Random Steroid Tests On N.J. High School Athletes All Negative

Sunday, February 18th 2007, 2:37 pm

By: News On 6

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) _ New Jersey's first in-the-nation tests for steroid abuse by high school athletes found no positive results, according to the group that administered the tests.

New Jersey became the first state to administer the tests amid concerns that high school students might be bulking up to be more competitive. National studies have shown that about 2 percent of teenagers use steroids before graduating from high school.

However, among 150 random samples from tournament-bound high schools, there was no evidence of the performance-enhancing drugs, according to Bob Baly, assistant director with the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.

The association, which oversees high school sports, also plans to test about 500 athletes during tournaments for various sports in the 2006-07 school year.

The $100,000 cost of the program, split between the association and the state Education Department, is money well spent even if every result is negative, Baly said.

``If we find out that people aren't doing something illegal because they're afraid to get caught, then we're successful,'' he told The Philadelphia Inquirer.