Beginning in January, athletes involved in winter sports at San
Benito High School will receive anti-drug and anti-alcohol
training.
The training is aimed at stymieing the tide of underage drinking
that has led to tragedies over the years, including the Dec. 6 car
accident that took the lives of two 2003 SBHS graduates.
Athletic Director Randy Logue and athletic trainer Dave Tari
have kicked around the idea of the training for a few years, but
decided to take action because of the two deaths, Logue said.
Beginning in January, athletes involved in winter sports at San Benito High School will receive anti-drug and anti-alcohol training.
The training is aimed at stymieing the tide of underage drinking that has led to tragedies over the years, including the Dec. 6 car accident that took the lives of two 2003 SBHS graduates.
Athletic Director Randy Logue and athletic trainer Dave Tari have kicked around the idea of the training for a few years, but decided to take action because of the two deaths, Logue said.
“The bottom line is that this tragic accident that happened pushed us to do something and stop just talking about it,” Logue said.
Logue and Tari are working on a curriculum outline and will fill in the holes during winter break. Logue said he hopes to get the curriculum approved and start taking it to the athletes in January.
The main point to get across is the consequences of drinking or doing drugs. Eventually, Logue would like to have an automobile insurance agent talk to students about how much more money they will pay for insurance over their lifetime if they have a DUI charge.
Or have people share their experiences, like SBHS teacher Bill Johnson who has offered to give a personal testimony about drinking and driving. Johnson was involved in a drinking-and-driving accident in which his wife died. He faced criminal charges and could have lost his teaching credential. The point is to get youth to think about the long-term consequences, Logue said.
Currently, athletes are required to sign an athletic code of conduct that states that athletes forfeit their right to play on a sports team if they use drugs or alcohol.
And approaching students about alcohol and drugs in different ways is important.
“We’ve lost too many kids where underage drinking was involved,” Logue said.
Logue and Tari are singling out athletes because, in most cases, they set the cool factor on campus. They can be the popular kids or the students others look up to, Logue said.
Also involving the community is an essential aspect of reversing the underage drinking trend, said Superintendent Jean Burns Slater.
“I believe that we have a responsibility to set clear guidelines for our young people,” Slater said. “Adolescents, by design, push us. We as adults, by definition, have to hold the line.”
There’s a reason people are allowed to vote and fight in a war at the age of 18, but have to wait until 21 to drink – young people are not mature enough to make all their decisions, Slater said.
Holding training for parents is also part of Logue and Tari’s plans. The training would be informational and focus on the consequences of using drugs and alcohol and remind parents that supplying alcohol to youth is illegal.
“The bottom line (about underage drinking) is that it’s illegal whether it’s in your back yard or anywhere,” Logue said. “The more support we can get from the community, the better. The missing piece of this puzzle is who is supplying kids with the alcohol?”
The sad part about the recent tragedy is that students view it as the norm, Slater said.
“They think this is normal, that it happens every year,” she said. “That (thinking) allows it. People think it’s something that’s going to happen. It doesn’t have to happen.”
For more information on the training, call Logue at 637-5831, ext. 350.
