Senate Panel Urged To Pass Texas Steroid Testing Bill
March 23, 2007
AUSTIN, Texas -- As a competitive bodybuilder, Kevin Collier was in his 20s when he took a cocktail of steroids to make him bigger, stronger and more muscular.
Today at 37, his body can no longer produce enough testosterone on its own, so he must get doctor-approved injections about twice a month. And he fears he will develop liver and heart problems as he gets older.
"I'm on hormone replacement therapy for the rest of my life," Collier said.
A fitness consultant who lives in Austin, Collier was among several witnesses to testify Thursday in support of a Senate bill to create mandatory random steroid testing of Texas high school athletes.
The bill aims to test tens of thousands students per year, potentially making it the largest high school steroid testing program in the country.
"There's constant pressure on these kids," Collier told the Senate Education Committee. "Many athletes fall victim to these drugs."
The bill before the Senate would require Texas public school students to agree to the random testing program in order to be eligible to play sports. Positive tests could result in suspension from competition.
The bill is sponsored by Sen. Kyle Janek, R-Houston, and is one of the top priorities for Republican Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst. The state would pay for testing, about $4 million per year, removing a key objection from school districts that scuttled testing proposals in previous years.
Lawmakers envision testing 22,000 or more students per year. New Jersey already has a state testing program, but it is limited to athletes and teams who advance to the postseason.
The Texas program also would require middle school and high school coaches to complete a training program on the dangers of steroid use, which can include dramatic mood swings, heart disease and cancer.
Texas had about 733,000 students participate in 1,300 public school sports during the 2005-06 school year, more than any other state.
About 130 Texas schools already test for steroids. A 2-year-old program in the Boerne Independent School District has not produced any positive tests, Superintendent John Kelly said. The testing is a deterrent because students fear they could be sidelined, Kelly said.
"It's not so much a gotcha game; it's designed to show kids they should avoid this type of behavior," Kelly said. "The kids say 'I don't want to miss out on Friday Night Lights."'
Janek said one of the main points of the bill is to find out how many athletes are using steroids.
A state study among 141,000 Texas students in grades 7-12 conducted by Texas A&M University found that steroid use fell from 2 percent in 2004 to 1.5 percent in 2006. Among 12th graders, it went down from 2.4 percent to 1.8 percent.
Don Hooton, who became an activist against steroid use in high schools after his son Taylor committed suicide, said testing is the only way to gauge use. Anecdotal evidence suggests many more students are taking the drugs than studies show, he said.
Hooton said his son was a 6-foot-3, 175-pound pitcher who was told by a coach to "get bigger" if he wanted to play varsity. Taylor took steroids and ultimately killed himself when he became depressed after he stopped using them, Hooton said.
Hooton said the drugs, illegal without a doctor's prescription, are easy to get on the Internet or black market. His son got them from a contact at the local YMCA.
"There are many forces that push these kids, including peer pressure," Hooton said.
Collier said steroid abuse can lead to other health issues, such as diseases and infections passed by sharing injection needles.
Collier started taking steroids as a training aid when he was in the Army and escalated the abuse dramatically once he entered competitive body building. He said he took a massive amount of steroids for about five years.
Although he's still 6-1 and a solid 255 pounds, he said the drugs took a toll on his body. Things didn't get worse because he wasn't willing to take even more drugs to compete as a professional bodybuilder.
"I tell kids 'no,"' to steroids, he said. "I'm a huge proponent of testing and education."
The Senate panel could vote on the bill early next week. A similar bill is pending in the House
The steroid testing bills are SB8 and HB346.
