The CBS Early Show investigated anabolic steroid use by high school athletes in Louisiana on March 17-18, 2009. The investigative report by CBS News correspondent Kelly Cobiella targeted two sports supplement products identified as Genetic Edge Technologies Tren-250 and Tri-City Chemicals Xtreme Tren. Cobiella interviewed athletes at Opelousas High School and Eunice High School who used the supplement identified as “tren”. “Tren” contains an allegedly legal “pro-steroidal” ingredient used in a variety of “pro-steroidal” supplements (”High Schoolers Unknowingly Taking Steroids,” March 18).
Don Catlin, the infamous steroid hunter who runs the Anti-Doping Research lab, tested Xtreme Tren and confirmed the presence of estra-4,9-diene-3,17-dione. Catlin also found trace amounts of 19-norandrostenedione that were not listed on the label. “‘Tren’ is not a supplement at all, it masquerades as a supplement but it is really a powerful potent anabolic steroid,” according to Don Catlin.
William Llewellyn, author of the authoritative anabolic steroid reference manual “Anabolics“, clarifies the conditions under which natural steroid ingredients that can be legally sold over the counter.
If a steroid is found in the food supply naturally, and not regulated as a controlled substance, it may be legal to sell as a dietary supplement. The Dietary Supplement Health & Education Act (DSHEA) is intended to protect ingredients that are natural and already consumed by the public. Depending on if you believe the story or the label, “tren” is either a steroid known as “estra-4,9-diene-3,17-dione” or “estra-4,9,11-triene-3,17-dione” . There is no known source for either steroid in nature. I have to agree with Don Catlin’s assessment that “tren” is not a supplement, but a synthetic designer steroid. Since the designer steroid “tren” is not natural, it is considered a misbranded drug under federal law.
It is important to note that estra-4,9-diene-3,17-dione is NOT legally defined as an “anabolic steroid” under the Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 1990 and 2004. Instead, it may be classified as a “misbranded drug” instead of a dietary supplement.
The CBS Early Show investigation into anabolic steroid use by high school athletes reveals how the war on steroids will attack the sports supplement industry and the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA). Read more
Anabolic steroids are demonized in case materials used for the 23rd Annual Oregon High School Mock Trial Competition on March 13-14, 2009. The competition is intended to enhance proficiency in “critical thinking skills such as analyzing and reasoning.” However, high students participating in the mock trial contest were not allowed to critically and honestly examine anabolic steroids and their side effects. Challenging the inaccurate steroid information within the case materials was prohibited. The goal of the mock trial was to argue the assignment of fault in the fictitious death of Jordan Simon. Was the defendant responsible for Jordan’s death due to negligence or misconduct? Or was the deceased responsible for voluntarily assuming the risks? The assignment of fault may be in dispute, but one thing was certain – steroids caused Jordan Simon’s death.
The wrongful death case of Simon v. Swift and Eastside High School involves a high school track sprinter who died from a heart attack presumably caused by an anabolic steroid overdose. Student mock trial participants are told that erythropoeitin (EPO) is an anabolic steroid in the case materials. This is false. But the students are not permitted to question this false assumption by calling for information outside the scope of the case materials. EPO is repeatedly identified, albeit erroneously, as an anabolic steroid throughout the case material, exhibits, and expert testimony.
Participants are told that an anabolic steroid overdose can cause heart attacks. Anabolic steroids can NOT cause an acute fatal overdose. There is no direct association between anabolic steroids and heart attacks. While long-term abuse of anabolic steroids can result in serious adverse cardiovascular consequences, an isolated cycle of anabolic steroids is unlikely to cause anything other than transient changes in cardiovascular indicators, and certainly not a heart attack. Yet, the case materials in Simon v. Swift and Eastside High School suggest that anabolic steroids caused the heart attack. The autopsy report lists the cause of death as “heart attack due to accidental drug overdose” noting extremely elevated post-mortem levels of serum erythropoeitin (EPO). EPO has been directly associated with heart attacks in competitive athletes (particularly cyclists). Steroid have not. Read more
Preston Williams, Washington Post high school sports columnist, recommends steroid education involving coaches, parents and truthful steroid documentaries like “Bigger Stronger Faster*” as the best way to address teen steroid use in high schools. Williams questions the effectiveness of costly high school steroid testing programs “whose merits are spotty” with “swing-and-miss results.”
