Review officer named for school steroid tests, By: Gregory Schutta

10/5/06

ROBBINSVILLE -- The NJSIAA completed the setup of its steroid testing program Wednesday by appointing Dr. Craig Kimmel as medical review officer.

Kimmel, director of Primary Care Sports Medicine for the Lourdes Health System in Camden and Burlington counties, will review any positive result under the NJSIAA's steroid testing policy to determine whether there was a legitimate medical reason for the athlete to take the banned substance.

All test results will be kept confidential, even from the NJSIAA, unless the review officer determines there was no legitimate medical reason for the athlete to be taking the banned substance.

Kimmel has been involved with the NJSIAA since 1995 when he chaired the association's task force on steroid abuse. He also sat on the governor's Medical Advisory Board under former Gov. Christine Todd Whitman and was chairman of the Medical Subcommittee and Steroids Task Force under former acting Gov. Richard Codey.

In other news, the association announced that 243,260 athletes were involved in interscholastic sports in New Jersey in the past school year, ranking eighth in the nation in athletic participation.

The girls field hockey group finals have been moved from the College of New Jersey to Toms River East because CNJ is under consideration as a site for the NCAA Division III field hockey tournament the same weekend (Nov. 19).

Hydration testing for wrestlers will take place Saturday, Dec. 9 or Sunday, Dec. 10 at the 32 district tournament sites. Last year, the hydration testing took place at the four region tournament sites.