Steroids a pact with devil

WITH the march of professionalism in schoolboy sport and the increasing pressures this brings, something had to give.

A look around at many of the rugby matches at this level will show that players are getting bigger every year. Schools have gyms, professional biokineticists and professional coaches. Old Boys are raising money for school sport programmes.

There is the added curse of the ranking system which I believe will ruin South African rugby. Gone are the days when schoolboy rugby was about enjoyment and the basics which are passing, running and sometimes kicking, in that order. The result is that many players feel obliged to take the shortcut to remain competitive.

In recent years, many young players have resorted to lying about their age, steroids and other illegal substances. At one time, two top KwaZulu-Natal boys who claimed to be 19 were found to be 25 and 21. The schools knew about it, but upheld the cheating because winning had become everything.

The increasing levels of steroid use can be attributed to parental pressure, peer pressure and sometimes an officially sanc- tioned doping regimen to keep the team at the top.

In the past few days, a slew of positive dope tests were announced involving players under the age of 26.

In Border there were two players, EP Kings has a repeat offender who is in danger of being banned for life while Boland has a 19-year-old suspect and Griquas a 21-year-old. This is believed to be the tip of the iceberg.

Drug testing has not developed to the extent that all levels of rugby can be tested regularly, so many of the cheats and those planning to cheat live in fear of being caught.

Steroid abuse is a dangerous thing to do. Users may develop breasts, acne, yellowish and oily skin and suffer from arrested bone growth. Other side-effects may include an enlarged heart, shrunken testicles and impotence.

Using steroids is like making a pact with the devil. You will benefit from, in the short term, huge muscle growth and power and financial rewards and fame but will later suffer devastating physiological problems.

What about the shame of being known as a drug cheat? Are you willing to go through that?