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Cumberland Valley has never had any athletes test positive for steroids — but that doesn’t mean the school district isn’t keeping an eye on performance-enhancing drugs.
Since 2005, the district has engaged in random drug-testing, which, up until the start of the current school year, meant that out of 10 random students selected each week for testing, three were also marked for steroid testing.
Now, because there have been no positive steroid tests, officials have asked the provider, Holy Spirit Hospital, to randomly select four or five testing weeks out of the year to include steroids.
“If we find we are having a problem with steroids, we can say to test for steroids every week of testing,” said Assistant Superintendent Mary Riley. “However, I would say, because of the lack of positive test results for steroids, it does not appear that Cumberland Valley is having a problem with these among our student-athletes.”
Neither is Boiling Springs High School.
“I don’t think it’s an issue in our school district,” said Athletic Director Scott Govern. “I don’t think there is a need at this point. We’re a smaller school. I don’t think we have a problem.”
Boiling Springs, which is in the South Middleton School District, has about 780 students and doesn’t test for steroids — primarily because of the expense, Govern said.
However, like Cumberland Valley, the school does test students for other substances such as marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, barbiturates and opiates.
Cumberland Valley High School has 2,505 students this year. Out of those, more than 1,000 are student-athletes, Riley said, pointing out that many are multi-sport athletes.
Also, 1,325 students there drive to school and they are tested as well. Students who drive to school but do not participate in anything can still be randomly selected for testing.
High costs
At one time, testing high school athletes for steroids was seen as the best way to fight performance-enhancing drug use among the young. Now, those efforts are losing steam because of high costs and few positive results.
New Jersey, Florida, Texas and Illinois have tried steroid testing since 2006, and an examination of the results by The Associated Press shows that only 20 tests out of 30,799 have come back positive.
Testing advocates argue that results from the four states show the program works as a deterrent. Critics say they show the flaws in how the tests were conducted. Either way, it’s becoming harder amid a recession to justify spending up to $200 each on tests that rarely catch cheaters.
Missouri state Sen. Matt Bartle tried to push his colleagues to adopt a statewide high school steroid testing program because he was concerned that young athletes were emulating the bad habits of some professionals.
But when Florida dropped its program in 2008 after a costly one-year trial in which there was only one positive out of 600 students tested, Bartle decided a similar effort wouldn’t be cost-effective in Missouri, and he didn’t submit a proposal this year.
“Is there enough steroid use out there that spending a couple million bucks a year against everything else that the state needs to spend money on is worth it?” Bartle asked.
The state programs grew out of health concerns and doping scandals in baseball, cycling and track and field. In February, New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez became the latest name tied to performance-enhancing drugs, admitting he used them while with the Texas Rangers from 2001-03.
All four states chose athletes at random.
In New Jersey and Illinois, only those on teams in state tournaments were subject to the testing, while all athletes in Texas were, although no tests were given in the summer after the academic and athletic year is over.
In Florida, all participants in six sports — baseball, football, softball, girls’ flag football and boys’ and girls’ weightlifting — were eligible.
Critics in Texas say the program has failed to get enough positive results to justify the cost — $6 million to test up to 50,000 students for two years.
State Sen. Dan Patrick of Houston said in 2008 that the program should be abolished, calling it “a colossal waste of taxpayer money.” He was unsuccessful, although testing advocates concede the program is likely to be scaled back for the upcoming school year.
Steroid deterrent
Linn Goldberg, a professor at the Oregon Health and Science University, said New Jersey’s program — which is similar to Illinois’ — doesn’t work, because students know they’ll only be tested during the playoffs.
That means they can use steroids with no chance of being caught for most of the year, he said.
Frank Uryasz, president of Drug Free Sport of Kansas City, which conducts testing for all the states with mandatory tests, as well as for the NCAA, said surveys on steroid use by college athletes show that testing is a deterrent.
He acknowledges there are built-in problems in testing high school students.
“How likely is it we’re going to test a high school athlete in July?” he asked. “Zero. It’s not going to happen.”
Goldberg, who developed a steroids education program that was implemented in schools with funding from the NFL, said testing is not “a quick fix.” He added: “There has to be peer pressure to do the right thing.”
Zach Greenwald, a star on the powerhouse football and wrestling teams at New Jersey’s Paulsboro High, said peer pressure works.
He said he’s not aware of anyone at his school using steroids and he isn’t tempted because he knows about their health effects.
Still, the 17-year-old junior said not everyone his age has the same perspective, which is why he doesn’t mind that he was tested last fall.
“It cuts back on teams cheating,” he said.
