No call yet for steroid testing, By: Tom Chard
May 6, 2007
Texas, one of the nation's most competitive high school sports arenas, may soon become the first state to support random testing of high school athletes for steroids, raising the question of how many states will follow its lead.
While trainers, coaches and even the athletes in Maine don't see a problem with steroid use among high school athletes in the state, they realize that doesn't mean there couldn't be testing down the road.
"I don't see steroids as a problem in Maine," said Mark Hackett, the football coach at Bangor High School. "But if one child is doing it, it's a problem. Anything that would stop kids from doing what they're not supposed to be doing is good."
The majority of athletes strive to be the best they can. Nationally, most athletes get stronger through weight training, dieting and staying active, but there are a few who take the illegal route by using steroids. Anabolic steroids are synthetic substances taken orally or injected that enhance muscle development. The pressure to win and gain an athletic scholarship can be the driving force in taking steroids as athletes look for quick fixes.
Monitoring the Future, a University of Michigan survey, revealed that 2.7 percent of high school seniors had used steroids last year. Some experts estimate that at least 750,000 youngsters in the United States will use the drugs by the time they graduate from high school.
Texas thought it enough of a problem to institute testing. H.G. Bissinger's book "Friday Night Lights," later turned into a movie, tells the story of a high school in Texas and the unrealistic expectations of a community for their team to win the state title. Football is king in the state. Its high school football programs are college-like in their size and intensity.
In Florida, athletes in football, baseball and weightlifting would be subject to random testing for anabolic steroids under a one-year pilot program passed Friday by the Legislature.
One percent of high school students who compete during the 2007-2008 year would be tested under the legislation, which would become effective July 1 if Gov. Charlie Crist signs it.
Maine is at the other end of the spectrum. The goal is to win here too, but not at the level of Texas or other big football states.
Sports administrators in Maine feel they do a good job teaching athletes the proper way to do things. Football coaches believe the more interaction they have with players, the less likelihood there is for them to be led down the wrong path. It's when they start training elsewhere that problems could arise, they say.
"Is steroids a problem in Maine?" said John Ryan, Bangor High's trainer. "I would say no, but I'm not naive enough to think that some kids aren't using them. I don't think athletes are using them. I think we do a pretty job in keeping kids grounded and expectations in line.
"If steroids are being used, I think it would be more of a situation of a non-athlete who is into bodybuilding and powerlifting. I see athletes at Bangor on a daily basis and I would know if someone was using steroids. There would be physical signs and changes in behavior."
Ryan said the cost of testing for steroids could make it prohibitive.
"I don't think Maine, in its financial situation, could do it. And I don't think all school boards would get on board with the plan. There's more of a concern with the use of alcohol and recreational drugs than steroids," he said.
Audrey McKenzie, the trainer at Portland High, believes there are high school athletes in Maine using steroids. She said they're looking for a shortcut rather then spending the time working out and eating properly.
"It's probably not widespread," said McKenzie. "You hear talk about someone who might be using. Athletes are constantly asking about supplements. There's so much out there. We talk about the negative side effects of steroids. They're illegal and they can kill you."
If steroid testing for high school athletes in Maine does come, Portland High All-State quarterback Chris Treister said it would probably be the result of what happens around the country.
"I think it depends on what happens in Texas," he said, "If they have some players that test positive, I think testing could spread around the country."
Treister said he occasionally hears rumors an athlete is on steroids. Nothing is ever substantiated, he said.
"A bunch of kids will talk and say someone is on steroids. No one really knows. Nothing is more unfair than playing against someone who is on them," said Treister, who will head to Maine this fall on a football scholarship. Once in college, Treister will be subjected to random drug testing by the NCAA.
More likely than not, testing at the high school level here is years away.
"I don't see it happening in the near future," said McKenzie. "Maine is a follower, not a leader."