In his weekly column about high school sports, Williams applauds the sensible efforts by physician Ben Pearl (Arlington Foot & Ankle Center), physical education teacher and former NFL player Rocky Belk (Arlington Public Schools), and physical therapy and sports medicine instructor Sheila Napala (Arlington Career Center) to combat anabolic steroid use in high schools (”Straight Talk Is the Best Deterrent to Steroid Use,” November 6).
So the best way, financially and otherwise, to ward off steroid use among teen athletes is probably through parents and coaches — and the old-fashioned approach that Arlington County physical education teacher Rocky Belk and Arlington physician Ben Pearl took last week.
They met with about 60 high school students from Sheila Napala’s physical therapy and sports medicine classes at the Arlington Career Center to discuss steroids and the 2008 documentary the students had watched, “Bigger Stronger Faster*.”
Steroid education approaches involving scare tactics, steroid hysteria and steroid demonization have been largely ineffective. It is refreshing to see prominent educators in the community taking an honest and straightforward approach to the topic of anabolic steroid use by providing truthful information to students. Read more
Individuals who purchased steroids earlier this year at bodybuilding gyms in Opelousas, Eunice and Krotz Springs (Louisiana) may currently be “monitored” by the St. Landry Sheriff Department. This is a consequence of a major steroid bust in Louisiana last summer that uncovered a staggering (!) $15,000 in anabolic steroids and resulted in six arrests thus far.
The steroid bust by the St. Landry Sheriff Department was the result of a seven-month investigation that involved local distributors of Generic Labs Pharmaceuticals. Some of the customers identified as buying steroids were local high school football players.
The Daily Advertiser reported today that St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz and his detectives are still “monitoring” at least 100 customers/clients who purchased anabolic steroids in an effort to arrest more steroid distributors Read more
The $6 million University Interscholastic League (UIL) anabolic steroid testing program in Texas high schools has been besieged with criticism lately. The steroid testing program only found two positive results in 10,117 samples tested during the first semester. Furthermore, Texas UIL misled the general public about the scope of the testing program. Texas UIL lists 36 banned steroids in their steroid testing program. UIL spokeswoman Kim Rogers revealed last month that, in reality, the program only tests for 10 banned steroids. We have previously listed the numerous shortcomings of the Texas high school steroid testing program and explained in detail why the steroid testing would be ineffective. Today, we learned about another problem with steroid testing…
A Texas high school was caught cheating in the administration of the random steroid testing to their student athletes. Officials at Pecos High School apparently gave advance notification to athletes subject to steroid testing. The UIL publicly reprimanded Pecos High School and placed them on probation for one year for violating the State’s steroid testing policy Read more
I reported on a brewing high school steroid scandal in Louisiana earlier this week on Steroid.com. The St. Landry Sheriff Department made a major steroid bust after targeting three local bodybuilding gyms in Opelousas, Eunice and Krotz Springs during the course of a seven-month investigation. At least one hundred steroid users were identified including several customers who were high school football players.
Some high school coaches are shocked that teenagers on their teams would use steroids; apparently they are not familiar with the efforts of the Taylor Hooton Foundation. Nonetheless, they have overcome their surprise to divert blame to local commercial gyms and the personal trainers who work in those facilities. Read more
The lack of sensitivity exhibited by the companies and organizations that administer doping and steroid testing is upsetting a lot of people. I understand certain protocol must be followed but the invasive nature of such procedures will inevitably have a negative backlash. The latest instance of drug testers invading events of personal significance comes from Cuero High School in Texas (”Steroid testing interrupts award ceremony,” May 12).
