Everyone experiences highs and lows in life, but what would you do if you poured every ounce of blood, sweat and tears into a personal dream; every bit of money, time, training, not to mention your heart and soul and then one day you were stripped of all the glories because something you had no control of transpired? Would you give up, or would you find a way to turn a devastating event into something positive, somewhat of a drive or learning lesson for others? Tyree Washington a man of hard work walked through a trying path, but found a way to turn his devastations into motivations.
Tyree Washington a man defying many records, describes himself as, “a fish in water”, when he is on a track or football field. This analogy most definitely holds true when you look at his long list of accolades. To name a few, “In 2003, Washington had the greatest season of his career. He won the 400-meter race at Indoor Nationals, Indoor World in the 400-meter dash, Indoor World 4X400 men’s relay, Outdoor Nationals in the 400-meter event. He became world champion in the 400-meter race in St. Denis, France and was ranked number one in the world for running the 400-meter race.Years later, Washington added two more world titles to his belt. In 2005, he won Outdoor World Athletic Finals in the 400-meter event, and in 2006, won Indoor World in 4X400 men’s relay.” (http://www.killaroid.com/).
Not only was Washington a star on the track he excelled by taking his speed to a different arena, and signed with the San Diego Chargers as a wide receiver and defensive back. As Washington put it, “I knocked a lot off my bucket list at a young age,” but don’t fret, he isn’t stopping there, he continues to strive for new goals and aspirations everyday.
Washington’s list of accomplishments is extensive, but something he didn’t expect was to have half of them stripped from him because some of his teammates were tested and caught for using PEDs, Performance Enhancing Drugs. Washington unveils the hardship saying, “I won eight titles and a world record and the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) stripped four away after the findings.I thought how could I turn a bad situation into something good?”
“So I created Killaroid, standing for ‘kill steroids’. I with my team, want to annihilate them. Now it’s an uphill battle for me, and I think the biggest weapon I hold is the power of education. So I am going to do just that, and continue to educate and speak about my story and what happened to me. Most athletes would just give up, put a gun to their head and they would be done. I did nothing wrong. It goes back to who I am as a person, the drive and determination and the want to give back. I want Killaroid to be bigger than life. It’s still in the beginning of stages, but as soon as I turn it into a non-profit it will grow and manifest, making sure that athletes are training the right way.”
Washington goes on to say; “I want to plant positive seeds in others lives and give hope to people when they feel like there is no hope. That is my drive in life because everyone has a story,” he later mentions wanting their stories to be focused on their successes and not their trials and tribulations, a huge benefactor to the lessons of Killaroid.
Killaroid is a knowledge-based avenue Washington can utilize to apply the lessons he has learned while training his athletes. He holds speed and agility camps as well as coaches athletes from all walks of life. Although nutrition and training are all very important, Washington is raw in his approach on PEDs. Something he feels athletes and their parents need to hear. Washington expounds on how, “Training is great, but one aspect that people don’t touch on is the PEDs. We need to talk about it because athletes are trying to find a quick fix, trying to get a scholarship, but when they use these enhancers they could have their career taken away or they could possibly die.”
“I try and be as graphic as possible because I understand that parents want to give their athletes the edge, but that edge is not the right edge. Hard work is looked upon as silly, like that’s not the norm. I want these athletes to know, that you can accomplish everything you want to accomplish without PEDs.”
Washington is using every avenue he can to get the word out, whether that’s through his training, website, his media access on Fox 11 in Los Angeles, or red carpet and high profile events.
Washington like everyone else had hardships in his life, and he speaks on how, “I surrounded myself with positive people, I had a great circle. I think when people say there are no resources available, they don’t realize that there is always at least one. For me it was my coaches, my teachers, it was my mother who was a single mother, and my grandmother. I wanted to do it for them. I wanted to be the difference maker in others lives,” and he is doing just that through his education with www.killaroid.com. Be sure to check out his website and education yourself on the harmful effects these drugs can have on you and your peers.
