
DATE: Friday, February 28, 1997             TAG: 9702280570

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY PAT DOOLEY, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:  106 lines

LIFERS: STEROIDS NOT RAMPANT

Local bodybuilders use steroids less than the public might believe, several of the sport's participants said Thursday - the day after three Virginia Beach men were indicted on charges of distributing the drugs in the area.

Most bodybuilders are clean, they said, depending only on hard work, good nutrition and Mother Nature to increase body strength and mass.

On Wednesday, Dr. Anthony J. Donatelli, Larry Wayne ``Barry'' Silvestro and Scot Alan Delarino were indicted on charges of distributing steroids and other illegal performance-enhancing drugs through contacts in local gyms. Also indicted was Christopher K. Dabbs of Miami, who is accused of importing the drugs.

News of the indictments, bodybuilders said, harms the sport's image.

``It reflects very badly on the sport in general,'' said James Greene, 26, of Virginia Beach. Greene said he formerly used steroids to lose weight and maintain muscle mass, but has ``totally sworn them off.''

At Flex Gym in Virginia Beach Thursday morning, trainer Wesley Sparrow verified that the indicted Virginia Beach men are bodybuilders who trained at the Bonney Road facility.

Still, Sparrow and other members said they don't believe steroid use is widespread at local gyms. They said most amateur bodybuilders today achieve their look naturally.

``Some people are gifted,'' said Bonnie Berg, a part-owner at Flex Gym. Berg, 46, has been bodybuilding competitively for about a decade.

She estimated only about 1 percent of body builders use anabolic steroids, which are illegal without a prescription. Use of the drugs, she said, is the ``exception rather than the rule.''

Anabolic steroids have been classified as Schedule III controlled substances since 1990, federal law-enforcement officials said. People who distribute them face up to five years in prison.

The drugs are designed to mimic the male hormone testosterone, and may help body builders and other athletes increase body mass and decrease fat, said Dr. Melvin Williams, an exercise physiologist at Old Dominion University in Norfolk.

Large amounts of anabolic steroids over long periods are associated with increased risk for heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and liver damage, Williams said.

They may curtail growth in young athletes while causing acne, hair loss and the development of female breast tissue in some adult males and facial hair and deepening voices in some adult females.

Steroids also have been linked to increased aggressiveness and hostility, a condition dubbed `` 'roid rage.''

Steroids also are sometimes prescribed in the treatment of certain diseases, such as breast cancer and osteoporosis.

Berg said many state and local bodybuilding shows now test athletes for steroid use through polygraph or urine samples, or require contestants sign a waiver stating they are drug-free.

The public, she said, sometimes unfairly equates bodybuilding and power lifting with steroid use.

But contest promoters ``want it to be a sport, not a chemical contest,'' she said.

Flex's powerlifting team, for example, won the American Drug-Free Powerlifting Association championship in Virginia for three consecutive years, she said.

``We encourage people to be drug-free,'' she said. ``Our concern is to get people fit and healthy.''

Flex may attract more serious bodybuilders than other local gyms, she acknowledged, because it offers specialized equipment for them. About 50 or 60 of the gym's 900 members are competitive, she said.

Operators of other local gyms, including Olympian Gym and Wareing's in Virginia Beach and the Downtown Athletic Club in Norfolk, said they don't see evidence of steroid use among members, most of whom have modest goals, such as losing weight or toning.

Still, others who work out regularly said they know steroids are out there, even though they don't use them.

``I see guys that use steroids,'' said Anthony Thompson, 27, of Virginia Beach, warming up at Flex with 360 pounds on a leg press. ``The natural body looks better.

``I'm all-natural.''

That requires lots of hard work, wise eating and cooperative genes, local lifters say.

Gayle Schroeder, 49, a champion bodybuilder and power lifter who is married to James Greene, said the quick results steroids offer can be tempting for the competitive athlete.

``You kind of fight this demon in you,'' said Schroeder, who also pursues the natural route.

In addition to the health and legal risks, steroids can deplete a user's pocketbook. About 500,000 Americans - mostly young, white and male - spend about $400 million a year on synthetic steroid hormones, the New York Times reported last year.

Sparrow, the Flex trainer, said steroid use sometimes is apparent. The body may become swollen, the back discolored purplish-green. The muscles may not appear as lean or as sculpted, he said.

In body-building and powerlifting events, amateurs sometimes go on knowing the competition is using steroids, said Schroeder, a personal trainer.

``You just have to go in and be your best by doing things naturally, she said.

``Staying natural keeps you active in the sport.'' MEMO: Staff writers Cindy Clayton and Bill Reed contributed to this

story. ILLUSTRATION: [Color photo]

STEVE EARLEY/The Virginian-Pilot

Chris Hokemeyer works out at the Flex Gym in Virginia Beach.

Hokemeyer, who says he does not use steroids, says he has been

offered the drug in area gyms but repeatedly turn them down. He

competes in ``all-natural'' contests that require urine tests to

screen for steroids.