Thirty random student-athletes were tested at Cuero on Thursday for the first time since the UIL adopted the testing program. The testing was scheduled from 8-11:30 a.m. and interfered with the awards which started at 9 a.m. The time conflict forced student-athletes to miss parts of the ceremony.
The UIL refused to change the testing times when requested by school officials.
“We talked to the UIL about changing the time, but they would not change it,” Reeve said. “The school doesn’t have any control over when we’re going to be tested. This is the first year for testing and we were chosen by lottery. We couldn’t let anybody know about the testing.”
While it may not seem like a big deal to most people. The family of students affected are quite upset. Grandmother Mary Kahlich shared her frustration about the incidence in her recent comments on steroid testing in high schools at the MESO-Rx Blog.
As a result of this, my grandson missed his award presentations. just because he could not pee in and fill a cup. This child has worked very hard and achieved a lot. He has finished High School in 3 years and will be going to Texas A&M this fall in the ROTC progran with paid scholarship. He received many awards of which he was not present to accept. He now has on pictures to put in his school album to show his hard work. His other grandparents and aunt and uncle drove from elsewhere to support him but never got to see him reeive not one award. I believe the testing could have taken place just after the ceremony. They knew which kids that they were going to test. They could have done this after the ceremony. Where were the kids going to go? They were all marched into the gymn y class with all teachers, principles, aides, etc. I am writing so that no other child will have to go thru this. No wonder good kids go bad. All sports activities were over with. This should have been done earlier in the year.
Kahlich’s comments highlight another problem with steroid testing in Texas high schools. Why would steroid testing be conducted on graduating seniors when all of their high school extracurricular sporting activities have been concluded?
While this is not quite as bad as the cyclist who was ordered to submit a sample for a doping test while he was arranging for the funeral of his infant son who died shortly after birth, it is still troubling.
Belgian cyclist Kevin Van Impe was taken for a routine drugs test just as he was at the crematorium filling in papers following the death of his baby son, media reported Saturday.
The Quick Step rider was at Lochristi crematorium when a drugs tester turned up and demanded he provide a sample, warning that otherwise he could face a two-year suspension.
“He wouldn’t even come back later in the day. It was either do it right on the spot or it would be taken as if I had refused,” Van Impe told Web site www.sport.be.
Van Impe was arranging the funeral of son Jayden, born prematurely on Monday and who died just six hours later.
After all, in some instances, doping testers allow some flexibility in exactly when athletes can submit their sample. For example, it seems that allowing two hours for an athlete to conclude a sexual liaison with his girlfriend before submitting a doping sample is permissible.
Florian Busch remains eligible to play for Germany at the IIHF World Hockey Championship.
The World Anti-Doping Agency had requested that he be suspended from the event after refusing a doping test two months ago but the IIHF decided Wednesday that it would not take that action.
The German Ice Hockey Association cleared Busch to play before the start of the world championship and the IIHF says it is not in a position to interfere with decisions made by its member nations.
Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control and the Tulsa Police Department are trying to find out if an Oklahoma steroid trafficking network sold anabolic steroids and/or performance enhancing drugs to high school athletes (”Steroid inquiry widens to teen athletes,” April 24).
Tulsa and state undercover officers are investigating whether suspected steroid dealers are selling performance enhancement drugs to high school students.
Mark Woodward, a spokesman for the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control’s office in Oklahoma City, said agents have received a significant number of calls in recent months from high school coaches concerned about rapid gains in weight and strength among their players.
Chris Goodman (owner of Hi-Octane Fitness and co-owner of Supplement Shak), Keith Koppenhaver (an amateur NPC bodybuilder and personal trainer), IFBB pro bodybuilder Guy Ducasse and Coweta police officer Zachary Livingston were recently implicated in a major Oklahoma steroid distribution network. Sources have told MESO-Rx that the Tulsa Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit has interviewed over 75 people in the Oklahoma steroid investigation.
