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State's false start? Educators slow to act, provide guidance on steroids Story by Adam HimmelsbachnIllustration by Reza Marvashti
Virginia High School Athletic League adopts anti-steroid policy, but it fails to address key issues
Date published: 11/27/2005
By ADAM HIMMELSBACH
RELATED: Supplements popular among area prep athletes
The boys have dreams tucked in their biceps.
They want their football teams to win. They want girls to gush when they score touchdowns. They want to be noticed by coaches at Notre Dame or USC or wherever.
So they lift weights. Sometimes, though, that's not enough. Sometimes the boys try other things.
Maybe they search the Internet for steroids.
Maybe they go to a nutrition store and buy a fancy package that offers Popeye muscles.
Maybe they haven't tried any of this, but just want to know why they should keep their kidneys and hearts and testicles away from it all.
A Free Lance-Star survey has found that many area football players admit to using muscle-building supplements, and some say they've used steroids.
Meanwhile, the Virginia High School League, the state Department of Education and area high schools have been slow to address the issue of steroid and supplement use among athletes.
The VHSL, which regulates interscholastic athletics in Virginia, had no steroid policy until after a state law was passed in March demanding one be created. Even then, six months passed before the league formulated guidelines, meaning there is no policy in effect this school year.
The Virginia Department of Education's health-class curriculum guidelines provide only cursory information on steroids and do not address muscle-building supplements. Many students say they don't learn about performance-enhancing substances in the classroom, so they go online to educate themselves.
Area football coaches are hesitant to talk to their players about supplements. Some admit they avoid the issue because they don't know enough about it. They worry they could say something wrong or something that could get them in trouble with the school.
As a result, many area football players who commit to college teams are uninformed. The NCAA has a comprehensive list of banned substances. But none of the 10 high school football coaches interviewed for this story was familiar with it, and none had distributed a copy to his players.
"We don't need to be experts," Brooke Point football coach Jeff Berry said, "but we have to know more than we do."
A survey on steroids
Date published: 11/27/2005
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