kaorder1999
11-28-2007, 01:58 PM
UIL releases steroid testing details
11:45 AM CST on Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Associated Press
DALLAS - The governing body for high school sports in Texas released details Wednesday of how the nation's largest steroid-testing program will work but offered no hints on how soon testing will begin.
With no vendor in place to run the $6 million mandatory program, it's unlikely steroids testing will begin before the football season ends in about three weeks.
But University Interscholastic League spokeswoman Kim Rogers said football players would be tested out of season because the bill that created the program requires it to begin before the end of the 2007-08 school year.
Lawmakers and state officials, including Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, have turned up the pressure on the UIL in recent weeks, publicly wondering when testing would begin.
Rogers defended the UIL's pace, saying that although two other states test high school athletes for steroid use, none do so on the scale that Texas will. Florida and New Jersey also test high school athletes for steroids, but each state only tests about 500 students a year, she said.
"This is bar none the most comprehensive and expansive steroid testing program in the world," Rogers said. "We're testing between 20,000 and 25,000 athletes statewide throughout the year on a random basis. We don't have an exact model to go by. This model was developed from the ground up."
Dewhurst and State Sen. Kyle Janek, who authored the high school steroids testing bill, did not immediately return messages seeking comment.
Fourteen companies submitted bids in July to run the testing program. Among the companies in the running for the contract is the National Center for Drug Free Sport, which conducts testing for the NCAA, New Jersey and Florida.
There is no timetable for awarding the contract, except that it must be done in time for the company to begin testing before the end of the school year, Rogers said.
Details of the most recent draft of the testing plan are available on the UIL Web site. Rogers said the public will have 2-3 weeks to comment after details are released.
Under the UIL plan, about 25 forms of steroids are on the banned substance list. The UIL will model its banned substance list after the NCAA's list and will update it when the NCAA does, Rogers said.
Student-athletes from grades 9-12 are subject to testing. The vendor that runs the program will randomly select schools for testing and then randomly select athletes. A high school can be selected more than once each school year.
To avoid conflict of interest, no member of the testing crew can work at the school where testing occurs.
A positive test or a student's refusal to be tested results in a 30-day suspension from sports. A second positive test results in a one-year suspension from sports and a third positive test results in a permanent suspension.
11:45 AM CST on Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Associated Press
DALLAS - The governing body for high school sports in Texas released details Wednesday of how the nation's largest steroid-testing program will work but offered no hints on how soon testing will begin.
With no vendor in place to run the $6 million mandatory program, it's unlikely steroids testing will begin before the football season ends in about three weeks.
But University Interscholastic League spokeswoman Kim Rogers said football players would be tested out of season because the bill that created the program requires it to begin before the end of the 2007-08 school year.
Lawmakers and state officials, including Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, have turned up the pressure on the UIL in recent weeks, publicly wondering when testing would begin.
Rogers defended the UIL's pace, saying that although two other states test high school athletes for steroid use, none do so on the scale that Texas will. Florida and New Jersey also test high school athletes for steroids, but each state only tests about 500 students a year, she said.
"This is bar none the most comprehensive and expansive steroid testing program in the world," Rogers said. "We're testing between 20,000 and 25,000 athletes statewide throughout the year on a random basis. We don't have an exact model to go by. This model was developed from the ground up."
Dewhurst and State Sen. Kyle Janek, who authored the high school steroids testing bill, did not immediately return messages seeking comment.
Fourteen companies submitted bids in July to run the testing program. Among the companies in the running for the contract is the National Center for Drug Free Sport, which conducts testing for the NCAA, New Jersey and Florida.
There is no timetable for awarding the contract, except that it must be done in time for the company to begin testing before the end of the school year, Rogers said.
Details of the most recent draft of the testing plan are available on the UIL Web site. Rogers said the public will have 2-3 weeks to comment after details are released.
Under the UIL plan, about 25 forms of steroids are on the banned substance list. The UIL will model its banned substance list after the NCAA's list and will update it when the NCAA does, Rogers said.
Student-athletes from grades 9-12 are subject to testing. The vendor that runs the program will randomly select schools for testing and then randomly select athletes. A high school can be selected more than once each school year.
To avoid conflict of interest, no member of the testing crew can work at the school where testing occurs.
A positive test or a student's refusal to be tested results in a 30-day suspension from sports. A second positive test results in a one-year suspension from sports and a third positive test results in a permanent suspension.