said Wood.
Former Major League Baseball player Dante Bichette, whose son is trying to follow in his footsteps, said parents shouldn't need a scientist to tell them what their child can do.
“I can watch a 2- or 3-year-old and watch him throw, or run, or hit a ball, and I can tell you if he's got those skills,” Bichette said.
Neither Caleb's mom nor dad were surprised by his Atlas DNA test results -- a mixed-sports gene, meaning power and speed or endurance.
They said they're excited to see what will Caleb will decide to do with his genetic makeup.
more here: http://www.clickorlando.com/news/27030962/detail.html