Warwick baseball players educated about health dangers of chewing tobacco

WARWICK — The use of tobacco - especially chewing tobacco - has been a part of baseball culture for many decades. In the “old days,” players were even seen with cigarettes and chewing tobacco on the playing field.
Times have changed. Now, tobacco use is clearly linked to serious illness and death from cancer.
In an effort to educate Warwick Valley scholastic baseball players about the cancer-causing health effects of using smokeless tobacco, an informational presentation was held for Warwick High School and Middle School Varsity, Junior Varsity and Modified baseball players on March 29 in the WVHS Media Center.
Five speakers - same messageAfter an introduction by Athletic Director Gregory Sirico, student-athletes viewed a video about the late Major League baseball player, Tony Gwynn, whose death was the result of oral cancer caused by years of using chewing tobacco, also known as smokeless tobacco.
Student-athletes then heard presentations about the harmful effects of smokeless tobacco from several Warwick coaches and athletic trainers:
• Dennis McLaughlin, assistant varsity coach, former Warwick baseball player (WVHS Class of 1991) and former member of the Boston Red Sox organization.
• Sue Abel, WVSD athletic trainer.
• Eric Rosa, WVHS physical education teacher and JV Gold baseball coach.
• Chuck Todd, varsity baseball coach and former member of the Cleveland Indians Organization
The effectsEach coach emphasized the same important message for the student-athletes: the smartest way to avoid these health dangers is to not start using chewing tobacco - and if you already chew it, quit as soon as possible.
Abel showed a Powerpoint presentation about the dangerous and deadly health effects of chewing tobacco, including information about:
• How addictive chewing tobacco is;
• The several poisonous ingredients in chewing tobacco; and
• The different types of oral cancer caused by chewing tobacco.
ConsequencesNow that the harmful effects of tobacco use are well known and documented, some new regulations in the world of baseball have been put into place.
The session concluded with information from the school district's Code of Conduct about the penalties - including suspension from school - of tobacco or chewing tobacco use on school property or while participating in school athletics.