Drug tests approved for teen athletes First-in-nation rule called a small step Thursday, June 08, 2006 • BY JOE BATTAGLIA • Star-Ledger Staff The group that oversees high school athletics in New Jersey made it official yesterday, giving final approval to an unprecedented policy to test student athletes for steroids and other performance-enhancing substances. But there was precious little back-slapping after the unanimous vote in Robbinsville. Because even as executives with the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association called the plan an important first step, they acknowledged concerns that it isn't far-reaching enough to deter teens from seeking strength and speed from a bottle. "I think that you need to take small steps first," NJSIAA executive director Steve Timko said. "We have this policy in place. Now we need to evaluate what transpires with the testing and measure the feedback from our member schools. I hope that eventually we will have the resources to expand the program. That would be the next step." And that would be what a number of administrators, coaches and students interviewed yesterday said they want. They contend the policy, which takes effect this fall, will result in too few tests and that those tests will be administered too late in the season. "This policy has to evolve into something that will affect the greater proportion of all athletes," Kittatinny schools superintendent Robert Walker said. "That is the only way to send the message to our student athletes that if they intend to compete, they need to have earned their strength the old-fashioned way." Under the plan adopted by the NJSIAA, which governs athletic competition for 436 public and private high schools across the state, random testing for a broad range of performance-enhancing substances will apply only to those athletes bound for playoff competition. Some 10,000 students compete in state tournaments each year. Of those, about 5 percent, or 500 students, will be subject to the tests. Walker argues that's not enough. "Right now there is a 95 percent chance that athletes abusing steroids will not be caught because they won't be selected for the test," he said. New Jersey is the first state in the nation to approve a test for performance-enhancing drugs, which can lead to long-term health problems for those using them. The issue has taken on greater prominence in recent years, fueled by a drumbeat of revelations that professional baseball players, including sluggers Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi, bulked up with the aid of steroids. The NJSIAA policy bans 80 substances, including a variety of steroids and substances designed to mask steroids in the bloodstream. It also includes human growth hormone, testosterone, amphetamines and stimulants like ephedra. The NJSIAA has warned student athletes that some of the substances can be found in common dietary supplements. Former Gov. Richard Codey, a youth basketball coach in his spare time, championed the policy before leaving the governor's office and returning to his post as president of the state Senate. NJSIAA attorney Steve Goodell said yesterday the policy was tailored to the specification set out in an executive order Codey signed last December. The order made reference to testing of teams and individuals "qualifying for championship games." Goodell acknowledged that the timing of the testing leaves loopholes allowing some who test positive to escape punishment. The policy bars students who use performance-enhancing substances from competing in NJSIAA-sanctioned athletics for a year, but a senior who tests positive at a state final, for example, would not be subject to a penalty because his or her season -- and high school career -- would be finished. Citing privacy issues, Goodell said the NJSIAA also won't report positive test results to the National Collegiate Athletic Association should student athletes go on to play sports in college. "Because of privacy issues, we will not be releasing the results of our tests to the NCAA or anyone else," Goodell said. "For that reason, there may be some student athletes, particularly seniors, that escape the net." And because the policy is designed to penalize only individual athletes, teams would reap the benefits of an artificially enhanced performance without penalty. Several administrators indicated they would like to see testing conducted earlier in a season. "It does seem that waiting for the playoffs is a long time because the athletes on teams hovering around .500 and fighting to qualify are taken out of the equation," Hawthorne athletic director Ed Salvi said. "I think if testing is to be done earlier, individual school districts would have to develop their own policies similar to the NJSIAA's." Belleville athletic director Karen Fuccello agreed. "Just about every school district has a drug policy in place," Fuccello said. "I think it's now up to each school to be more diligent about what's going on in their own buildings." Wayne resident Carol Ogden, whose son, Dave, was a first-team all-state defensive end at Wayne Hills High School last fall, said every student who competes in sports should be tested for steroids. "We had a big meeting at the high school at the beginning of the year, and they brought in a couple speakers, including a former user," Ogden said. "I told the coaches, 'Please test my kid anytime you want. You would be doing me a favor if he was caught doing something like that.'" Dave Ogden called the new rule unfair. "What about all the other teams in New Jersey that don't make the playoffs?" he asked. "I'm sure they have a couple kids that take steroids." Staff writer Mark Mueller contributed to this report. © 2006 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with permission.