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Who s pretending otherwise? The bullshit comes in when kids start "playing" other sports to avoid a punishment. It's ridiculous to test HS kids and not test for PEDs, but I don't think they should be tested at all. A waste of money that would be spent better elsewhere. But, if you know the rules, have been made aware of them, can't figure out a way to beat the test and get caught, picking up a new sport just to avoid punishment is lame. That makes it all a farce. Just stop testing.

I honestly think the nicotine is complete BS. Especially when the age for tobacco use to be 18 and a high school senior could be of age and still get popped for a drug test even though its legal. But if they rules are such that you letting your team down for partaking in tobacco then you got the rest of your life to do that or just dont do it in season. It going to happen I dont think anyone thinks it doesnt but if I was the head of a program and would mention that every day just to make sure the kids know what they are risking. I also dont think weed or anything harder than that has any place in high school sports I know that a hot take for some people but thats just how I feel about that situation

Tazewell County tests for nicotine. I like how people from areas that do no testing at all beat their drums about kids and punishment for those that actually do test. Let's be honest how many kids back in the day smoked cigarettes, dipped, chewed, or smoked weed? Several. Just because its been 40 years since some of us were in school doesn't mean we were all in Sunday school acting like little angels. It doesn't matter if its Graham, Richlands, or a Christian school kids are going to be kids.

BristolSports @BHCSports Brody Meadows is one of the state's top lineman and the Graham High School standout recently committed to the University of Virginia Cavaliers: heraldcourier.com/sports/prep-football-graham-rising-senior-lineman-meadows-reeled-in-by-virginia/article_4526eb18-dc76-11eb-a871-2bdc993e3875.html… great state otball-graham-rising-senior-lineman-meadows-reeled-in-by-virginia/article_4526eb18-dc76-11eb-a871-2bdc993e3875.html

Agreed. If it's not a VHSL rule, then Tazwell County is just creating problems out of thin air. They seem, to me, to be trying to have their cake and eat it too by testing these kids for stuff like bud or nicotine but allowing them to skirt around the rules by not mandating they miss all games in the sport which they were tested. It's ridiculous to me to test HS kids on a random basis anyway, it's costly when there are MUCH better ways to spend that money, it's a competitive disadvantage and I'm not sure I would like a school system drug testing my kids for privacy reasons. These aren't grown men, these are teenagers who should not be treated as professional athletes. If they get arrested, suspend them. Fail a class, suspend them. Get into a fight or trouble in school, suspend them. But drug testing randomly just leaves a bad taste in my mouth for some reason.

My thoughts exactly. If they are going to test then it should be a vhsl thing and not a county by county basis. Someone with more knowledge of the testing may be able to answer if Tazewell County tests for PEDs or not. From my understanding and I may be completely wrong on this. In Tazewell County it seems the tests are "random" and they are conducted towards the end of the season. Normally playoff time. So if Student A fails the test and his/her team doesn't make the playoffs then Student A elects to play Underwater Basket Weaving so they don't have to sit out their preferred sport. I totally understand that's skirting the rules.

"random". Lmao.

This website is the pinnacle for remembering things the way they never were. I played baseball around the turn of the millennium, and I was one of 4 players on the team that DIDN’T dip or chew.

By design. Hoping for the Food City construction to be winding down by October.

drug testing is a school system thing it has nothing to do with the VHSL. I know Tazewell and Smyth have drug testing I dont know who else in the area does. Most of the test are carried out by a 3rd party group and they are random. I do not know what the exact punishments are as far as a positive test goes but from what I have heard It kind of like a COVID test you have to have a negative test before you come back. I could be wrong but I feel like I've heard that before. I think Tazewell county also test for nicotine which is a little much IMO. At the end of the day I think they kids should just take the advise of Stephen A Smith and "STAY OFF THE DAMN WEEEEEEEEEEEEEDDD"

Kudos to Galax. Just saw West Stokes when scrolling through that schedule and Wo Nelly, West Stokes is a bad outfit. Down in 2020 by their standards with the Covid year going 2-4ish, but two of those 4 were nailbiters. I think West Stokes will be as tough or slightly better than Glenvar and Radford, and not much further down, but a slight notch down from Graham. Galax has a very solid schedule. Very impressive. The ten teams on their schedule better pack a lunch, or it can end in a loss for any of the 2 teams they play. They will be good enough with their on field talent to possibly win all 10 of those games. Odds are they slip up at least 1 time, but you never know.