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IHSA Sports Medicine Advisory Committee Special Topics

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IHSA Sports Medicine: Steroid Education Units

Over the past few years, the Illinois High School Association, through a partnership with the National Federation of State High School Associations and the work of the IHSA’s Sports Medicine Advisory Committee, has attempted to provide schools and parents with information on the dangers of steroid use, one of the most rapidly growing problems confronting student-athletes today. The work of the IHSA has also been in response to recent legislation passed by the Illinois General Assembly, who modified the Illinois School Code to now require schools to provide instruction on performance enhancing drugs to student-athletes.

This year, the IHSA has developed the following four units for teachers or coaches to use with their students at their discretion. The units have been aligned to the Illinois Learning Standards. While the IHSA believes the units can be used as stand alone instructional pieces, the IHSA also realizes many educators will use these as starting points for greater instruction with their students. The units also contain possible learning activities, which will hopefully strengthen the learning process.

The IHSA offers its sincere thanks to its Sports Medicine Advisory Committee for its efforts in this area and to Dr. Cynthia LaBella, Greg Gaa, and Brian Grasso for their work on the education units which follow.