Reaching for the High: Substance Abuse on SHS's Athletics Teams

Written by Eria Getto

Where only first names appear, names have been changed at the request of those interviewed.

Michael Phelps, Olympic gold medalist and swimming machine, stated on his website that his favorite quote is “actions speak louder than words.” Yet last winter, Phelps’ career came to a standstill thanks to an action out of the pool. When pictures of Phelps with drug paraphernalia surfaced online, the young athlete who amazed the world with his talent was shocking the world with his poor judgment. He lost a sponsorship deal with Kellogg’s and was suspended from competition for three months. Although Phelps has apologized to his fans, people have begun associating his name with pot rather than with world records.

On the surface, the somewhat less accomplished athletes of SHS would seem to have little in common with the eight-time gold medalist. Like Phelps, however, SHS athletes are required to avoid alcohol and other illegal substances, and suffer consequences when they fail to adhere to school regulations--if they are caught.

SHS has specific substance abuse guidelines for its athletes, and clear procedures for dealing with those who fall short of expectations. According to SHS’s Extracurricular Code of Conduct, athletes and members of clubs and community service groups are expected to refrain from abusing alcohol, tobacco, and other controlled substances, in addition to upholding a standard of excellent sportsmanship. Code violations can result in an appearance before a Fairness Committee, which consists of a number of team captains. The Committee ultimately decides the athlete’s punishment. “[The Fairness Committee] takes each case individually,” said Athletic Director Michael Menna. “We deliberate and go around the room. Everybody has equal weight ... and the students … know ... what goes on.”

The rules are unable to prevent frequent violations. Bill, an SHS athlete, described smoking marijuana with all his teammates after practice as “a nice team-building experience.” Maroon spoke to four captains, three of whom stated that team substance abuse was a frequent occurrence among their players.

The athletic department makes a strong effort to educate students about the code and encourage them to follow it. At the start of each season, SHS Youth Outreach Worker Lauren Pomerantz and Menna discuss the code with each team, and “If there were rumors or suggestions of substance abuse… we would talk to the captains, the team, and the coach as well as letting the administration know,” said Menna.

Every year Captains participate in Captains’ Councils, in which they discuss their positions as role models on the team. Despite this training, former Varsity soccer and Varsity lacrosse captain Nicole Rafajac ‘09 was undecided as to whether or not she would have notified her coaches of a teammate’s drugs use. “As captain, it’s kind of hard because you don’t have as much authority as the coach. You are still a teammate and peer so I would probably just talk to them…. They still are your friends and your teammates and you don’t want your team to suffer,” she said.

As Menna noted,“Do we hear everything that goes on in the community? No. But if we did hear about team substance abuse and any infraction of the co-cirrciular code we would try to be proactive and put together a fairness committee and take immediate action.” In the end, whether or not an athlete abuses drugs is his or her own decision, and the school can only help students make smart decisions.

Each coach deals with the issue of substance abuse with his or her athletes differently. As Boys’ Varsity Basketball Coach Jon Feld stated, “I speak about it before every season… first during try-outs, and after our team is formed...to make it absolutely clear that there will be little tolerance.”

Cross-Country Coach Richard Clark, however, has a slightly different perspective on dealing with substance abuse on his team. “My kids are pretty good. However, if I saw suspicious personality traits were being exhibited... I would start talking to them about drug abuse, and I would hope that they get the message,” said Clark.

As for the repercussions that the Extracurricular Code has for athletes who abuse illegal substances, senior Matt Oliverio feels that, “Just because you’re a top athlete you can’t just dodge the law and be special,” said Oliverio.

However, Clark fears that the code is sometimes not as effective as it could be. “In the past, the school, the police, and … school officials just seem to turn their backs to [drug abuse] and have given maybe a slap on the wrist. It’s overprotecting, and I’m not sure if that works,” he said.

Some athletes believe that committment to a team’s success can act as a deterrent against substance abuse. Junior Luke Moretti understands the importance of maintaining healthy habits while in season. “I think that [being an athlete] leads to pressure to play well. You don’t want to drink the night before and then play horrible in that game.... A lot of kids don’t smoke [marijuana] because they know they won’t be able to run as much during soccer,” he explained.

Yet despite the debilitating impact of drugs and alcohol as well as the threat of the Extracurricular Code, drug and alcohol abuse are still presents. “For every team I’ve ever been on I’d say the majority of the time the team... drinks or does drugs,” said Alex.

While some student athletes avoided the issue, other swere more candid about their experiences with alcohol and drugs. “We had a party with the entire varsity boys’ team and the entire varsity girls’ team. There were three hundred cans of beer for the two teams. Everyone on the team goes to someone’s house and they just start drinking all night and going crazy,” stated Beatrice.

When considering disciplinary actions, Clark, Varsity Tennis and Varsity Gymnastics Coach Jennifer Roane, and Feld say they would not hesitate to remove a top player from the team if he or she violated the code. “It’s a privilege to compete, not a right. If you screw up, I think you forfeit those privileges. Wearing the uniform should never be taken lightly,” stated Clark. Feld takes it upon himself to make sure that code abuses never go unnoticed. “I respect what the fairness committee does, but while a player might get a three-game suspension, that doesn’t mean on his fourth game back that he will be playing.”

Athletes tend to agree, and understand that there could be severe consequences to regrettable decisions. “I’m playing Division 1 soccer at Lafayette, and that’s a really big thing for me, so if I get caught using drugs or drinking alcohol it could affect me and my scholarship,” said Sho Kono-Villanueva ‘09.

Are athletes more likely to drink or use drugs? Pomerantz stated, “I don’t think it’s more common. I think that we just sometimes hear about it more, partly because athletes are thought of leaders, so sometimes it’s more surprising,” and although there are cases in which student athletes defy the expectations set for them as role models, being a leader provides athletes with the opportunity to influence their teammates’ actions in a positive way. Feld was quick to note that, on a team, “you have certain kids who, because of their athletic prowess and their abilities, can be leaders, regardless of anything else that’s going on socially. And whatever decision they make, a lot of the people will follow them.”