The Sentinel Online : Archives : News : Local : Steroid testing in high schools — is it worth it?
Since 2005, the district has engaged in random drug-testing, which, up until the start of the current school year, meant that out of 10 random students selected each week for testing, three were also marked for steroid testing.
Now, because there have been no positive steroid tests, officials have asked the provider, Holy Spirit Hospital, to randomly select four or five testing weeks out of the year to include steroids.
“If we find we are having a problem with steroids, we can say to test for steroids every week of testing,” said Assistant Superintendent Mary Riley. “However, I would say, because of the lack of positive test results for steroids, it does not appear that Cumberland Valley is having a problem with these among our student-athletes.”
Neither is Boiling Springs High School.
“I don’t think it’s an issue in our school district,” said Athletic Director Scott Govern. “I don’t think there is a need at this point. We’re a smaller school. I don’t think we have a problem.”
Boiling Springs, which is in the South Middleton School District, has about 780 students and doesn’t test for steroids — primarily because of the expense, Govern said.
However, like Cumberland Valley, the school does test students for other substances such as marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, barbiturates and opiates.
Cumberland Valley High School has 2,505 students this year. Out of those, more than 1,000 are student-athletes, Riley said, pointing out that many are multi-sport athletes.
Also, 1,325 students there drive to school and they are tested as well. Students who drive to school but do not participate in anything can still be randomly selected for testing.
High costs
At one time, testing high school athletes for steroids was seen as the best way to fight performance-enhancing drug use among the young. Now, those efforts are losing steam because of high costs and few positive results.
New Jersey, Florida, Texas and Illinois have tried steroid testing since 2006, and an examination of the results by The Associated Press shows that only 20 tests out of 30,799 have come back positive.
Testing advocates argue that results from the four states show the program works as a deterrent. Critics say they show the flaws in how the tests were conducted. Either way, it’s becoming harder amid a recession to justify spending up to $200 each on tests that rarely catch cheaters.
Missouri state Sen. Matt Bartle tried to push his colleagues to adopt a statewide high school steroid testing program because he was concerned that young athletes were emulating the bad habits of some professionals.
But when Florida dropped its program in 2008 after a costly one-year trial in which there was only one positive out of 600 students tested, Bartle decided a similar effort wouldn’t be cost-effective in Missouri, and he didn’t submit a proposal this year.
“Is there enough steroid use out there that spending a couple million bucks a year against everything else that the state needs to spend money on is worth it?” Bartle asked.
The state programs grew out of health concerns and doping scandals in baseball, cycling and track and field. In February, New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez became the latest name tied to performance-enhancing drugs, admitting he used them while with the Texas Rangers from 2001-03.
All four states chose athletes at random.
In New Jersey and Illinois, only those on teams in state tournaments were subject to the testing, while all athletes in Texas were, although no tests were given in the summer after the academic and athletic year is over.
In Florida, all participants in six sports — baseball, football, softball, girls’ flag football and boys’ and girls’ weightlifting — were eligible.
Critics in Texas say the program has failed to get enough positive results to justify the cost — $6 million to test up to 50,000 students for two years.
State Sen. Dan Patrick of Houston said in 2008 that the program should be abolished, calling it “a colossal waste of taxpayer money.” He was unsuccessful, although testing advocates concede the program is likely to be scaled back for the upcoming school year.
Steroid deterrent
Linn Goldberg, a professor at the Oregon Health and Science University, said New Jersey’s program — which is similar to Illinois’ — doesn’t work, because students know they’ll only be tested during the playoffs.
That means they can use steroids with no chance of being caught for most of the year, he said.
Frank Uryasz, president of Drug Free Sport of Kansas City, which conducts testing for all the states with mandatory tests, as well as for the NCAA, said surveys on steroid use by college athletes show that testing is a deterrent.
He acknowledges there are built-in problems in testing high school students.
“How likely is it we’re going to test a high school athlete in July?” he asked. “Zero. It’s not going to happen.”
Goldberg, who developed a steroids education program that was implemented in schools with funding from the NFL, said testing is not “a quick fix.” He added: “There has to be peer pressure to do the right thing.”
Zach Greenwald, a star on the powerhouse football and wrestling teams at New Jersey’s Paulsboro High, said peer pressure works.
He said he’s not aware of anyone at his school using steroids and he isn’t tempted because he knows about their health effects.
Still, the 17-year-old junior said not everyone his age has the same perspective, which is why he doesn’t mind that he was tested last fall.
“It cuts back on teams cheating,” he said.
The Sentinel Online : Archives : News : Local : Steroid testing in high schools — is it worth it?
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