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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 steroidsAnabolic (muscle-building) steroids are available with a prescription. The drugs mimic the effects of testosterone and are used to help patients with certain diseases add muscle mass.
Some athletes and bodybuilders use them illegally. The drugs help them to train harder and build muscle faster.
Side effects can include heart disease, liver disease, cancer and shrunken testicles. Steroids also can cause cosmetic problems such as acne, hair loss and stunted growth.
Steroids are banned by all four major professional sports, the NCAA and the International Olympic Committee.
According to a 2004 survey for the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 3.4 percent of high school seniors and 2.4 percent of sophomores nationwide have taken steroids.
Earlier this season, Free Lance-Star reporters went to practices of eight area football teams and distributed an anonymous, 10-question survey on the issue.
Of the 259 players who responded, three admitted taking steroids. Eighty-three said they know another high school student who has, and 13 said they would take steroids if they knew how to get them.
One hundred thirty-seven said they have taken some kind of dietary supplement to build muscle.
Area coaches maintain that steroid use is not an issue locally. They say the get-big-at-all-costs stereotypes about high school football just don't ring true here.
"If a kid came to me and said he was taking steroids," Liberty coach Tom Buzzo said, "I'd be floored."
Putting a policy in placeState legislator Robert Marshall turned on his television and saw pro football players with necks thicker than tree trunks and forearms that looked more like thighs. He couldn't believe it.
Worse, he worried what high school athletes must think. The Prince William County delegate was afraid the spectacle of massive players performing in front of a massive crowd for a massive paycheck might tempt teenagers to try steroids.
Last January, Marshall proposed a state law demanding that the Virginia High School League create a steroid policy. His legislation called for an athlete to be suspended from competition for two years if a school determined he or she used steroids during or immediately prior to the season.
Marshall thought his proposal would hit a snag in a Senate subcommittee. Then VHSL President Ken Tilley was called before the panel and asked what the league had done to combat steroid use.
"He said they had no policy," Marshall said. "That was like dropping a fragmentation grenade. I think the assumption was that it was being taken care of, but the reality was it wasn't even being looked at."
The proposal passed unanimously in the Senate and received just two dissenting votes in the House of Delegates. Gov. Mark Warner signed it into law in March, making Virginia the 10th state to enact legislation aimed at teen steroid use.
Still, several months went by and the league entered its fall season without a policy. On Sept. 21, six months after the law was signed, the VHSL adopted its first anti-steroid policy.
It met the law's requirements, laying out a two-year suspension for steroid use. But the new guideline will not go into effect until the 2006-07 school year.
Dr. Vito Perriello, chairman of the VHSL's sports medicine committee, said the league wanted to educate schools about the new policy before putting it into effect. An informational DVD about the dangers of steroid use was sent to area high schools late last month.
But Marshall said the policy is clear and could have been implemented immediately.
"I would rather it start sooner instead of later," Marshall said. "I'd rather it start now."
Lingering concernsThere are gray areas and issues not addressed by the new policy.
Whereas the NCAA has a detailed, itemized list of anabolic agents and hormones that are outlawed in college athletics, the VHSL policy simply refers to "steroids." Substances such as human growth hormone (HGH) that have steroid-like effects are not mentioned.
"To me, it's blatantly clear [what is considered a steroid]," said Perriello, chairman of the sports medicine committee. "I guess it's my responsibility to make sure it's clear to everyone else."
Also, unlike the NCAA, the VHSL has no restrictions on legal dietary supplements.
Perriello says that while supplements are "on [the VHSL's] radar screen," it would be difficult to forbid an athlete from using a product that's available over the counter.
"If Mr. Marshall wants to pass another law saying you can't use supplements, that's his ball game, not ours," Perriello said.
Area coaches and athletic directors are concerned about their ability to enforce the new steroid rule.
Since no area school has a drug-testing policy, an athlete would either have to be caught possessing steroids or a school employee would have to notice signs of steroid use and then investigate.
According to state law, coaches who fail to report steroid use to their school system's superintendent will have their teaching licenses revoked. Marshall acknowledges that this puts pressure on coaches, but says they are in the best position to see players make abnormal increases in size.
Mountain View Athletic Director Chris Courtney says there's a big difference between suspecting steroid use and having the facts to prove it.
"I think it's our responsibility to educate the athletes," he said. "We're not in the accusatory side of this."
