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Schools hold back 'boarder honors Probe to check claims 3 local coaches supplied drugs By Jonel Aleccia Snowboarding banquets and awards have been postponed at area high schools as police and school officials investigate suspicions that coaches supplied alcohol and perhaps marijuana to students at a recent state championship meet. At Ashland High School, the 27-member snowboarding team was barred from participating in Monday�s winter sports banquet, Athletic Director Jim Nagel said Monday afternoon. That included a dozen boarders who�ve earned letters in the sport. "They�ll get their letters, but they�ll get them later," Nagel said. "Right now, there�s a cloud hanging over all of them." At North and possibly South Medford high schools, the snowboarding banquets have been postponed indefinitely. At issue is whether local students competing in a state meet at Mount Hood Meadows this month used alcohol or marijuana, substances allegedly supplied by three coaches for a Medford snowboarding team. Students found to have used alcohol or drugs could be suspended or expelled from sports or school. In Ashland, denying public recognition is one way to urge snowboarding team members to reveal who among them may have participated, Nagel said. "We have evidence that some of our athletes may have been implicated," he said. But at least one parent criticized Nagel�s method of inquiry. "I think holding (recognition) over their heads to get them to squeal on their friends is a rotten thing to do," said Dan Roberts, whose 15-year-old stepson is on the Ashland team. "It�s almost like blackmail." Acting on parent complaints after the competition, Ashland and Medford school officials last week agreed to seek a police investigation of head coach Sean Crosby, 30, of Medford, and assistant coaches William Peterson and Brendan Boynton, both of Ashland. Crosby remained in serious condition Monday at Rogue Valley Medical Center following an unrelated skateboarding accident. Investigation into the coaches� conduct is continuing, Medford Police Lt. Tim George said Monday. The three coaches, hired by the Medford Ski Education Foundation, have worked primarily with students from North Medford High School. Teams from North Medford, South Medford and Ashland have competed collectively. The MSEF is an umbrella group that works cooperatively with the Medford district, which requires that foundation coaches abide by the same code of conduct as school staffs. Both state law and district policy prohibit coaches from using alcohol or drugs on school outings or from supplying students with illegal substances. Medford district officials last week said three or four students from North and "a few" students from Ashland were suspected of using alcohol or drugs while attending the school-sanctioned event. Together, the North and South Medford teams include between 50 and 100 students, although not all compete, district officials said. North Medford Athletic Director Mike Kay Monday refused to say whether any students had been disciplined in connection with the incident, citing the ongoing investigation. Student use is a serious concern, but parents said the larger issue is whether substances were furnished by the adult coaches. "If a coach is involved, it sheds a whole different light on the thing," Roberts said. "If a coach is providing it, we sent out a message that it was OK to do it." Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.