Steroid use an issue at every level, By: Louie St. George III
Jun 5, 2006, The Daily Times
Early last month when New Jersey became the first state to implement a comprehensive steroid testing policy for its high school athletes, there were essentially two reactions: Some perceived the measure as an unnecessary infringement on the rights of teen athletes and a severe invasion of privacy. Conversely, proponents of the plan viewed the legislation as a proactive approach to dealing with an alarming trend.
That trend of course, is the proliferation of performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) amongst athletes at every level, from pre-teens in junior high to multi-millionaire professionals. Despite an improved awareness of the long-term health risks associated with PEDs, a survey conducted by the Centers for Disease and Prevention estimates that at least 6.2 percent of high school students have used steroids at least once. Similarly, the same organization reported that steroid use amongst prep students doubled from 1991-2003.
What, if anything, do those figures mean for New Mexico? After all, a number of studies exist that suggest steroid use has invaded all parts of the country, including the southwest. Based on a May 2005 article entitled, "Fight against steroids gaining muscle in high school athletics," that appeared in USA Today, a 2002 Texas A&M study put the number of Texas students using steroids at 42,000. And In California, sports officials estimate that 20,000 of that state's prep athletes have used PEDs.
Thus, has the New Mexico Activities Association (NMAA) and/or the state felt compelled to enact their own policy?
"Not in the near future," said Robert Zayas, Director of Communications for the NMAA. "It would be very difficult to get superintendents, parents, players and coaches to believe that (a policy) is worth it."
Indeed, a program such as New Jersey's doesn't come cheap. Zayas estimates that each steroid test would cost in the neighborhood of $135. According to a May article in the Courier News, a New Jersey publication, the New Jersey Senate will contribute $50,000 annually to cover the cost of testing, with an additional $50,000 provided by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).
"Really, our role is education," Zayas said, while also noting that research hasn't supported an initiative for testing. "When you talk to kids, you can't just say steroids are bad. You're going to have to say you'll get bigger, faster and stronger, but there are risks, such as long-term health effects. Kids need to hear both the positive and negative."
New Jersey's plan, expected to take effect in the fall, would test for approximately 80 PEDs. Any athlete who qualifies for a state championship, either individually or as part of a team, faces random testing and a positive test results in a one-year suspension.
As part of a state initiative set in motion by Governor Bill Richardson, Carlsbad High School took part in a steroid testing program this past school year. Funded by the state, the pilot project was simply a means to gauge the need for testing. No action was taken if a positive test turned up, and school officials had no way of knowing which of their students were tested, and who, if any, failed the test. The entire process was carried out by independent agencies.
Carlsbad Athletic Director Shaun Standard said that testing was done randomly and that the school's involvement in the process was minimal. He also noted that CHS has enforced its own drug testing policy in recent years that routinely checks for drugs such as marijuana and cocaine, to name a few. In stark contrast to steroid testing, routine drug tests cost approximately $15.
"The reason we don't do steroid testing is because of the cost," Standard said simply.
Recently, The Daily Times sat down with two area athletic directors, Phil Sategña at Bloomfield and Rich Anderson at Kirtland Central, to discuss this issue and the necessity of a statewide testing policy.
Sategña, Athletic Director at BHS for a total of seven years, has coached track and field for 27 years.
The Daily Times: Do you see steroid use as a growing problem in high schools?
Sategña: Yes I do. In this country, I think the steroid issue is bigger than we think.
TDT: Do you agree with the idea of testing high school athletes?
Sategña: I agree with is as long as it will be administered equally and fairly to everybody.
TDT: How do you approach the subject of steroid use with your own athletes?
Sategña: As a track coach, I talk about it. I discourage it. I know that kids see stuff on TV and some of these kids are so naive, they think it's all positive. They don't see the dark side or the down side.
TDT: While you naturally disagree with the use of steroids, can you understand the reasoning an athlete might have to begin using, such as an expected financial gain?
Sategña: Absolutely. It's a win-at-all-costs attitude. If I don't have a lot and I'm seeing what some of these guys are making, I can see that. I think it comes down to instant gratification.
TDT: How much have high school athletics changed over the years?
Sategña: When I started coaching, you didn't have ESPN and 24-hour sports talk radio. When I first started, I don't think any of my kids would've known what a steroid was, but now there's not one kid who doesn't know what Creatin is.
TDT: Without concrete evidence that he used steroids, should Barry Bonds have an asterisk next to his name if he breaks Hank Aaron's all-time home run mark?
Sategña: In my opinion, yes. I don't put any stock into anything he does. Even with Mark McGwire and going back to breaking Roger Maris' (single-season home run record in 1998), we need to start over and get rid of some of these records.
Anderson just completed his first year as athletic director at KCHS. He has been a prep coach for 15 years.
TDT: Do you see steroid use as a growing problem in high schools?
Anderson: In high school athletics it is a growing issue because kids want to be good and get to the next level. They want to get bigger, faster and stronger.
TDT: Do you agree with the idea of testing high school athletes?
Anderson: Yes, I would like to see mandatory drug testing. If you go out for a sport, you have to live at a higher standard now. It's not to keep kids out. We can give kids a progressive plan and we need testing that will allow student-athletes to be student-athletes. We want to educate them, not slam the door shut on them.
TDT: Is the issue one that is large enough to substantiate the level of funding it would require?
Anderson: Here at our school, it's not. Would it be something we should do? I think it is. But here, we do a good job of watching kids, so it's not widespread. Overall in the state, I think we need something.
TDT: While you naturally disagree with the use of steroids, can you understand the reasoning an athlete might have to begin using, such as an expected financial gain?
Anderson: The reason they might want to start using is to fit in and be somebody. Everyone wants to be the best at what they do and there's nothing wrong with that. But we have to do everything we can to stop them.
TDT: What role do you think professional athletes, especially high profile ones, have played in the growing popularity of steroid use?
Anderson: They have played a big role in a negative way, a very negative way. They haven't come clean about what they did and it says if you don't get caught, then it's okay. That's not the message we want to send to our kids.
