School Athletes

NEW YORK -- The release of the Mitchell Report this month confirmed an ugly truth: America's got a big drug problem. I'm not talking about steroids; I'm talking about athletics themselves. Americans are addicted to competitive sports in ways that are profoundly unhealthful. And until we confront that problem, head-on, steroids will continue to plague us. Consider: Although every shred of evidence shows that adolescents do not learn well before 9 a.m., U.S. high schools start the day around 7:30 a.m. Why?

In the wake of the April 20 shootings in Littleton, Colo., the nation has been forced to examine the interaction among teen-agerswithin our high schools.The latest "Outside the Lines" special, airing Monday at 7: 30 p.m., takes a look at the gap between high school athletes and the rest of the student body, one of the many themes in the midst of the Columbine tragedy.For lead reporter Shelley Smith, the topic is especially poignant, not only since the shootings took place not far from where she grew up, but, also because she is the mother of a 13-year-old daughter who is an athlete.

Howard County's tough new academic eligibility policy has disqualified less than 2 percent of high school athletes this school year -- a far smaller number than many had feared -- according to a study presented to the school board last week.Only 95 students who wanted to try out for winter and spring athletic teams were ineligible because of the new policy, said Donald Disney, Howard's coordinator of athletics. At least 3,870 students played on the winter and spring sports teams at Howard's 10 high schools this year.

ON MY VISITS to public schools over the years, I've routinely asked students how many of them expect to play professional sports.Invariably, half the hands of the classroom's male population shoot skyward. Most of my unscientific surveys have been at elementary and middle school, but I'm guessing that the response from high school students wouldn't be much different.Many children dream of becoming the next sports legend -- and that's fine. Dreams often help to sustain reality. Besides, have you ever tried telling a 14-year-old who can stick three-pointers that he'll never play in the NBA?

As Howard County high school athletes hit the practice fields for the first time early yesterday morning, they had something more daunting to talk about than new pass plays: proposed new academic eligibility standards that would be the toughest in the Baltimore area."

Amber Clutter and Jason Smith dared to dream and made a lot of sacrifices almost every day of their lives to pursue three-sport careers over the past 12 years.Yesterday it all seemed worthwhile for these two athletes who were honored at The Baltimore Sun's 29th annual High School Athletes of the Year luncheon in Towson.Broadneck High's Smith was chosen as the Boys Athlete of the Year and South Carroll's Clutter was selected as the Girls Athlete of the Year in the Baltimore metropolitan area that includes 111 schools and more than 13,100 athletes playing varsity sports.

In this modern and very American true account of coming of age in the 1990's, Blais tells the story of the Lady Hurricans, a high school girls' hoops team. These girls worry about pimples, but more about how to juggle their divorced parents. They are aware of and angry about what coverage women's athletics gets, always "includes adjectives like 'lithe,' 'winsome' and 'gorgeous'" ... They could use, says one, "You know, words like strong." These girls are hip, they say things like "You go, girl" when they're down.

Harford County's first public high school football coach and the man who introduced many other interscholastic sports to the county will be honored next month when the athletic field at Bel Air High School is named for Al Cesky.Mr. Cesky, founder and coach of the Bel Air Bobcat football team in 1950 and coach of the high school's baseball and basketball teams, went on to become the school system's supervisor of athletics. Such sports as lacrosse, swimming, golf, gymnastics and others were introduced in the county under his leadership.

Basketball's allure in urban neighborhoods is a matter of record. The game is a religion there, a culture, a sweet and powerful sporting drug with millions of youths in its thrall.This is not a bad thing. As city schoolteachers can attest, any endeavor that directs a child positively, away from the trouble that is often so close today, is a useful tool. Sometimes even a lifesaving tool.Yet, basketball's elevated status also exacts a terrible price in these communities. It puts stars in the eyes and dreams in the heads of children and teen-agers.

The air in your lungs burns as you try to push out that last lap. The speed and stamina that came so easily last year aren't quite there now.The agony suffered through preseason athletic tryouts will be all too familiar for many high school athletes next month, as they attempt to huff and puff their way into top condition for the fall sports season.For those who want to get a jump on the competition, the answer may lie with the County Youth Recreation Council and Department of Parks and Recreation.

