Four states across the nation have adopted some form of steroid testing for high school athletes. New Jersey was the first state to implement such a policy. The other three are Florida, Texas and Illinois. Delaware’s state House passed Resolution No. 44 last year to create a task force to study the cost and issues relating to such testing. Oklahoma has no state-widerule, but various school districts are testing student-athletes on their own. Chapter 808A of the Iowa Code passed in 1986 prohibits random, suspicion-less drug testing by school officials, according to Carol Greta, attorney with the Iowa Department of Education.
Kevin Charles, executive director of the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association (DIAA), recently was quoted in the Delaware News Journal, saying“I think it is important to examine the issue to determine what the most appropriate path forward is for Delaware. To date, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHSA), DIAA’s parent organization, has taken the position that education is the most cost effective and efficient means to approach the issue of performance-enhancing substance abuse at the interscholastic level.”
Broken Arrow High School in Oklahoma has one of the most thorough school substance-abuse policies in the state according to the Tulsa World, mostly because steroids are included in its drug testing of student-athletes in grades eighth through 12th. Jenks High School requires a mandatory drug test at the beginning of each season for its more than 800 student-athletes, but the test does not detect steroids. Tulsa’s East Central High School started a substance-abuse program about eight years ago but dropped it because of possible litigation issues.
Texas has a huge interscholastic steroid-testing program begun last spring when 10,117 student-athletes were chosen at random. Just two athletes tested positive. Between 30,000 and 40,000 random tests were to be conducted this past fall. The state legislature approved the program which was funded its first two years with $6 million in public money.
Illinois expected to conduct around 750 tests when its $150,000 program began this past fall. It was to screen during the postseason for all known steroids, in addition to stimulants and diuretics.
Florida’s $100,000 program was not renewed for a second year because of budget cuts. It tested for a wide range of drugs in six sports, including baseball, football and weightlifting, but caught just one student in 600 tests performed in 2007. Only one student in 500 was found to be positive in New Jersey’s $100,000 program begun in the 2006-07 academic year.
Each of the state testing programs is conducted by the National Center for Drug Free Sport, a Kansas City, Mo.-based company that also oversees testing for the NCAA and minor league baseball.
Drugs commonly referred to as “steroids” are classified as anabolic. They are synthetic hormones that can boost the body’s ability to produce muscle and prevent muscle breakdown. Some athletes take steroids in hopes of running faster, hitting farther, lifting heavier, jumping higher, or enduring longer. Steroid use without a prescription is against the law in the United States.
“The Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) conducts a student-athlete survey approximately every five years to gather information on a variety of categories,” said Alan Beste, IHSAA Wellness Coordinator. “The last survey was conducted during the 2003-04 school year. At that time, approximately four percent of the 4,025 student-athletes surveyed indicated they had used anabolic steroids during the past year.”
A recent study of high school athletes by the Mayo Clinic found that 11 percent of male athletes and 2.5 percent of female athletes have tried anabolic steroids, according to The News Journal. However, Cedar Valley local school officials cannot cite a case where a student-athlete has been judged a steroid user.
“Just like anything else, there probably are kids that are trying it, experimenting with it,” said Dr. David Stokes, Cedar Falls Superintendent of Schools. “I can never in my many years I’ve been a school administrator, going on 30 years, can I remember sanctioning a student based on using steroids.”
“Obviously, I am not naïve enough to think that this does not occur at the high school level,” said Jeff Frost, Waterloo West High School Director of Athletics. “It is a concern in the fact that anytime anyone is using this type of illegal substance there is all sorts of health concerns, both short-term and long-term. With that said, do I feel that it is rampant? No, not at all.”
So what’s the big deal? Steroids are dangerous for two reasons—they are illegal, and they are harmful to one’s health, especially in large doses and when used over an extended period of time. Health problems may not appear until years later. Using steroids for a long time can negatively affect the reproductive system. In males, steroids can lead to impotence; a reduction in the amount of sperm produced, and even reduced testicle size.
Females who use steroids may have problems with menstrual cycles due to disruption of the maturation and release of eggs from the ovaries. This can cause long-term problems with fertility.
Cedar Falls High School Director of Athletics Gary Koenensays because of more press revolving around professional athletes’ use of illegal substances, there has been more awareness about performance enhancement drugs over the past five to 10 years. However, widespread use has not been a local problem.
“Have we seen wide-spread use of it? Not really. I think even throughout the state of Iowa there hasn’t been. I think we’ve done a good job of educating kids of the problems with use,” he said. “Even so, should we be pro-active? Probably. If we have the time, the resources.”
Resources are the primary hitch in any school district’s decision-making process. Drug testing at even irregular intervals is expensive. Testing for each known steroid, with the exception of rare compounds, can run as high as $195, not including collection and transportation costs. David Black, president and CEO of Aegis Sciences, a lab in Nashville, Tenn., which is not involved with high school steroid testing, said his lab charges $85 for a limited test.
