I’m a student-athlete, making random drug tests a part of my life.
Two types of drug tests might be demanded in any given week – the first is the NCAA drug test, and the second is an ACU drug test for different substances.
The NCAA tests for all kinds of drugs, but the top three are stimulants, illicit drugs and beta-2 agonists. If I test positive for any of these three – or others on the list of banned drugs – I will lose a year of eligibility for basketball. That means I would have to sit out an entire season that I could never get back.
We never know when to expect a drug test. If you’ve been selected, you are told late at night the night before. The next morning you are to arrive at 6 a.m., where you provide a urine sample with a supervisor in the room.
If you pass, you’re fine and you go on with the busy life of a student-athlete, but if you fail – well, your day just got worse.
It sounds scary, but it’s not if you just follow the rules, right?
Still, many athletes who did not want to comply with the testing rules have been dismissed from their school’s program because of it.
In the past, there have been cases where student-athletes were caught using drugs and dismissed from the team, or even the university. Often, these have been very talented athletes.
The NCAA takes drug testing very seriously – and it should.
In fact, I believe the NCAA should test more often on student-athletes. I have been a student-athlete at ACU for three years and only once have I been subjected to random testing.
One time is not enough if the NCAA and ACU truly want to know I am safe, healthy and legal.
Athletes are held to a high standard and drug testing keeps us honest and safe. As student-athletes, we put a lot of strain on our bodies and perform at highly intense levels. Adding drugs on top of the intensity and stress is screaming for disaster.
Many athletes may not like the idea of frequent drug testing, but it forces us to keep doing what we are supposed to be doing – protecting our minds, bodies and the reputation of our team and our university.
