The fastest. The strongest. The best.
Some sacrifice their body to look better


by starving themselves or forcing food down just to throw it back up. Anorexia and bulimia are two of the most known conditions people recognize and refer to. Some people sacrifice their bodies not because of the models on TV or stars on the red carpet, but because of athletes like Barry Bonds and Shawne Merriman.
“It is a problem,” junior football receiver and track sprinter Reed Lunsford said. “All the teenagers think they will be able to play harder and do things better than before. It’s going to hurt them in the long run, but they just keep taking them.”
It’s an athlete’s form of sacrifice. Steroids. Not every athlete uses them, and certainly not all young athletes, but as time passes it’s becoming more important for some athletes to be the best instead of just their best. Steroids are illegal, but that doesn’t always stop the substance abuse.
“Steroids are one of the main reasons we do drug testing at our school,” athletic trainer Joe Bommarito said. “It mainly acts as a deterrent.
They are illegal and if kids know there is going to be a random test they are less likely to even start using them. They’re starting them to add to that competitive edge, but they are an illegal drug. They are illegal in every form and the negative effects it gives to your body are far greater than the rewards you can get.”
In the past few years, many schools have resorted to drug testing. These tests don’t only show evidence of who is using illegal drugs such as marijuana or cocaine, but they also show evidence of steroid use — just one of the reasons all athletes at North have to be eligible for random drug testing.
“I think steroids could become a problem in our athletics if they don’t watch and constantly drug test kids,” senior wrestler Valery Casetta said. “I even think they should drug test more often so they know what’s going on.”
Common forms of steroids, like the ones that show up on these tests can be injected intramuscular, taken orally, or rubbed on the skin using gels or creams. These can also be used in may different ways. Steroids can be taken by cycling: taking a number of certain steroids for a period of time, stopping for a period then starting again. Another way they can be taken is by stacking, which is using more than one steroid with the hope of a bigger outcome. They can also be taken by pyramiding, by gradually increasing the amount and frequency of substance abuse. There are other forms of steroids, but no matter what way a person uses it, the consequences are equally threatening to the body.
“It hurts your body,” junior outfielder Patrick Donnelly. “It makes it way easier for you to get injuries, tear ligaments, and break bones. I think high school athletes just keep using them because they’re not thinking and they don’t care. If they get caught with them playing sports they can get kicked off the team or suspended or expelled from school.”
Some have to learn the consequences the hard way when they sacrifice their body with steroids. Sometimes it’s not the effect they can have on the body that makes the most difference, but the effect on the person themselves. About seven years ago, teens watched as baseball legend Barry Bond’s alleged steroid use went public. It was a never ending scandal, and according to Sports Illustrated, Bonds used the drug in every possible way it can be used. In 2001, he broke Mark McGwire’s single season home run record and in 2006, McGwire also was also surrounded by much speculation for using illegal performance
enhancing drugs. Bonds passed Hank Aaron to become the all-time home run king. He got what he wanted. But when the world found out how, he became less and less of an idol in his fans’ eyes.
“I think that watching what pros do can have positive and negative
effects,” junior distance runner Dianna Prost said. “They either watch their stories and think, ‘man, that’s what I need to do to break records.’ Or, they watch pro athletes use steroids and realize that it can ruin their careers and their lives and it’s stupid. So, really it can affect the student body in different ways.”
So, maybe it is the image that matters to many high school students.
The boys take steroids to be better athletes and the girls starve themselves to be skinny, right? Wrong. Steroid use is tied to muscle enhancement. While gaining muscle mass is tied to the reason guys use steroids, some forget that girls are athletes too.
“I would think girls would want to take them for the same reason guys would, to be the best,” Prost said. “Everyone wants to be the best. If they know they can be better, then I guess they think why not just shoot up? But it’s bad. I really don’t think girls use them as much as guys, but they do use them.”
Males and females alike make huge health sacrifices to be the best. Steroids aren’t always the topic of every health class, but can cause just as much damage as any other drug.
Coaches are aware of the harm these drugs can cause and the majority highly discourage the use of them by their players. But sadly, sometimes it’s the pressure of the team that drives young athletes to steroids. Many are left questioning where they come from and why they aren’t caught?
“Drug testing is what stops a lot of teens. But, there are always ways around it,” Bommarito said. “The kids that aren’t using them are less likely to start with the testing, and for those who do use them the effects of stopping are even stronger and harder to deal with.”
Steroids add testosterone to the body, which is meant to increase muscle size. But, it destroys the liver and breaks down the kidneys gradually. When substance abuse is stopped, the estrogen levels that were increased as testosterone levels were increased, remain high as testosterone levels gradually fall back down. Because of this, males often acquire female characteristics and females lose much of their femininity when trying to halt substance abuse.
Not every young, star athlete uses steroids to get there, but it is becoming more and more of a growing trend. According to the National
Institute of drug abuse, in recent years more than half a million eighth-tenth graders are using steroids.
The fastest. The strongest. The best. Is it worth the risk?