In the wake of Alex Rodriguez’s steroid scandal, drug testing for performance enhancing drugs has now been cut from Florida High School Sports.
“Budget cuts” is the only explanation the Florida High School Athletic spokeswoman can give. The testing cost $166 per test. To the state of Florida the $100,000 spent yearly to keep our athletes honest and healthy was a waste of money.
The spokeswoman told Manatee Bay News 9 that she was told the money was needed elsewhere this year. Where else to spend the money to prepare our student-athletes for their future as athletes, as well as keep them healthy at the same time?
Braden River High School won the district championship last year. Was the championship won drug free? Because of random PED testing the High School sports world can report that yes, the championship was won legally and drug free.
Braden stars say they don’t need the testing, because steroids aren’t worth it. “I was taught never to do steroids. It’s bad for you, bad for the game” said Stephen Fischer of the Braden High squad.
While it is known that Braden High School won the championship drug free, we will now never be sure whether a high school athlete is using PEDs.
I personally have heard of athletes from my high school taking steroids to bulk up. I don’t see how it’s possible for a 17 year old weightlifter to bench 405+ pounds, without even a little steroidal boost.
Perhaps not in high school sports such as baseball, tennis, and basketball PED use is not as relevant. But I don’t think anyone can deny at least the impression of some type of use in sports such as football, weightlifting, and wrestling.
I think we will see an increased amount of high school records broken, as well as an increase in injury in our upcoming student athletes.
-Kyle Bennett
Kyle Bennett can be reached at minaret.overtime@gmail.com
1 comment
Comments feed for this article
May 17, 2009 at 7:48 am
Buck
DONT USE BANNED DRUGS!
Will Jordan
Reading rowing team will have no choice other than to pull out of future events – was Will Jordan the only one at the Reading Club to be selling illegal performance enhancing drugs?
It’s the sad old story – the so called athlete who just cannot make it through hard training decides to take the easy option! Will Jordan was arrested for being in possession of performance enhancing drugs – if that is not bad enough he was arrested for selling the same drugs to children.
Will Jordan a self proclaimed international supremo journalist has tried to gain recognition as an investigative journalist- this failed as he was later proven by his own colleagues to have lied, created misleading stories and most recent and bizarre caught hacking into the Maldives Election website and planted Devil Horns onto the New President Anny – Jordan has always promoted close ties to the ex- President Gayoom.
We went to Will Jordan’s home a young boy answered the door stating that Will would not provide an interview the young boy did state that Will Jordan denied majority of the allegations being made and will be able to provide proof that the drugs were not illegal.
We should not lose site that this is not the first time Will Jordan has been in the hall of public fame – during 2005 he was arrested and cautioned for possession of illegal substances apparently brought back from a recent trip to Venezuela.
Will Jordan has worked with BBC local radio and several local newspapers – let’s hope this is the last we see of this man – betraying fellow journalists can be accepted by some, betraying all those children cannot!
Buck