by Felicia Fonseca
Daily Lobo
The rising use of anabolic steroids prompted the NCAA to subject athletes to year-round testing in 1990; the recent increase in ephedra use is prompting the possibility of similar probes.
Due to the findings of a 2001 NCAA survey, the association added ephedra to its list of banned substances, Frank Uryasz, president of the National Center for Drug Free Sport, Inc. The NCAA contracted Uryasz's company to test athletes for banned drugs.
Ephedra, a performance-enhancing drug that increases metabolism and heart rate, is derived from a shrub-like plant found in central Asia's desert regions and in other parts of the world. Psuedo-ephedrine, an FDA-regulated chemical found in over-the-counter asthma medication, works in a similar fashion to ephedra.
The survey shows ephedra and ephedrine use has risen from 3.5 percent of those tested in 1997 to 3.9 percent in 2001.
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According to the NCAA drug testing policy, if athletes test positive for any banned substance, they lose their eligibility for one year. A second positive result ends in a permanent eligibility loss.
In addition to NCAA drug testing, UNM also tests for drug use, but more commonly for alcohol and illegal drugs, said Dave Binder, the University's head athletics trainer. However, UNM's policy is far more lenient than the NCAA's.
"The simplest way to put it is three strikes and you're out," Binder said.
According to UNM's drug-testing policy, the first offense calls for a notification to parents and mandatory counseling. The second infraction results in a suspension for two weeks plus counseling and the third is a loss of eligibility for one year.
Uryasz said instead of simply testing athletes who are at high risk for ephedra use such as female gymnasts, the NCAA will expand testing across the board.
"It helps to keep the players in check," said Kathy Kolankiewicz, UNM women's head tennis coach. "It would help them become aware they could be tested any time and have to suffer consequences."
Ritchie McKay, UNM men's basketball coach, said off-season training is just as competitive as training during the season.
"When they train, athletes are in the mode with the goal to take their game to the highest level," McKay said.
He added that subjecting athletes to random year-round testing would help promote that process.
UNM senior Nick Lott, a former UNM track athlete, said "as an athlete, you try to use supplements as little as possible because it can affect performance. The athletes want to be in the best condition for the best performance. But, people are going to think 'what are the odds it is going to be me,' although the majority might be a little weary."
The results of the 2001 survey and the fact that ephedrine testing is relatively inexpensive have the NCAA considering expanding its drug testing policy, Uryasz said.
An expansion would allow an NCAA-certified official to test any athlete at any time for performance-enhancing drugs. The new policy will go before the NCAA Management Council before the end of the year, Uryasz said.
If the proposed policy is approved, it will go into effect during the 2004-05 school year, Uryasz said.
More than half of the respondents believe drug testing by the NCAA has deterred college athletes from using drugs, according to the 2001 results.
"We know it is going on (drug use)," Uryasz said. "We'd just like to help deter that."
