MississippiMan
March 28th, 2006, 01:44 PM
Mar. 28--TALLAHASSEE -- If a Miami-Dade lawmaker gets his wish, all high school athletes -- from the first baseman to the cheerleader to the badminton captain -- could be required to pee in a cup next year.
Forget marijuana, cocaine and painkillers. The target is steroids.
"It's a problem in high schools," said state Rep. Marcelo Llorente, a Miami Republican and a former high school athlete at Belen Jesuit Preparatory School. "It doesn't matter what part of the state you come from."
Llorente, along with state Sen. Durell Peaden Jr., a Crestview Republican, has filed bills to create a three-year, $3 million program to randomly test high school athletes -- male and female -- for anabolic steroids.
Though some argue the screening may infringe on the privacy of student athletes, Miami Central High's star quarterback Travaris Cadet disagrees.
"We should all get tested," said Travaris, 17, a junior and one of Miami-Dade's top football recruits. "Using steroids is cheating and it destroys your body."
Currently, there is no statewide mandatory steroid testing policy. Two Florida counties -- Polk and Marion -- have implemented their own anabolic steroid drug testing programs, which are paid for through grants.
So far, so good, say Polk County school officials.
"It's more for prevention to get them not to use it to begin with," said Audrey Kelley-Fritz, senior manager of prevention, health and wellness for Polk County schools. "We're not trying to catch them."
Since implementing the program in January 2005, no Polk County athlete has tested positive for anabolic steroid use, Kelley-Fritz said. But the district has nabbed student athletes for using recreational drugs, such as marijuana and cocaine. (The statewide tests called for in the bills would not screen for any drugs other than steroids.)
Those found using drugs in Polk County -- regardless of which type of substance -- are required to enroll in a 10-day drug education program, during which time they are not allowed to play their sport.
Repeat offenders are suspended from sports for an entire season.
If caught a third time, student athletes are banned from playing sports for the rest of their high school career.
The district never gets police involved, Kelley-Fritz said.
The penalties would be similar under the proposed legislation: Essentially, athletes who tested positive would be suspended from play until they tested negative. But three positive tests in a row would result in a permanent suspension.
If the bills become law, the tests would be administered by the Florida High School Athletic Association, which is the governing body for school sports. The association, which oversees athletic programs in 636 public, private and parochial high schools statewide, supports the proposal.
"Testing has become more widely accepted," said John A. Stewart, FHSAA commissioner. "It will be viewed statewide as something students are going to have to do if they want to participate in athletics."
The House version of the bill will go before the first of four committees today before it can be voted on by the entire chamber. Its Senate counterpart must pass through five committees and then the full body.
Both Llorente and Peaden are optimistic the measure will be supported by their colleagues, although Llorente pushed similar legislation during the past two sessions without success.
"It's a good public policy issue," Peaden said. "Nobody's objected."
Proponents of the measure say it will likely deter high school athletes from experimenting with the drugs, which are used to build muscles and speed, but can cause long-term health risks.
"We need to find a way to stop them," said Eric Molina, the head athletic trainer at Coral Gables High. "This might be a way to do it."
But some athletic directors say there isn't enough of a problem to warrant across-the-board testing.
"As a former Broward County athlete and a longtime coach, I've never seen [steroids] used in high school," said Larry Brown, athletic director at Charles W. Flanagan High in Pembroke Pines. "I'm not saying it's not there, I just don't think it's happening to the point where we need to be testing every kid who plays sports."
Forget marijuana, cocaine and painkillers. The target is steroids.
"It's a problem in high schools," said state Rep. Marcelo Llorente, a Miami Republican and a former high school athlete at Belen Jesuit Preparatory School. "It doesn't matter what part of the state you come from."
Llorente, along with state Sen. Durell Peaden Jr., a Crestview Republican, has filed bills to create a three-year, $3 million program to randomly test high school athletes -- male and female -- for anabolic steroids.
Though some argue the screening may infringe on the privacy of student athletes, Miami Central High's star quarterback Travaris Cadet disagrees.
"We should all get tested," said Travaris, 17, a junior and one of Miami-Dade's top football recruits. "Using steroids is cheating and it destroys your body."
Currently, there is no statewide mandatory steroid testing policy. Two Florida counties -- Polk and Marion -- have implemented their own anabolic steroid drug testing programs, which are paid for through grants.
So far, so good, say Polk County school officials.
"It's more for prevention to get them not to use it to begin with," said Audrey Kelley-Fritz, senior manager of prevention, health and wellness for Polk County schools. "We're not trying to catch them."
Since implementing the program in January 2005, no Polk County athlete has tested positive for anabolic steroid use, Kelley-Fritz said. But the district has nabbed student athletes for using recreational drugs, such as marijuana and cocaine. (The statewide tests called for in the bills would not screen for any drugs other than steroids.)
Those found using drugs in Polk County -- regardless of which type of substance -- are required to enroll in a 10-day drug education program, during which time they are not allowed to play their sport.
Repeat offenders are suspended from sports for an entire season.
If caught a third time, student athletes are banned from playing sports for the rest of their high school career.
The district never gets police involved, Kelley-Fritz said.
The penalties would be similar under the proposed legislation: Essentially, athletes who tested positive would be suspended from play until they tested negative. But three positive tests in a row would result in a permanent suspension.
If the bills become law, the tests would be administered by the Florida High School Athletic Association, which is the governing body for school sports. The association, which oversees athletic programs in 636 public, private and parochial high schools statewide, supports the proposal.
"Testing has become more widely accepted," said John A. Stewart, FHSAA commissioner. "It will be viewed statewide as something students are going to have to do if they want to participate in athletics."
The House version of the bill will go before the first of four committees today before it can be voted on by the entire chamber. Its Senate counterpart must pass through five committees and then the full body.
Both Llorente and Peaden are optimistic the measure will be supported by their colleagues, although Llorente pushed similar legislation during the past two sessions without success.
"It's a good public policy issue," Peaden said. "Nobody's objected."
Proponents of the measure say it will likely deter high school athletes from experimenting with the drugs, which are used to build muscles and speed, but can cause long-term health risks.
"We need to find a way to stop them," said Eric Molina, the head athletic trainer at Coral Gables High. "This might be a way to do it."
But some athletic directors say there isn't enough of a problem to warrant across-the-board testing.
"As a former Broward County athlete and a longtime coach, I've never seen [steroids] used in high school," said Larry Brown, athletic director at Charles W. Flanagan High in Pembroke Pines. "I'm not saying it's not there, I just don't think it's happening to the point where we need to be testing every kid who plays sports."