Should drug testing be done in high school athletics?
May 9, 2006
Yes ... every student should be
I would say that yes, high school student athletes should be tested for illegal drugs.
But I think that drug testing shouldn't be limited to just high school athletes. Every student should be subject to random testing and, if tested positive, be offered help and rehabilitation.
Illegal means illegal and rules are set for a reason. I think that if a student athlete is tested positive for any illegal drug from steroids to marijuana that they should be dismissed from the team for at least one season.
Another option is to do what the pros do and make the punishment worse and worse after each offense. I don’t know how well that would work, though.
In my opinion, student athletes shouldn’t have to take performance-enhancing drugs to do better in sports. They made the team for a reason: natural talent.
Jay McAmis
Student, Roseburg
Enforcement needed, not testing
I cannot believe the steroid issue has gone this far, though it obviously has.
In my opinion, there is no need for steroid screening. One main reason is that it costs a great deal of money to do those tests.
In this day and age, far too many student athletes already have to pay a considerable amount of money to play high school level sports. That’s because local and state economies cannot generate the money necessary to simply have programs. Where is the money going to come from to perform the tests.
If you have strict enforcement of substances such as tobacco, alcohol, and drugs, why not have strict enforcement of steroids. I knew many kids who were kicked off sports teams for violating the substance agreement, and guess what? There was no chemistry involved.
Coaches know their athletes well, and they need to have enforcement of steroids too. And we all know it is not a hard thing to assume someone is on steroids when their bench press goes up 125 pounds in a short amount of time.
Punish the user or fire the coach!
Dave Ferland
U.S. Army recruiter, Roseburg
Concerned? Notify the parents
We are in a time where suspected steroid users such as Mark McGwire, Lance Armstrong and, of course, the man with the abnormally large head, Barry Bonds, enjoy so much success at their sport.
High school students’ awareness of the obvious benefits of these drugs is more than likely at an all-time high. But the fact remains that this is high school, and sports are an extracurricular activity that should be outweighed by education.
If you suspect that a high school student is hurting himself or herself with steroids, then their parents should be notified of the concern.
However, schools should not have to pay for drug testing. School finances are stretched enough as it is. Precious dollars should be spent on learning, not on high school athletes making poor decisions.
Unless, of course, their heads become as large as Mr. Bonds’.
Jason Kahler
Roseburg
New voices, new opinions
The Sports Jury has six new panelists: Jon Bean, Dave Ferland, Bob Grubbs, Marv Hash, Jason Kahler and Jay McAmis. Three are making their debut, and their voicing their opinions, today and the other three will get their first turn next week.
The News-Review wants to thank the outgoing Sports Jury panelists — Tiffany Coke, Mel Connor, Evin Nordhagen, Brett Ronk, Al Springer and Mark Walsh — for their opinions over the last several months.
