Steroid use by high schoolers is focus of Illinois association, By: Ken Roberts

09/05/2006

The Illinois High School Association is considering random testing for steroids and growth hormones in students who play in state finals for football, basketball, track and other selected sports.

Athletes who fail tests would be banned for a year and would have to pass a follow-up test before returning. Those who refuse to be tested would not be allowed to compete.

Testing would not be complete until championships end. Athletes who fail would forfeit medals in individual sports, such as track and swimming. But schools would not give up trophies in football and other team sports if players tested positive.

Althoff High School athletics director Glenn Schott is like most Illinois administrators and coaches when it comes to testing for steroids among high school athletes.

"In high school, things like that should not be part of the athletic scene. I'd be in favor of (testing) to protect our young people," said Schott, who doubles as the head football coach at the Belleville school.

Only one state, New Jersey, has a steroid-testing policy for high school athletes. Officials there are launching a $90,000 program this fall that will randomly test 500 athletes for about 80 banned substances ranging from amphetamines to steroids.

The Missouri State High School Activities Association currently is not considering drug testing, said Rick Kindhart, assistant executive director of the association. But the association will monitor how the policy works in New Jersey and, if it is approved, in Illinois.

Francis Howell School District in St. Charles County is testing athletes and other students who participate in extracurricular activities. Student athletes in Fort Zumwalt School District, also in St. Charles County, can volunteer to be tested.

No Illinois schools currently test for steroids, though at least 75 have testing programs for alcohol and drugs, according to an IHSA survey.

Illinois High School Association assistant executive director Kurt Gibson said testing would discourage high schoolers from using drugs, while maintaining competitive balance among the organization's 750 member schools.

"If somebody's getting an advantage because they've been taking steroids. . . . that's something that we need to take a stand against," he said.

Belleville West High School athletics director Bill Schmidt cautioned that schools shouldn't test on a whim.

"I think it's time to start taking the steroid issue seriously," Schmidt said. "But there's an awful lot of ramifications you need to look into before you arbitrarily say 'OK. We're going to test': The costs and who pays for the tests. The punishments that would have to be enacted for those who fail the test. The privacy involved when you give these tests." .

Collinsville High instituted a drug and nicotine testing policy this year, one that athletics director Bob Hollingshead wants to expand to include steroids.

"I see these kids going to these vitamin shops and drinking supplements, and they think they're going to put on mass and make themselves better athletes," Hollingshead said. "The weight-gain stuff, the muscle building and proteins - I just think they need to be educated."

Some school officials are already lining up behind the Illinois proposal, which could be presented to schools for feedback in November. It would then go to the high school association board for a vote by spring.

Others wonder whether the proposed program is worth an estimated $175 per test. Because testing would be random, supporters think some athletes may roll the dice, gambling that they won't be picked for urine samples.

Still others say early testing could help prevent athletes from taking steroids in college or professional athletics.

In 2003, the American Medical Association reported youth steroid use was on the rise, increasing to 4 percent of high school seniors in 2002 from 2.1 percent in 1991. Use is highest among athletes who officials say are driven by a desire to excel, as well as dreams of moving on to college or the pros.

"You not only get that edge, but you get that notoriety, you get seen, and all of a sudden you've got a scholarship on your table," Gibson said. "That's a big lure."

AMA officials agree steroid use is best stopped early, but they question whether money for expensive testing programs wouldn't be better spent on education. They also worry that testing could label kids, especially if initial positive tests prove inaccurate.

Gibson said the Illinois High School Association ramped up educational programs on steroids this fall but decided to consider testing "to maintain the integrity of our tournaments."

School officials worry about testing costs. They say money is tight since state funding has declined. Gibson said the association would look into private grants and other funding sources and does not intend to pass the cost along to schools.

Officials say the extent of steroid use in high school sports is unknown.

But Schmidt, at Belleville West, said it's time to tackle the problem.

"Steroids are dangerous," he said. "They have no place in sports and especially at the high school level. Anything we can do to keep that from happening, I'm all for it."