Prosecutors have been particularly motivated to search beyond simple evidence of steroid distribution to find links between steroid dealers and high school athletes or professional athletes whenever possible. If they are lucky, they think they can finally find the steroid dealer who sold anabolic steroids and growth hormone to Roger Clemens.
Jill Atwood, of the ABC 4 News affiliate in Salt Lake City, got caught up in the steroid hysteria at the recent “Anti-steroid National Assembly Tour” at Alta High School in Sandy, Utah on Monday (”High school steroid use on the rise,” April 7).
A local high school football coach calls it an epidemic. He’s talking about illegal steroid use, and experts say is as dangerous, unpredictable, and life threatening as meth use.
The “experts” claiming steroids are as dangerous and deadly as methamphetamines were uncited. The high school coach is Les Hamilton who told his high school student athletes that steroids cause “death, pain and emotional damage.”
The steroid alarmist message is apparently what passes for steroid education at mainstream public high schools. Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff participated in the steroid education assembly which was funded by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency and the Taylor Hooton Foundation.
The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency and the Taylor Hooton Foundation continue to fund steroid education efforts in high schools around the country. The latest steroid public service announcement was made for the benefit of students at Alta High School in Sandy, Utah (”Students get steroid warning,” April 7).
“Steroids are an illegal drug and they can cause you death, pain and emotional damage — it all comes down to choosing right from wrong and being strong enough to encourage those around you to do the right thing,” said Les Hamilton, Alta High’s head football coach.
Coach Hamilton should compare notes with Coach Chris Connolly of Dolgeville High School in New York to maximize the effectiveness of their respective steroid education programs.
Our vote for the worst reporting on steroid testing in Texas high schools goes to Alex Sanz of the CBS television affiliate in Houston. KHOU-TV needs to teach their reporters a few things about fact-checking before airing their reports. Practically every aspect of Sanz’ report on steroid testing in Texas high schools was wrong (”HISD steroid testing may start after break,” March 17).
The state signed off on the testing in recent months, and though it hasn’t started yet, there are signs it may sometime after spring break.
It hasn’t started? Reports were circulating that Palo Duro high school athletes were tested on March 12, 2008. Euless Trinity High School athletes were tested on March 13th. Also, Paschal High School athletes were steroid tested on March 14th. These must have been the signs Sanz was referring to.
Twenty-three percent of high school athletes are expected to be tested statewide.
The UIL Anabolic Steroid Testing Program isn’t testing anywhere near 23% of high school athletes. It is closer to 5% of athletes over the next three semesters (end of 2008-2009 academic year); only 40,000-50,000 athletes out of approximately 800,000 will be subject to steroid testing.
Then there is the money quote:
Administrators point to stories of high school athletes, in other cities, who have died after using steroids. They said that’s why this random testing is so important…
We’ve all heard the one tragic story of a high school athlete that died after using steroids. But just because that story has been repeated numerous times does transform it into a plurality of stories about high school athletes who died from steroid use.
The district said the test is worth it — even if all you save is one life.
It’s impossible to place a monetary value on the life of a teenager. But there is no evidence that steroid testing saves lives. If the goal is to save the lives of high school athletes, perhaps the $5.6 million would be better spent on another program – perhaps an alcohol abuse prevention program. This would clearly have a more pronounced impact the number of lives saved.
Even the title of the report gives Houston ISD athletes at least a week advance notice of testing enough time to “cycle off” some fast-acting and/or oral anabolic steroids. Clearly, very few bureaucrats and reporters understand the concept and purpose of surprise testing. Thank you Mr. Alex Sanz.