Information taken from “Coaches Guide to Drugs and Sport” by Kevin R. Ringhofer, PhD, and Martha E. Harding says focusing only on illicit drugs, and not substances such as tobacco and alcohol, which aremost often used by teens, can give the message that those are the only drugs of concern to school officials. Some believe that drug testing violates an individual’s rights. Testing can be viewed as a punitive measure for those suspected of using. Others believe testing can pit administration and staff against students. In addition, erroneous results can be harmful to individual athletes and school prevention efforts.
However, there are benefits of drug testing, according to Ringhoferand Harding. Testing is meant to identify substances whichprovide an unfair advantage over those athletes who do not use. The threat of being found positive may serve as a deterrent to their use because of resulting consequences. Competitive events are meant to be won orlost on physical and mental skills rather than by advantages gained by drug use. Perhaps more importantly, “drug testing may be used to identify and refer for appropriate help those individuals who may be having problems with the use of drugs”.
Dr. Stoakessays he’s never been in favor of testing for anything. “One, I’ve never been in a place where the problems were so endemic that the health risks were above and beyond the norm. We’ve had a push to do breathalyzertests before school dances. I’ve been hesitant. For those kids out not doing anything wrong, there is that suspicion of guilt. I’d rather deal with problems on an individual basis.”
Troy Becker, Cedar Falls High School Assistant Principal and head boys’ cross country coach, says staff has had no formal training in identifying users.
“It’s usually easy to see with football players,” he said. “If they put on a lot of weight and start having behavioral swings, then we know something’s going on. Our coaches really monitor the athletes well. In the era of ESPN and sports magazines, I think the coaches have picked up on (substance abuse) without direct training.”
Frost says schools receive information from the IHSAA and the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU) in regards to “what to watch fors. We also have posters specifically intended for athletes that are hung in the locker rooms.”
Most local high schools, if not all, have certified athletic trainers on staff or present at athletic events. “If there’s a case where he’s concerned, he’ll make us aware of that,” said Koenen.
Becker says Cedar Falls High School staff meets with all of its athletes to discuss substance abuse policies stated in the Code of Conduct, which admittedly focuses more on alcohol, cigarettes and marijuana.
“There’s a no tolerance rule,” Becker said. “Our athletes can’t even be at a party where there is alcohol without having a sanction. In cross country, our emphasis has been to always hang around each other. If I have all my cross country guys together, then they’re not going to get in trouble because they are hanging around with the right kids.”
West High School is beginning a program called “spring and fall mandatories”—meetings with all student-athletes. “One is usually with a motivational speaker on what it takes to be a champion and one is on educational purposes, such as athletes derailed by drug use,” Frost said.
Cedar Falls High School’s Conduct Code calls for a 20 percent reduction in athletic participation if caught using. If there is a second offense in the same year, the student is suspended from all participation. There is no “Third Strike” rule. The punishment begins all over again the following season in hopes that the student redeems him or herself.
“We have high expectations for our students,” Becker said. “We don’t think we need three strikes. Kids change and mature over a year. We don’t do double jeopardy. We wipe the slate clean and they get a second chance.
“I think we need more training in protein drinks. Those are legal, but I don’t know how much protein is too much. And alcohol. We’re not that worried about steroid use here, fortunately.”
Signs of Steroid Use
•Puffy, swollen look to the face
•Acne, especially on shoulders, back or chest
•Excessive time spent working out
•Increased aggression and violence
•Quick strength and weight gains
(Provided by Alan Beste, IHSAA Wellness Coord.)
Long-Term Use Causal Affects
•Abnormal enlargement of the heart muscles
•Blood lipid abnormalities that contribute to
heart disease
•Increased breast growth in males, especially
teens
•Irreversible stretch marks
•A heightened tendency for hair loss and male-
pattern baldness
Additional Risks for Teen Girls and Women
•Male-type facial and body hair growth and
male-pattern baldness in females
•Enlargement of the clitoris
(From “KidsHealth”)
Talk to Your Kids
(From “KidsHealth”)
•Discuss healthy competition with them
•Talk about the coaches’ and team members’
attitudes towards steroids
•Know what kind of sports environments they
compete in
•Encourage them to prepare mentally and
physically for competition by eating well and
getting enough rest (From NFSHA)
•Talk about any frustrations your son or daughter
may have about how they look or how
they are performing in their sport.
•Help them set realistic short-term and long-term
goals. Keep sports fun and centered on
the athletes’ needs, not yours.
•Teach them not to trust gimmicks or quick-fix
approaches to enhancing their bodies-practice
what you preach.
•Promote hard work, good nutrition and hydration,
rest and good coaching as the tools-not pills,
powders and other dietary supplements.
•Monitor internet usage and restrict access to web
sites advertising steroids or other performance-
enhancing drugs.
•Help the athlete access the advice of a registered
dietician to develop a plan for weight gain or fat
loss.
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