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sgunter@wmbb.com

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Special Report: Steroid Abuse

High school athletics, a time of teamwork, camaraderie, growing and an increased level of competition, with competition comes a will to win, and for some athletes at any cost.

Players are willing to give their bodies any substance as long as it will increase their productivity on the playing field.

Enter high school anabolic steroid testing programs.

This previous school year, the Florida High School Athletic Association tested one percent of student athletes in the entire state in six sports; football, girls flag football, baseball, softball, and girls and boys weightlifting.

After approximately 600 random testings, only one positive reading came back.

Heading into the 08-09 school year, this program will no longer be funded due to budget crunches, so looking back on this program which cost 100-thousand dollars to fund, was it worth it?

“Yeah, I think it was worth it. Any time you can get people to deter people from doing things that are illegal or trying to take advantage of a sport, I think that’s very worthwhile,” said Bay High School Athletic Director Glenn Manley.

“What I think you have to look at, is look at the 600 that were tested, and now we are reassured that there is not a problem as a whole scale perhaps as the general public may think in terms of this,” said Bay District Schools Superintendent James McCalister.

With only one positive test coming back from approximately 600 testings, what kind of impact does it create of that what kid being found?

“What I can tell you is that it was a success in us identifying one student, in now that we can provide help to that student if we had not done that, and there is no price tag that you can put on a human’s life when you come to a program such as this, but overall, if we save one life, I think the program was worth it,” said McCalister.

“I think it is good, and unfortunately one is bad. I think to find one in that many tests shows that it is probably working as a deterrent. Any time you can keep those kids from hurting themselves, that’s a great thing,” said Manley.

With the budget crunch we are in today, the reason for this program being discontinued was strictly due to lack of funding.

If in the near future funding once again becomes available for this or any statewide steroid testing policy, should it be put back into effect?

“I really think they should go ahead and get all sports in. They left wrestling off of there, and to me, that should have been on there, in my opinion. I think they should go ahead and try to get more,” said Manley.

“I think that if the funding is restored, then I think we need to restore the policy, and again, I would add, that I would like to see the sampling population, greater than the one percent,” stated McCalister.

The FHSAA doesn’t know if or when the program will be funded again, but the association feels that this past year’s program was a success because they can now help the one student who registered the positive reading.

No athlete from this area was selected for the random testing, but some counties do have a drug testing policy, Jackson County being one of those where students involved in any extracurricular activity may be subject to testing.

WARNING SIGNS AND HEALTH THREATS OF ANABOLIC STEROIDS

“The easiest signs you can look for if your child is taking anabolic steroids are: one, rapid growth, increase in muscle mass, increase in size rapidly, that you don’t think is appropriate. Another classic is acne, severe acne mostly on the face and neck and in particular if you see it on the upper back, that wasn’t previously there is a big warning sign that they are taking anabolic steroids,” said Southern Orthopedic Specialists doctor Michael Noble.

Anabolic steroids tend to have nasty side effects that friends and loved ones can take notice of.

Some of the signs are not as easily noticed.

“If they become more secretive, if they become real aggressive and become lethargic. If they go into their room more, or take longer showers and bathes, because that’s the time where people shoot up,” said Bay High School Athletic Director Glenn Manley.

“There are the obvious signs. There is roid-rage where there is an over aggressive reaction to something very simple. Then there are more subtle signs where you have internal damage to the reproductive organs,” said Bay High School Athletic Trainer Mark Johnston.

The most alarming component about steroid use could very well be the health threats the drugs bring.

“Long term usage of anabolic steroids have been associated with a multitude of medical disorders, including, hypergonadism, where your own testes won’t make testosterone, to certain forms of cancer, including testicular cancer and certain forms of lymphoma have been linked to chronic use of anabolic steroid use. Early cardiovascular disease, early heart attacks and sudden death of cardiac death is associated with this,” said Dr. Noble.

Living in a society that tends to think increased muscle mass for appearance is the way to go, or that anabolic substances help with the winning edge can often cloud the actual results from using the drugs.

“Liver damage, brain damage, more increased risk of stroke, blindness. Definitely the physical aspects of muscle rupture. Bone damage, because the individual that is taking them is still in the active growing phase, and they are producing such tensile strength, that it is actually tearing the bone loose. So, they’re not good. They use them to get ahead in the game and then it ends up that they are actually hurting their game,” said Johnston.

According to the Center for Drug Free Sport website, anabolic steroid use by males and females may lead to health conditions that can be mild in effect all the way to life threatening.

Some of the reported side effects listed by the Center for Drug Free Sport include:

-Cancer of the liver, prostate and kidney

-High blood pressure

-Enlarged prostate

-Liver damage

-Aggressive behavior

-Post use depression

-Aching joints

-Nosebleeds

Student athletes looking to get an edge might need to read between the lines and consider the long term health hazards.

“I think that hard work will produce the same result that a steroid would. You can’t put a price tag on what they will do to you, especially as a young adult,” said Johnston.

“Just say no, that’s it. There are other ways to gain an edge in athletics. You need to gain an edge by hitting the weight room, listening to your coaches, working out and learning the fundamentals of the sport. That is the best way to be a better athlete. Dedicate to the time, and not dedicate it to a needle,” said Dr. Noble.

Want more Information on Steroids and other Substances? Check out these sites.

http://www.drugfreesport.com/index.asp

http://www.hanleycenter.org/

http://www.drugabuse.gov/

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