Written by:

Associated Press

March 3, 2008 

Only one Florida high school athlete has tested positive for steroids out of 430 screened so far under the state's new program. So kids either realized that performance-enhancing drugs are bad news or they were smart enough to stop using them before state scrutiny began last fall.

And you know what? The reasons aren't important. If it takes testing kids to protect them from the harmful effects of steroids - and to drive home that fair competition is about natural ability - then the $100,000 appropriated by the Legislature for the testing program is worth every penny.

Administered by the Florida High School Athletic Association, the program tests male and female athletes engaged in baseball, flag football, tackle football, softball or weightlifting. Since the FHSAA oversees high school sports in the state, it's the appropriate authority to manage the testing program. Schools have more important matters to address.

The methodology is smart and effective. Athletes are randomly selected by computer, and, unlike other testing programs, tests can be conducted anytime - not just after an athlete or team clinches a spot in a state title game or championship. This forces athletes to remain clean at all times.

The message is clear: Stay clean and you can keep playing. Cheat and you'll be sidelined for at least 90 days.

No one should be naive enough to believe that high school sports are free of steroids. The lone athlete who tested positive proves that.

But four years ago a study revealed that about 19,350 Florida high school students, or about 1.4 percent of the student population, reported using steroids, with more than 5,000 admitting usage within the previous month.

Considering the easy availability of steroids, the study justified the need for testing.

The state has an obligation to educate its young people, and this program requires those who test positive to complete a drug education course.

The Legislature will decide whether to extend the program after the current school year, when all the results will be reviewed. Continuing the program - even with nominal funding - would be good preventative medicine that not only protects athletes, but keeps the playing field level.