I don't know for certain how good the NCAA testing program is these days. I was Assistant Chief of Drug Testing for local, national and international speed skating meets on the 400 meter oval near where I live. I was happy to turn over our national operation for U.S. Speed Skating to USADA (U.S. Anti-Doping Agency) some years ago. USADA tests athletes in Olympic sports.

The NCAA has their own testing program and their web page says they test at championships and year around. I have no idea how thorough their testing program actually is. I would have to learn specifics on their year around program to give any kind of assessment as to whether it is any good or not. I'm not one to provide unqualified support for anything the NCAA does. Their web page also states that member institutions have their own testing programs. I'm even less willing to give broad support to individual institution drug testing programs. My sense is that the NCAA and institutional programs operate like sieves. I don't care who reads that comment. As noted above, I was an Assistant Chief of a national drug testing operation at one time and I am leery of believing very much of what I am told.

The higher level you go in athletic competition, the likelier you are going to find performance enhancing drug cheats. The desire for success can lead to overwhelming pressure to do anything, including using PEDs that are against the rules to reach success. It is incredible what people will do or take to get an edge on their competition. The mentality is, "well, everyone else is doing it so we have to do it to stay competitive enough to win." And 99% of those who are caught deny it or have some kind of phony excuse for a positive test. There are reasons why drugs and procedures are banned because the potential side effects are horrible and sometimes eventually fatal. Some athletes are so driven to win or be the best that they don't care. It is a sad state of affairs in athletic competition.