Steroid Use and the VHSL

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-Leslie Lambert and Emily Caldwell, Rural Retreat High School

Mark McGwire, a well-known baseball player finally revealed in 2010 that he used steroids while playing in MLB. He is currently 6th on the list of homeruns hit by a player in the Major Leagues. Barry Bonds currently holds the record of 762 homeruns hit in his career. Bonds has also been accused of taking steroids while playing baseball. However, Hank Aaron is second on the record list, having hit 755 homeruns, and he did not take steroids. Since steroid use became a big issue in professional sports, it has been a topic of great concern in high school sports as well.
Graham High School proposed a bill this year at MGA concerning drug testing for high school athletes. Their bill wanted to make urine tests for high school athletes mandatory during the regular season of whatever sport, or sports, the athlete plays. Either the drug tests would be at random or planned, and be performed by the same doctors who are authorized to do physicals. If a person is found positive for the use of steroids he will be suspended in full for two weeks.
Some argued that random drug tests would be better than having a planned test, however, the bill patron pointed out that smaller school districts would possibly have a tough time getting doctors to come in and run the tests. Another issue of great debate was the idea of who would be paying for the tests. Each original test will be paid for by the Virginia State Lottery since it is tied in with Virginia’s Department of Education. However the athlete will have to pay for the second drug test that must be taken in order for him/her to be able to return to playing sports.
Statistics show that the use of anabolic steroids can lead to heart failure and possibly even cancer. Ryan Hall, from Covington High School, said this about high school athletes being tested for drugs, “Yes, because if you take steroids while in high school it cheats someone out of going to college. It is like cheating on tests during high school and having a high GPA, when you didn’t actually do the work to earn those good grades.” This was a common opinion amongst the senators. The use of steroids makes the playing field unfair, and it places those athletes who are naturally good at a sport in the shadows of those who are taking steroids.
This bill brought forth lots of discussion about the types of steroids that would be tested for. Logan Nester, from Rural Retreat High School, suggested that perhaps the terminology of the bill be changed to include performance-enhancing drugs. An amendment to the bill was proposed to include all performance-enhancing drugs that are detectable by urine tests instead of just anabolic steroids. The amendment was passed.
Some of the senators brought up the fact that if this bill was passed it would weaken some of the drug testing policies that school districts already have in action. For example, some school districts have policies that say if a person is found positive for steroid use they are automatically suspended from sports for the rest of the school year. Finally after all major issues of the bill had been debated upon, a vote was taken and the bill was unanimously passed. The bill will be debated in the Commonwealth Senate on Friday, and if it is passed there it will be sent to the Commonwealth House on Saturday.

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