Last week the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) announced the results of the fall 2009 round of its Performance Enhancing Drug Testing Program. Last fall, athletes in 3 sports, girls swimming, football and boys soccer, were tested. Of the 141 student athletes tested, none of them tested positive for steroids. Last year, 10 of the 700 students tested had positive results.
While the IHSA’s formal report for the fall 2009 season has not yet been released, the IHSA did make the above figures known to the media to dispel rumors that Maine South football players had failed the test.
It is unclear how Illinois high school steroid testing will proceed this spring. IHSA officials claim that there is not enough money in the budget to complete the testing required by a new Illinois law signed by Governor Quinn last summer. The law is meant to catch, and punish, student athletes who use steroids and it is meant to deter student athletes from using steroids. Now, perhaps, there is a third reason for mandatory testing – to clear the names of athletes who competed competitively without the help of steroids. Now Maine South can enjoy the victory of their Class 8A football championship and prove to the community that their success came without the help of performance enhancing drugs.
