Many people in today?s world our worrying about getting in shape by losing weight. For an athlete though getting stronger, bigger, and faster is pushed on them everyday by their coaching staff. Constant hard work without any improvement puts an athlete in a frustrating frame of mind. With steroids an athlete can instantly boost their weight and strength abnormally, which leads to instant success in athletics. The under the radar usage of steroids has ballooned out of control in all sports, but the main focus has to start on the high school level and not the opposite way as what is being done. The playing level in athletics needs to be evened out, and in high schools mandatory steroid testing is needed.

Without steroid testing, domination of certain high schools is evident. Just watching a powerhouse high school team, you can see certain schools that have men playing against boys. Just a year ago a lot of these athletes were averaged sized junior varsity players. O, but put them on the right workout regimen and there all of the sudden overnight successes. It doesn?t matter what workout plan you?re on, it takes many years of hard work to gain an extreme amount of muscle mass. Plus with more schools being built, the school boundaries have become more condensed, and thus should result in an eventual fallout of talent level for any school.

In 2003, Buckeye high school based in Phoenix, Arizona made national news when ten players were kicked off the team for steroid use. The whole situation wouldn?t have happened if a mother didn?t find steroid pills in her son?s room. Myself, I attended Highland High school and knew several kids that were using steroids. Most had steroids incorporated as a two to three week part of a ten to twelve week workout cycle.

The easy attainable access of steroids can stem from any local gym. A couple of my friends attend a local World?s Gym, and have said they?ve been offered steroids over five times. A survey done by the Centers for Disease Control found out that steroid usage amongst high school athletes has doubled from 1991 to 2003. At taylorhooton.org it is the website of an organization created by Don Hooton in dedication of his son, Taylor. Taylor committed suicide July 15th, 2003 and the depression caused by steroid usage is what led to his suicide. On the site there are a handful of other high school and collegiate athletes that?s parents have detailed information on their deaths caused by usage of steroids. Including, Rob Garibaldi who was told at USC he could be a great future baseball prospect if he could add weight to his 160 pound frame. Working out didn?t help, and Garibaldi started using steroids he obtained from a USC trainer. He ended up gaining fifty pounds, but just like Hooton the harmful side affects of the steroids led to suicide. According to the Taylor Hooton organization they estimate that 500,000 to one million high school athletes use steroids.

Only four percent of high schools have mandatory steroid testing, and one of the main reasons why is because the tests run around $100. If a school can afford to put in extra money on jerseys, warm ups, weight lifting equipment, and out of state trips to compete, than they can find the money to institute mandatory tests. They should be done at random times, so that students can?t work their way around the test. If the test is done right before the season, than an athlete can start doing steroids right when their season starts and get away with it. Doing it randomly though would keep athletes on their heels and afraid of embarrassment from getting kicked off the team. If they get kicked off the team for steroids, they?d still have to attend the classroom part of school and face humiliation.

Gaining an upper hand is the sole and only reason why an athlete chooses to do steroids. If it isn?t stopped soon, than there are going to be more stories that should?ve been prevented told.

The only way for high school steroid testing to be done, is for the media, parents, and coaches to bring out the idea more. High school coaches more than anyone should start teaching their athletes on the harms of steroids to keep them from doing it. Telling someone something still doesn?t stop anything if there is no punishment involved. Steroid testing amongst high school athletes would open up a lot of eyes and change athletes steered in the wrong direction. Who knows if Taylor Hooton or Rob Garibaldi would?ve changed their ways if they failed a steroid test.