STEROIDS? NOT AROUND US, ATHLETES CLAIM

When former All-Star Jose Canseco used his book "Juiced" to go public on steroid use by professional baseball players, it not only embarrassed the sport, it cast suspicion over other athletes, even at the high school level.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in its 2000 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance survey that among high school seniors, 3.3 percent of females and 6.4 percent of males reported using steroids at least once.

Steroids are a group of synthetic and natural drugs that affect metabolism. Some steroids, called corticosteroids, are used to treat arthritis and asthma. Anabolic steroids are used to build muscle and are the kind most likely to be abused by athletes. They also can harm the liver, cardiovascular system, and sexual organs and cause aggressiveness, confusion, paranoia and sleeping disorders.

Several local athletes say steroids are not a problem at their schools.

"It's not really come up, at our school at least. I've never been around it," said Meredith Hayes, 17, a member of the state champion 400-meter girls relay team from Lawrence Central.

Other track athletes at Lawrence Central, including members of the 2005 state championship boys team, report seeing little or no steroid use. Same goes for members of the Warren Central football team, which won last season's 5A state championship. "I don't have any knowledge of anyone using steroids," said Sedale Moss, 17, a running back on the team.

None of the 11 athletes interviewed -- seven from Lawrence Central and four from Warren Central -- has ever been tested for steroids. Still, they say steroid use is rare at their schools. "They hide it pretty (well) if they are 'cause I don't see it," said Carmisha Leary, 17, Lawrence Central.

The teens also were unanimous in their rejection of steroids. Most were concerned about the long-term health effects, while others saw them as an unfair shortcut.

"The reason I wouldn't want to use them is I wouldn't want to die," said Dwayne Briscoe, 19, 2005 state champion in the shot put and a recent graduate of Lawrence Central. "You get like heart disease and stuff."

"I wouldn't feel comfortable using it because inside I would just feel guilty, knowing that I was better than other people because of what I was using," said Darren Evans, 16, a Warren Central football player.

These teens have negative views concerning those who do take steroids.

"I feel like (steroid users) don't have any kind of respect for themselves if they feel like they have to take the drug to get better at what they do," said Alyssa Webb, 16, a member of Lawrence Central's track team. Her advice: "Just work hard."

"They're taking the easy way out," added Adrienne McLean, 16, who also was on the state champion relay team. "It's not fair to the rest of us who work our butts off, pumping iron in the weight room at 3:45, sweating like a dog in 90-degree heat."

Luther Rush, 18, also a Lawrence Central graduate, said that steroids don't guarantee success.

"I have known some people in high school who took steroids, and if you don't have talent, it doesn't make you better in certain sports. It just makes you stronger and strengthens everything. But if you don't have the sports sense, steroids are not going to get you further in your sport anyway."

All of the teens empathize with athletes who feel stressed by other people's expectations. "There is a lot of pressure put on a high school athlete to perform well in their environment," said Will Hutcherson, 18, of Warren Central. "Plus at our age, if you do well, it helps out your future because you get a four-year scholarship."

And many of them said they could probably obtain anabolic steroids if they tried.

"Teenagers can obtain just about anything, so I can't imagine them not being able to get their hands on steroids," said Meredith.

"It's easy to get anything over the Internet," added Dexter Taylor, 17, quarterback at Warren Central.

Many of the athletes use protein shakes and other dietary supplements to improve their performance or maintain their weight. They emphasized such products are legal and offer a natural boost.

"Every single person who is a top athlete uses something to enhance their performance, whether it's protein, creatine (an amino acid sold as a food supplement), anabolic steroids, vitamins -- something to enhance their body 'cause it just doesn't happen naturally, to be great for a long, long time without something in you," Luther explained.

Still, nobody condones the use of steroids. "If I got hit by a linebacker who was taking steroids, I would just be very upset," Will said.

Similarly, these teen athletes have lost respect for professional athletes who have been accused of using steroids. They also think the penalties should be more severe for athletes who use steroids.

"Kids look up to them, and for them to use steroids, for them to be in the spotlight using steroids, it's just not fair," Adrienne said.

Many of the teens think athletes always will try to find an edge, and that if not steroids, it will be something else. "I see the issue escalating. I see it to a point where scientists will make more performance enhancers for little kids," said Luther.

"Unfortunately, that's the way it goes," agreed Khayri Abdullah, 18, Lawrence Central. "Somebody's going to make the perfect steroid. It's bound to happen. Somebody is gonna make the one that just cannot be found (by testing)."

ASSISTANT EDITORS: Allison Gardner, 15; Andy Goldblatt, 17; Perri McKinley, 15.

REPORTERS: Daniel Morgan, 13.