Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Changes in Drug Testing a Burden for DIII Athletes

"There have been plenty of embarrassing moments in the sports world. Take, for instance, Diana Ross missing her ceremonious penalty kick as part of the disastrously gaudy 1994 World Cup opening ceremonies. Or take Steve Smith scoring the winning goal in game seven of the 1986 conference finals … for the other team. Oh, and who can forget the infamous 1982 Cal-Stanford football game where the band rushed the field to celebrate Stanford’s victory a little too early, allowing Cal to score a last second touchdown and win the game.

What could I possibly imagine to be the embarrassing moment to top all those? Something so traumatizing it need not involve anything more than a cup, a bathroom stall and a complete stranger. That is, being asked for a urine sample for a drug test and being unable … to perform. It’s a lot of pressure. Too much pressure. Stories of athletes taking hours while teammates wait on the bus can make the most unabashed athletes worry.

Unfortunately for DIII student-athletes like me, this embarrassing moment could become a lot more common. Every year student-athletes at Swarthmore and elsewhere are asked to sign a series of documents that give the NCAA permission to drug test. As fall athletes already know, though, this year the forms are a little different."

- by Hannah Purkey, Swarthmore Phoenix

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