State Bills Seek Testing for Steroids

A California lawmaker has introduced bills to mandate steroid testing of high school students and ban the sale of some performance-enhancing substances to minors.

Even if the proposals make it through the long legislative process, finding the money to make testing a reality will be difficult in the cash-strapped state.

State Sen. Jackie Speier said Wednesday that school districts would not be asked to pay for the tests, which can cost up to $125 each. She hoped money could come from the state, federal anti-doping agencies or private foundations.

“We’re going to use whatever creative financing we can or whatever persuasion we can to get testing into the schools,” she said. “If you ban and don’t test, you don’t have any real results.”

Mike Herrington, Newhall Hart boys’ athletic director and football coach, agreed that “we should do everything we can to keep kids from doing ignorant things, like using steroids, drugs or alcohol,” but was naturally concerned about the expense.

“Someone is going to have to pay for it,” he said. “Our high school could probably afford it, but in L.A. Unified or another district, it would be really difficult to pay for something like that.”

Speier’s bills also call for educating high school coaches about steroids and supplements, and prohibiting them from endorsing supplements or supplying them to athletes.

The bills also would ban supplement companies from sponsoring high school sports events.

The bills do not detail how the tests would be conducted -- whether on all high school athletes, randomly or when there is suspicion of use.

In the most recent national survey, 3.5% of high school seniors responding reported they have used steroids at least once, up from 2.1% in 1991. Those figures do not include users of over-the-counter supplements.

Boys’ Golf

Goleta Dos Pueblos and Santa Barbara San Marcos tee off in a Channel League match today at Rancho San Marcos Golf Course in Santa Barbara.

San Marcos (11-6, 5-1 in league) has won the league’s title outright for the last 11 years, but Dos Pueblos (12-2, 6-0), sparked by the return of senior Ryan Ritzau, is looking for a repeat of its 358-360 victory over the Royals on March 23 at Glen Annie Golf Club in Goleta.

Dos Pueblos’ score in that match was the lowest recorded round for an 18-hole match since the Southern Section began keeping records in 1959.

On April 13, the Chargers, ranked No. 4 in the Southland by The Times, topped their record by shooting 355 in a victory over Santa Barbara at Glen Annie.

Two days later, No. 10 San Marcos shot the same score in a victory over Ventura Buena at Santa Barbara Golf Club.

Rafer Weigel

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Boys’ Volleyball

Newport Harbor, ranked No. 9 by The Times, plays host to sixth-ranked Irvine Woodbridge today at 5:45 p.m. in a battle for first place in the Sea View League.

Woodbridge (18-4, 5-0 in league) may be without two of its key players. Coach Trent Jackson said starting outside hitter Jack Strauss had been out because of a shoulder injury and reserve Austin Cunningham had a bad ankle.

Today’s match is the start of a busy weekend for Newport Harbor (13-6, 5-0), which begins play Friday in the two-day Tournament of Champions at Santa Barbara and Goleta Dos Pueblos highs.

Paul McLeod

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Softball

The semifinal game of the rain-delayed Irvine Woodbridge tournament involving No. 2 Garden Grove Pacifica and Newhall Hart has been moved up a day. It will be played at 3:15 p.m. on Friday at Col. Bill Barber Park in Irvine.

The other semifinal, involving No. 12 Thousand Oaks and Woodbridge, remains at noon on Saturday. The championship game will be played at 6 p.m. on Saturday at Barber Park.

Martin Henderson

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Miscellany

As expected, the Southern Section Executive Committee voted to charge member schools $10 per sport per year -- in addition to the 23 cents per student fee they are already being charged -- to help close a projected budget gap of $80,000.

The measure will be presented to the section council for vote at its April 29 meeting.

The committee also recommended that the council approve a three-year deal with game officials, effective this fall, that would include a pay increase of $1 per game beginning in the fall of 2005.

-- Paul McLeod