Doctor to determine steroid test results, By: Joe Battaglia
October 05, 2006
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association named Dr. Craig Kimmel to act as medical review officer of its steroid testing program yesterday in Robbinsville.
Kimmel will be charged with determining whether or not a positive test is the result of necessary therapeutic use of a banned substance to treat a medical condition.
According to NJSIAA assistant director Bob Baly, the UCLA Olympic Analytical Laboratory, the NJSIAA's testing lab in Los Angeles, will report test results directly to Kimmel. He will only notify the NJSIAA staff of a positive result if no medical reason for the positive result can be found.
Kimmel was appointed chairman of the medical subcommittee and steroid task force under former Gov. Richard Codey. Kimmel is the director of primary care sports medicine for Lourdes Health System, which includes Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center in Camden and Lourdes Medical Center in Willingboro.
Kimmel has an extensive background working with the NJSIAA. He is a member of the association's medical advisory committee, served on its task force for steroid abuse from 1995 through 1998, was director of its steroid symposium from 1995 through 2005 and was chairman of its task force on infections in wrestling from 1994 through 1997.
According to National Federation statistics released yesterday, New Jersey ranked eighth nationally in participation in 2005-06 with 243,260 student athletes, up almost 10,000 from the previous year. New Jersey trailed Texas (742,341), California (678,019), New York (350,349), Illinois (323,703), Michigan (321,250), Ohio (316,529) and Pennsylvania (267,147). New Jersey ranked third nationally in the number of female athletes participating with 101,117.
Carol Parsons, associate director of the NJSIAA, announced that The College of New Jersey in Ewing will be unavailable to host the group finals in field hockey because the school is being considered as a host for the NCAA championships. She said the NJSIAA will move the group finals to the turf field at Toms River East on Nov. 12. The semifinals of the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions will be held at Hunterdon Central in Flemington and the T of C final will be at CNJ.
The nominating committee released the names of the NJSIAA special awards recipients. Awards will be presented at the annual meeting on Dec. 4 at the Pines Manor in Edison.
