Local Reactions to Steroid Scandal
By: Lauren Murphy
Updated: December 14, 2007
When officials released the names of the players involved, many local aspiring athletes lost their heroes. "There's a silver lining in every situation and hopefully they will take the high road and see that it's a no-way street, and they'll avoid them (steroids) like the plague," said Gary Gaines, athletic director for Lubbock independent school district. The latest estimate reveals that 3.5 percent of high school seniors admit to at least trying steroids That's why the Texas legislature passed a bill to randomly test high school students. While legislators hoped to begin testing by this past football season, that plan turned out to be a little ambitious. "According to the UIL, this is the biggest steroid testing endeavor, so it's going to take some time. There's a lot of logistics to work out," said Gaines. Gaines doesn't know when testing will begin here in Lubbock, but believes the athletes will come out clean. "From talking to our coaches on the campuses there's not the warning signs that we've read about as far as kids using steroids. So, we're in hopes that if were chosen as a school district to steroid test that we'll come out really well." In the aftermath of the biggest sport scandal he's ever seen, Gaines says he hopes his athletes will take the high road. "They just need to be the best they can be, and train, and do it naturally."