Area school systems address steroid possession in their codes of conduct. A student caught with steroids could face expulsion. But these policies often involve possession only and do not have specific repercussions for athletes.
Some districts, such as Stafford County, have extracurricular policies that go a step further. If the district determines an athlete is involved in any kind of drug use, on or off school grounds, he or she could be suspended from playing the sport.
A lack of educationAll ninth- and 10th-graders in Virginia must take a health and wellness class to meet graduation requirements.
The curriculum guidelines are written by the state Department of Education and are the same for every school. They include suggested lessons on friendship, self-esteem and the risks of joining a gang.
There are no lessons based solely on steroids. The topic is merely touched on in units that discuss all drugs. There are no lessons geared toward muscle-building supplements.
"They'll lecture you on sexual content and all that, but I think that should be more for parents," Massaponax senior running back Byron Allen said. "Supplements are something the schools should teach us about."
According to Vanessa Wigand, the Department of Education's health and physical education specialist, the curriculum changes with the times.
"I think if we found out [muscle-building supplements] were harmful, we'd be very concerned," Wigand said. "But I think a lot of this stuff is innocuous. If there's a need for prevention education, we're flexible enough to adjust to address those things that need to be addressed."
Wigand added that teachers can decide how long they spend discussing various subjects, such as steroids. But she acknowledged that teachers are often in a time crunch, and might not be able to fully address some issues. Students receive 70 hours of health education per year in both ninth and 10th grades.
Some area schools have more detailed discussions about steroids and supplements in elective classes.
Eric Ludden, chair of the health and physical education department at Massaponax, talks to his students about supplements in a course on recreation and wellness.
Courtney says supplements are discussed in a sports medicine class at Mountain View that's taken by about 40 students a year.
Still, only a small percentage of students are registered for such electives.
"Ninth- and 10th-graders probably aren't getting enough information about this from their health classes," Courtney said. "That's probably something the state Education Department should look into."
Since information is not coming from the classroom, many students try to figure things out on their own. According to the Free Lance-Star survey, the Internet is the source most used by players seeking information about steroids and supplements.
A recent Web search using the terms "steroids" and "for sale" returned 1.33 million results. Pages and pages of links showed ways to purchase steroids online.
"People can say steroids are illegal so kids aren't going to get them, but that's not the case," said Jerry Diehl, assistant director of the National Federation of State High School Associations. "[Web sites] will tell you how to order it so it comes home and your parents have no idea what you have."
Coaches on the spotA few years ago, Washington & Lee High coach Malcolm Lewis was in his office eating a high-protein nutrition bar when a student walked in.
The student asked if the bar included steroids. Lewis said it didn't, and handed the boy a small piece. The student ate it and left the room.
A few days later, Lewis received a call from workers at an area hospital. They told him the student had schizophrenia, a disease characterized by a struggle to perceive reality. The boy had told the hospital workers Lewis had given him some kind of muscle bar.
Lewis had to explain the misunderstanding to the school superintendent, who told him to never distribute any such product to a student again.
"I learned real quickly that I can't even suggest a Snickers bar to one of my kids," Lewis said. "Down here at W&L, all we push is cans of tuna."
According to existing VHSL policy, coaches and school officials are not allowed to authorize or encourage use of any drug, medication or food supplement. But the policy does not ban athletes from consuming those products.
Coaches say that creates a quandary. They don't want to speak to players about supplements because the athletes may misinterpret their advice.
"It's kind of tough sometimes, because kids ask us what they should take, and I feel like I can't say anything," Spotsylvania coach Myron Matthias said. "I don't want to be caught in a situation where if something is to occur, I'd be responsible."
"I don't say much," said James Monroe coach Rich Serbay. "I stay away from talking about that. I just tell the kids to have a healthy diet and stay away from junk food and other stuff that's out there."
Courtland coach J.C. Hall and Riverbend coach Drew Seaman said they tell their players to avoid all supplements. But they say that without a detailed policy dictating what players can and can't take, they're in no position to police.
With the steroid policy going into effect in July, Mountain View's Courtney said coaches must get around those fears.
"It's our responsibility to educate the student-athletes and educate the parents," he said. "There might be stuff going on that we don't know about, but we need to find out about it."
ON THE NET: The NCAA list of banned substances can be found
To reach ADAM HIMMELSBACH:
Email: ahimmelsbach@freelancestar.com
