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In 2003, Australian scientists conducted a study on 429 elite white athletes, including 50 Olympians and found something very interesting.
What they found was a specific gene that could help predict what kind of sport a person was better suited for.
So what does this mean for your child's athletic future?
Let's face it. In this country where athletic achievement is held up so high, as a parent it's hard not to look at your kid and wonder is this kid the next John Wall or Abby Waumbach.
“Just like any other dad noticing his kid out in the backyard, I saw his ability and what he could do,” said James Richey.
What if we could do more than just observe our kids skills?
Thanks to new genetic testing we now may be able to see if our children have the DNA building blocks to become elite athletes.
And it's all based on one little gene.
Dr. Mark Rothstein, Professor of Bio-ethics at UofL School of Medicine, said, “The actn-3 gene was discovered in Australia a few years ago and it measures whether individuals have a fast-twitch or a slow-twitch predominance."
This means slow twitch fibers are very strong and great in short bursts, think NFL offensive lineman strong.
And simply put, fast twitch fibers are what make track stars so fast.
If you want your kid to be a blur on the track, you better hope they're loaded with fast twitch.
Now sure, this sounds like very expensive space-age stuff, but for a mere $170 dollars Atlas Sports Genetics can find out if your kid has the right stuff on the genetic level.
Tyler Richey is 9-years-old and as you can see is already tearing it up in local youth football leagues. He scored 24 touchdowns last season and has big dreams for his future.
Tyler Richey, who 9-years-old and youth football player, said "I know how good I am."
And so does his dad.
His dad James said, “I believe his mother ran track and I played football and basketball in high school and I was a pretty good athlete, but I think Tyler’s exceeded what I did at his age right now, you know, when I was his age. He's doing much better than I was. I think there's a lot of promise for him if he stays at it.”
Tyler Hobbs is 6-months-old and, well, he's WHAS11’s Matt Hobbs’ son. He couldn't help taking a look into the crystal ball either.
The actual test, is real easy, it's not invasive at all. All you do is take this extremely long q-tip looking thing, I guess technically we call it swab, and you take it inside his cheek real good and we get the other side real good, and then just like that, you put it in the tube, mail it away, and in a month, you find out what sport you’re kid's going to be good at. Good deal, right?
Or is it?
Dr. Mark Rothstein said, "I think this actn-3 gene test is an ounce of science, a pound of marketing. It's been rushed way before the science world suggests that it out to be."
“I think most scientists that I’ve talked to about this issue really think that the evidence is not there. This is a study that has not been replicated and so we really don’t know if in white elite athletes in general, the predominance of one gene versus another has great significance.”
So, on a scientific level the test is already taking on water. And that doesn't even scratch the psychology impact that this kind of info could deliver.
Dr. Rothstein said, “My concern as well is if you've got, as a parent, your heart set that your child is going to be a track and field star and now the kid breaks his leg in an accident, is he a failure for the rest of his life? And how are you going to treat children when you've got multiple children? Are you going to channel them all in different directions and not give them what is sometimes referred to as an open future?”
This new genetic world is still very wild wild west. There’s lot's of theories and not a ton of hard proof. Still curiosity is still a quintessentially human trait. And with the results in both the Richeys and my family wanted to know what they said.
Tyler has a mixed pattern which means he'll has the potential to be a well-rounded athlete, but isn't consider to have the genetics towards elite speed.
Regardless of testing in the middle, the Richey's took the test's findings in stride.
Richey said, “Ii think it's very positive. You know that he might have a little something special."
So for Tyler Richey it's back to training and getting ready for his next football season.
As for Matt’s little guy, who also tested out with the mixed pattern, he doesn’t plan to worry about it too much.
Besides, he has other stuff to think about, you know, like walking.
Like Dr. Rothstein said it was only the study was done once and on one group of athletes.
