Area schools use education to fight athlete steroid abuse, By: Matt Schoch
While much of the sporting world grapples with the use of illegal performance-enhancing drugs, local high school athletes and coaches said the Blue Water Area remains relatively problem-free.
"I don't think it's too much of a problem," said junior Joe Wesley, who plays football, basketball and runs track and field at Marine City High School. "I'm sure it's going on somewhere, but there's not really anything we can do about it. We just focus on what we do."
Even though the steroids question has for years been largely avoided at professional, collegiate and scholastic ranks, the Michigan High School Athletic Association is now attempting to clean up its games with educational tools.
This year, four schools are participating in association-sanctioned steroid-education programs.
While none of the programs are in St. Clair and Sanilac counties, local coaches said many of the talks taking place in those programs have already worked their way into locker and weight rooms. The talks, they said, should be enough to keep student athletes on the right path.
Talking about issues is the way to go, officials said. Still, many will have their eyes on New Jersey.
The state has became the first to implement steroid testing for some high-school athletes.
The programs
Lutheran North High School in northern Macomb County is one of the four state schools starting steroid-education programs this year.
Paid for by money from Sports Illustratedand the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, the programs - Athletes Training and Learning to Avoid Steroids and the Athletes Targeting Healthy Exercise and Nutrition Alternatives - are led by students, although coaches have been trained to oversee discussions and activities.
The programs allow volunteer athletes from each sport to facilitate discussions and lead teammates through workbooks on different phases of steroid education, exercise and nutrition.
Emphasizing alternatives to steroids is paramount in the both programs.
"At first, the kids were apprehensive and nervous, but after a while they were giving some pretty good answers," said Dave Rottermond, Lutheran North's athletic director. "The programs show you that if you have a healthy diet, you don't need steroids."
Rottermond said he hopes the programs, which cost about $25,000 for materials and training per school, will be picked up by other schools.
Not a problem
Despite warnings from health and sports-industry experts that high school athletes are following in the footsteps of big-name athletes found to be using steroids, some people said there's no need locally for grave concern or expanded programming.
Casey Kucsera, football coach at Port Huron Northern High School, said general talks about maintaining a healthy lifestyle should be enough to get the anti-steroid message across loud and clear.
Kucsera said he hasn't once been suspicious steroids were being used in his 10 years as a varsity coach.
"We talk about making good decisions with the kids," he said. "We say to stay away from anything illegal, and (steroids) falls into that. We also talk about having the right diet and exercise, and that should be enough for you."
Todd Baden, a standout athlete at Almont High School until he graduated in June, said he doesn't believe doping is happening in the Blue Water Area Conference.
"We weren't sending guys to the NFL or anything, so I don't think so," said Baden, who is a freshman at Anderson University in Indiana, where he hopes to play basketball. "Guys wouldn't put their bodies in jeopardy like that.
"Maybe in the bigger cities, though. Sometimes you wonder how guys can get that big just by working out in the gym."
St. Clair senior quarterback Mike Burley said his coach, Bill Nesbitt, emphasizes the dangers of illegal substances and deters his players from taking legal supplements such as creatine.
"That's one of the first thing he says to us," Burley said. "He thinks it's a waste. If you want to do anything, do it naturally."
Nick Champine, a senior football player at Anchor Bay High School, said his school isn't at the level where using steroids might push players to stardom.
"Some of the (Macomb County) schools that we play that are real good, I don't know what's going on there," Champine said. "But at Anchor Bay, I haven't heard any rumors or anything like that."
Most players said they would not even know where to buy steroids if they wanted to use them.
Educate, don't test
In New Jersey, the state association that oversees high school sports unveiled plans last week to test about 5% of the 10,000 high school athletes for steroids.
Frank Uryasz, president of Drug Free Sport, which will be doing the random tests, said based on his experience with college-testing programs he expects between 1% and 2% of tests to come back positive. That amounts to 5 to 10 athletes each year.
Officials with the Michigan High School Athletic Association said testing is not the way to go.
"We know what's going on with other states," said Andy Frushour, who is coordinating the anti-steroids programs for the association. "We're pro-education instead of pro-testing. You can get more done with that money with education."
Kucsera, a former athlete, offered a simple rationale for staying away from steroids.
"Less than 1% go on to play college, so is it worth it?"