Good ol' Charles Barkley has made plenty of boneheaded comments over the years, but when he defiantly stated in a Nike commercial in the early 1990s that he wasn't a role model, he was absolutely right on the money. He went on to say: "I am not paid to be a role model. I am paid to wreak havoc on a basketball court. Just because I can dunk a basketball does not mean I should raise your kids." For all the good guys who do community service and reach out to today's youth, the likes of Cal Ripken Jr. and Warrick Dunn to name a couple, there seem to be twice as many poor examples, such as Adam Jones of the Dallas Cowboys, Michael Vick and Ron Artest.

Beyond the sheer entertainment value of watching athletes and commissioners and union bosses squirm under the bright lights, there has been an oft- stated reason for the congressional hearings looking into the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sports. When the latest group of sports executives is trotted out tomorrow before a legislative panel, be sure to count the number of times kids or high school athletes are invoked as the rationale for probing steroid consumption. The theory goes that by exposing this conduct among big-time athletes, it will become less attractive to the younger, impressionable set. Nice theory, but in the real world, where these kids live, platitudes and pronouncements from the hot-air crowd in Washington have no bearing.

For 18 years, between ages 5 and 22, I lived in a jersey. Sometimes it was green, sometimes purple; usually it was red. From clinic soccer at Lutherville-Timonium Recreational Council to Division I lacrosse at Stanford, I lived to compete. Now, two years after hanging up my cleats, I am able to step back to examine the game from a different angle. I coach high school JV girls lacrosse and spent this past summer coaching an elite-level club team. My players hailed from eight strong public and private school programs.

NEW YORK -- The release of the Mitchell Report this month confirmed an ugly truth: America's got a big drug problem. I'm not talking about steroids; I'm talking about athletics themselves. Americans are addicted to competitive sports in ways that are profoundly unhealthful. And until we confront that problem, head-on, steroids will continue to plague us. Consider: Although every shred of evidence shows that adolescents do not learn well before 9 a.m., U.S. high schools start the day around 7:30 a.m. Why?

Glenelg girls soccer goalie Kerry Krammer doesn't remember much about last month's state soccer championship. Late in the first half, as Krammer went hard into a slide tackle against a breakaway opponent, her head slammed into the opponent's knee. She never lost consciousness, but she suffered a concussion. "I can barely remember the game," Krammer said. "I remember the bus ride to the game. I remember warming up. I remember making one save, but I don't remember anything else." The next thing she recalls is the car ride home from Anne Arundel Medical Center that night.

Joanna Strickland never doubted that her three children would go to college. But sending them could have been a burden for the Mount Airy family. Four years at Maryland for oldest daughter Marche, four at Indiana for son Marshall and another four for youngest daughter Marah could have amounted to some $250,000 in tuition, room and board. That might have required a second loan against the house and almost certainly would have consigned the children to student loan debt. Instead, when Marah Strickland, a senior at Towson Catholic, confirms her plans to attend school in College Park today, she will be the third Strickland child to accept a full basketball scholarship.

Tatyana McFadden got her wish. With the pop of a starter's pistol, McFadden, a Howard County wheelchair athlete who went to court to win the right to compete in the race with other high school athletes, kept up with and even lapped some runners at a tri-meet yesterday at Long Reach High School in Columbia. The Atholton High School sophomore competed in four events, crossing the finish line first in the 1,600 meters and 800, second in the 400 and fourth in the 200. "It felt great," said McFadden after completing the 1,600, her first race, in 4 minutes and 37 seconds.

Sports historians may note Feb. 1, 2006, as a watershed date for high school athletics, a date when the quaint notion of integrity took a big hit all over the country. Wednesday was the first date that high school athletes could sign national letters of intent to commit to colleges for the coming year, in many cases reneging on promises they made to other schools. And, while those letters were being signed, a travesty was being committed in a basketball game in Manhattan by a girl named Epiphanny Prince, who scored 113 points and made a mockery of her opponents, her teammates and of sports itself.

The campers, most of them clad in purple T-shirts and tired from a full day of practice, listened as Ravens tight end Darnell Dinkins wrapped up his one-day football clinic. But instead of talking about X's and O's, Dinkins discussed his campers' futures away from football and the importance of taking on adversity throughout life. "It's not a yellow brick road," Dinkins said yesterday in the air-conditioned cafeteria at Randallstown High School. "Stay positive, stay motivated, stay encouraged."

During the past year, the students pictured on these two pages distinguished themselves with exceptional athletic performances. Today, these students will be honored at The Baltimore Sun's 39th Annual High School Athletes of the Year Awards Banquet. "The spirit, the will to win, and the will to excel are the things that endure. These qualities are so much more important than the events that occur." Vince Lombardi, Pro Football Coach