Teen athletes face drug tests

High school athletes don't draw the million-dollar paychecks of a Roger Clemens or the international acclaim of a Marion Jones.

[Its time]

I have witnessed my son get caught up in the drug thing. He was a top notch hockey player. Couldn't do anything on club level though. I knew the team was full of dopers, but the coach couldn't prove it, so nothing could be done. Maybe teams associated with high schools can make some changes.
Hockey players may be the worst offenders because they are club teams.

[Doug]

Drug testing - for any sort of drugs - should start with the administrators and teachers. As far as steroids are concerned, if the coaches aren't pushing them, they're often encouraging kids to work out with trainers who are, and making it clear to kids what they have to do to make the team. If we're serious, let's go after the pushers, not the kids.

[Tina]

High school sports is where the whole doping thing starts--it only gets worse from there. I see no problem with nipping it in the bud, and I would have no problem with my kid having to take a drug test. If it turned up positive, they'd have a heck of a lot more consequences to deal with at home than just getting kicked off a sports team!!

[Just Say Doh]

With all the time kids spend at the tanning salon turning their skin orange and text messaging their friends sitting next to them, when do they have the time to take drugs?!?!

[Aaron]

i have no problem with private institutions testing their students or employees but I think we are giving far too much power to government organizations. Over the last 20 years we have watered down our rights willingly and we actively pursue policies which lead our children to believe that a "Surveillance Society," is okay if you have nothing to hide. The problem with this mindset is that our judicial system is based on the premise that we are innocent until proven guilty. Additionally we see time after time that public officials abuse their power in order to intimidate those and doctored surveillance records caused be used against the innocent. We also see that even though our system presumes innocence we still erroneous punish the innocent because factual information is frequently misrepresented or destroyed when it contradicts the agenda of a over zealous prosecutor. The end is honorable but the means scares me because it will continue the downward pressure on our rights.

[Logan Square]

This is going to hurt Illinois youth more than help. Those scholarships will be awarded to other athletes in other states that don't test instead.

[Simon Says]

My concern is that the money needed to do the tests will be diverted from funds to upgrade text books and the schools in general. I'm more concerned with improving education then testing kids who play sports for drugs.

Our society really has it's values backasswards if we're more worried about kids taking performance enhancing drugs then their getting a quality education.

Of course when congress has nothing better to do then to stick their noses into the problems in baseball then to try to address the war or the economic recession we're facing then what can you expect?

[High school father]

Testing is a good thing! I was a high school and college athlete and I currently have children involved in high school sports. The kids are under tremendous pressure to be better and to win. A great deal of the pressure is external, but these kids also put great pressure on them selves to be the best they can be. If a kid is competing against someone that they feel is using something, they feel the pressure to use so they can compete. Testing helps remove temptation as well as catch the abusers.

[Jim]

Logan Square wrote:

This is going to hurt Illinois youth more than help. Those scholarships will be awarded to other athletes in other states that don't test instead.

Yep...much like professional sports, college sports programs are businesses - profit-generators - for the schools, both public and private. So you make a very good point.

Frankly, I'd prefer my tax dollars being spent educating parents, students, coaches and others about steroids and their effects than having it wasted teaching kids to be good subjects of our diminishing American society.

And as someone else points out, here is just another example of the kids being held to a higher standard than those who make the rules. I can only assume that it's because those who make the rules lack the proper socialization to lead by example, rather than by dictation.

Unfortunately, as we prove from our government on down, good LEADERS are very short in our society. Sanctimonious dictators, on the other hand, are a dime a dozen.

[Vito]

Why don't we start drug testing the senators, congressmen, govenors and president and work our way down to the students, instead of working from the bottom up.

[Wendell]

Wendell wrote

I think its a darn shame to think our kids who are trying to make somethin of themselves to have to be drug tested whats the IHSA thinking our kids are out partying all night long then go to school and play sports well most if not all are going to there homes doing there work with there families then resting.. maybe the coaches be tested..randomly but not the kids

[Erin]

I hope they test for more than steroids--they may be able to nip some serious drug habits in the bud.

Most high schools require an agreement that athletes promise not to drink, smoke, or do drugs. However, it's not taken seriously by the students. Perhaps random drug testing will force kids to think about the consequences of their actions.

Having said that, the IHSA has to take an "innocent until proven guilty" stance on failed drug tests; the adult responsible must be involved as well if the athlete is under 18.

[Depot Jim]

It is very unfortunate that we have now come to the time that high school athletes have to be tested for steroids and other drugs. But the scandalous situation in Pro Sports has brought this on. These kids look up to the Pro Athlete as role models. But some of them have been anything but role models. Drug use, arrests, and wild behavior is that the kids see. And of course they try to copy that. I love sports but it has come to a time that it needs to be cleaned up starting with the owners and players on the Pro Level. Let the testing of the high school athletes begin.

[Tom]

It's time to drug test welfare recipiants.

[Patriot]

Watch what is being pushed behind your backs. Keep accepting government diminishing your rights and you end up with what you deserve. DOn't subject you children tot he governmental lies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch...

[Clarence Darrow]

All IHSA administrators and state legislators should be the first to be tested and randomly breathalyzed. Until then, KEEP YOUR SELF-RIGHTEOUS hands off of our kids !

[Simon Says]

Wendell wrote:

Wendell wrote
I think its a darn shame to think our kids who are trying to make somethin of themselves to have to be drug tested whats the IHSA thinking our kids are out partying all night long then go to school and play sports well most if not all are going to there homes doing there work with there families then resting.. maybe the coaches be tested..randomly but not the kids

I think Wendell's a couple of words short of a sentence.

[mystic2131]

i think this is great! In this day and age that we live in....its best to know!!!

[Pete]

Simon Says wrote:

<quoted text>
I think Wendell's a couple of words short of a sentence.

That, plus several commas and periods short of a coherent thought.

[BDD]

The ACLU and enabling moms will shoot this down in short order.