UIL reports random steroid testing under way

Earlier this year, the National Center for Drug Free Sport, Inc., also known as Drug Free Sport, was chosen to conduct the program. The company also administers drug-testing programs for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the Professional Golf Association (PGA), the New Jersey Interscholastic Athletic Association, the Florida High School Athletic Association and more than 200 colleges and other institutions across the country.

According to Kim Rogers, the UIL's director of public relations, statistics about how many schools are visited, how many students are tested and the results of those tests are not available to them.

"Our consultant will submit reports to us on a schedule set in their contact," she said. "We plan to make a report to the Legislature on their progress sometime this summer, and again in December."

While the UIL remains tight-lipped about how many schools have been tested to date, news reports show several schools - from large districts down to the very small - have been visited by drug testing teams since February.

Drug testing teams visited both Coronado and Lubbock high schools in the Lubbock Independent School District two weeks ago. School officials were notified the day before, and provided a list of student athletes to Drug Free Sport, which chose randomly about 90 student-athletes from each school to be tested.

Other school districts reported to have had visits from Drug Free Sport include Palo Duro in Amarillo, Euless Trinity, Taft and several others.

School officials and many of the student athletes see the tests as something positive beyond just keeping athletes from taking performance-enhancing drugs.

Some athletes seeking to land collegiate scholarships are hopeful that the testing program might level the playing field for student-athletes trying to get a college scholarship.