CLEVELAND, Ohio -- More than 250 high school athletes and coaches today traded their classrooms for Cleveland Browns Stadium and an intense four-hour training session aimed at curbing the use of steroids and performance-enhancing supplements, sensitive yet important issues in the competitive world of high school sports.
The no-nonsense training is part of a national program, known as ATLAS & ATHENA, put on by the Oregon Health & Science University and sponsored by the Browns and 14 other NFL teams.
The students, picked by the seven schools participating and dubbed "squad leaders," said they will take what they learned back to their schools, leading small group sessions with their peers over the next year.
At Akron Buchtel high School, which sent several athletes, seniors are paired as mentors with incoming freshmen.
"They look up to us," said Elijah Bell, a wide receiver on the school's football team. "We're their age."
Ron Lewis, Lakewood High School's head football coach, said the issue of steroids and performance-enhancing supplements needed to be addressed head on.
"I think this is an issue everywhere, across the board," Lewis said. "I think you'd be naive to say that they don't have access to things that are harmful to them, whether these things be steroids or these power drinks that you can buy in any convenience store."
Browns players and coaches were busy preparing for their upcoming game against Miami and didn't make an appearance today, but that didn't dampen the spirit of the students and coaches, who clearly came ready for a day of work.
Still, the team's stadium crew rolled out the red carpet for the students, who got an up-close look at the cavernous stadium, its locker rooms and fields.
"It's still work, but it's fun work," said Amherst High School senior Alyseea Gillespie, a volleyball player. "We get to be in Browns Stadium and we're learning something that will help other people, keeping them healthy."
