Aug. 30, 2006

Athletic Directors and Coaches Asked For It; County Delivers
County unveils new materials to help schools deter the use of steroids by youth

Steroids website

The Olympics, the Tour de France, professional baseball – allegations continue that some elite athletes have used illegal steroids and other banned performance-enhancing supplements.

As high school sports teams across Westchester County begin preparations for their fall seasons, County Executive Andy Spano is giving athletic directors and coaches what they asked for – more resources to deter Westchester’s youth from making the same mistakes as some of these professionals. Spano  held a news conference Wednesday, Aug. 30 at Sleepy Hollow High School’s gym to introduce a new county-produced video for high schools about the dangers of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs. Excerpts of this video were shown at the press conference, as will student-produced PSAs about steroids.

Left to Right: Sleepy Hollow Superintendent Howard Smith, SHHS Principal Carol Conklin, County Executive Andy Spano, Student athletes Bridget Gomez and Ben Gold, Athletic Director Chuck Scarpulla and County Legislator Lois Bronz

 Spano was joined by student athletes and Sleepy Hollow’s athletic director (Chuck Scarpulla) as well as the students who helped produce the PSAs through the Peers Influence Peers Program. County Legislator Lois Bronz and Commisioner of Health Joshua Lipsman also attended.
 
“As recent high-profile cases have shown, the abuse of performance-enhancing drugs by athletes of all skill levels, and in a variety of different sports, is still a major problem,” Spano said. “Addressing this issue with both student athletes and coaches is an excellent way to prevent future generations from using these substances. I’m committed to doing what we can to keep Westchester’s teens healthy by countering the negative influences of professional athletes involved in performance-enhancing drug abuse scandals.”

Last October, the county’s Summit on Steroids drew about 400 people who heard four medical experts and one former steroid-using bodybuilder speak on how to detect, prevent, and find alternatives for
performance-enhancing drugs. Athletes and administrators alike found the speakers informative and interesting and school athletic directors asked that the information presented be made available for all their coaches and athletes each season.

To meet this request and make the information available to a much wider audience, the Westchester County Office of Communications has produced a video/DVD featuring highlights from this summit. The video, which will be given to each high school along with a resource packet, can be shown by coaches to athletes across the county at the start of each sports season. There is no cost for the packet.

In September, the video will also be available at westchestergov.com/steroids and on Cablevision’s Westchester TV(channel 504).