"People don't understand how fragile the existence of a high-performance athlete is," Kirby said.

ADNA produces its clothing specifically for high-performance athletes.

Until recently, most of the country had never heard of energy bars, and Powerbar had the business to itself, catering mostly to high-performance athletes like marathon runners and professional tennis players.

Rideau traditionally hosts a Canada Day regatta, drawing high-performance athletes from across Canada and the United States.

He spends a lot of time with high-performance athletes, and said he had seen a rise in the number of athletes devoted to certain energy drinks.

Despite commercialism and the celebration of high-performance athletes, the Hughesian principles of Christian socialism continues to influence sports programs for youth.

The Vaughn Center caters to high-performance athletes, assisting them in eliminating negative and distracting thoughts to help them consistently play at the highest level.

One impetus for turning to a high-protein diet is outlined in a recently published book, "The Zone" (Regan Books), which evolved on the training table for high-performance athletes.

John Hoberman, the historian of sports doping, has written that scientists and doctors viewed the high-performance athlete as "a wonder of nature - a marvelous phenomenon that did not require improvement."