I’m fundamentally against the use of state or federal taxpayer funds to finance drug testing for private sports leagues or to finance steroid testing for high school athletes. I am not necessarily against the idea of drug testing for high school athletes. But I am against the type of “feel-good” drug-testing policies that do little to eliminate the use of performance enhancing drugs by teenage athletes.
The Texas University Interscholastic League (UIL) selected the National Center for Drug Free Sport as the private company to administer the UIL Anabolic Steroid Testing Program mandated by Texas State Senate Bill 8. Texas is paying Drug Free Sport $5.6 million to administer steroid tests 40,000-50,000 high school athletes. According the UIL website:
The UIL has been directed to test a statistically significant number of student-athletes in grades 9-12 at approximately 30% of UIL member high schools. The selection process of schools and student-athletes will be random, and approximately 40,000-50,000 student athletes will be tested for anabolic steroids between this spring and the end of the 2008-09 school year.
UIL Assistant Director and Director of Athletics Charles Breithaupt believes Texas massive testing program should be a model for other states!
We look forward to working closely with Drug Free Sport in implementing a first-class steroid testing program that we feel will be a model for other states and organizations to follow.
Why don’t I think this will be effective?
(1) An average of only 3% of student-athletes will be tested each academic year. In 2006-2007 school year, 764,581 students participated in athletics which would be subject to steroid testing. While it may be statistically significant, will it significantly deter or reduce steroid use.
(2) Student-athletes in grades 9-12 are affected “regardless of sport, gender or participation level.” Performance enhancing drug use does not occur equally in all sports, all grades, all genders, and all levels. The likelihood of anabolic steroid use is overwhelmingly more likely in male, varsity level football and baseball. I’m sure there is steroid use by teenage girls and in sports Team Tennis, Cross Country, Volleyball, Swimming & Diving, Basketball, Soccer, Tennis, Golf, Track & Field, Softball. But by diluting the pool subject to testing to include both genders, all sports and freshman, junior varsity, and varsity athletes, it decreases the likelihood that male varsity football and baseball players will be tested, doing little to deter steroid use on the teams where it is most likely to occur.
(3) Less than 400 of the 1300 Texas high schools will be subject to steroid testing. In other words, 900 high schools or 70% of high school athletes will not be subject at all to random testing for anabolic steroids. It seems probable that information about schools that are tested and schools that are not tested will be readily disseminated.
(4) UIL officials are incompetent; they do not understand the concept of “surprise testing.” UIL spokeswoman Kim Rogers told the media:
In keeping with the element of surprise and random nature of the testing program, we are not announcing a starting date. If we did, then a student could know when to cycle off steroids or when to begin a new cycle.
Smart. Logical. But practically in the same breath, she revealed that steroid testing would begin:
…within the coming weeks.
And Patti Ohlendorf, vice president of legal affairs at the University of Texas, told the media that testing would begin in February. The media did their job and reported in newspapers across the state and across the country that testing would begin in a matter of days, weeks, and or in February, effectively telling high school athletes in Texas to “cycle off steroids” right now just in case.
(5) UIL is only testing for “anabolic steroids.” There is no drug testing program for amphetamines, ephedrine, and/or other stimulants, growth hormone, peptides, or other performance-enhancing drugs.
(6) It appears steroid testing will only occur during the academic school year. In other words, no testing in summer off-season.
Basically, the probabilities that this steroid testing program will be effective are low. This has nothing to do with the efficacy of the tests or the Center for Drug Free Sports (which I’m sure will competently administer the program and outlined in their contract).
At least it is better than New Jersey’s steroid testing program for high school athletes. New Jersey only tests athletes whose teams make it to “post-season” competition. Steroid tests are administered randomly to “athletes who have qualified for team or individual state championships.”
Talk about advance notice on when to cycle off anabolic steroids! And to think New Jersey wanted their steroid testing program to be a “model” for the country.
Steroid use by teenagers is a problem. But simply throwing money at the steroid problem will not fix it.
