USADA Bust On Cheating USA Track and Field Athletes

[jmayesvaultmom]

As a parent, I am glad they test. They can pick up anything from marijuana to cocaine, etc. and I'm sure they look for steroids. We were required to turn in copies of any prescription medicine your athlete was taking so as to save them the embarrassment of being told they "flunked" a drug test. I guess they are referring to things like the different ADD medicines that would show up as a stimulant. The only thing I don't like is that when they pull them out at random, they pull them out of the class immediately after lunch. My oldest daughter was pulled out of her class after lunch several times. It was Chemistry! I finally called the principal and said--"If you are drug testing athletes, why pull them out of a class like Chemistry...why not during athletics?" They said that there are things they can do to mask the substances showing up, but it takes a little while to take effect. That is why they pulled them out immediately after lunch. I guess a few too many students were doing drugs during lunch. I like the fact that it serves as a deterrent (sp?) to athletes doing drugs. It's not the fact that I think my kids would have done it if there were not testing....but it gives them an easier way to say "NO"....they can say..."hey, we're drug tested and I don't want to flunk!"

[keulpv]

"They can pick up anything from marijuana to cocaine, etc. and I'm sure they look for steroids"

Actually I doubt that they test for steroids. The test for that is really expensive, which is one reason they don't do it that often in High School unless the suspect something. The NCAA and USADA can afford it, but your local high school usually can't.

[rainbowgirl28]

http://oregonlive.com/newsflash/sports/ ... 784880.xml

Quote from Stacy Dragila regarding the coach who turned in the syringe with THG in it: "I think he's a hero," said Stacy Dragila, the 2000 Olympic gold medalist and former world record holder in the women's pole vault. "I think a lot of people have been wanting to be able to be that person. For someone to take that step and go to that next level has really opened the doors."

[StickJumper]

My two cents:

1. I am a chemistry major, go figure all this stuff will come down on me. Well, Biochemical/Biomedical, so i'll learn how to beat the system. What i mean is, those that have the same major as me could likely find a way to beat the system or cheat it (not that I ever would). All in all, it's like someone said earlier, chemistry will always be ahead of sport testing. Obviously, this is true cause things have developed before you can test for it. Anyway, it's not like people aren't also informed on how to beat the system.

2. I go to school at a university in the SoCon. Not an elite conference, but a very respectable one nonetheless. Never have I heard anyone mention any sort of supplement/steroid/drug/anything that would boost performance. We use a thing called "training." It seems to work. Everyone gets stronger andfaster and thenwe use "practice" and learn "technique." The school provides these for us and I'm pretty sure that they are all legal, or maybe they haven't developed a test for it.

3. Not to get preachy or play the religion card. My favorite movie of all time is "Rudy," a movie I'm sure most everyone as enjoyed at least once courtesy of TBS. A really inspirational movie about doing what you desire most, and achieving that goal despite all odds. In the movie Rudy (Sean Asthon) says to Coach Parsegian: " I've come to realize that God put some people on this earth to be football players, and I'm not one of them." Why don't people realize that maybe their body was made to be just so good. I will never be satisfied with not being a world class vaulter, I've come to realize that this will likely never happen, but i will never put anything in my body to try to achieve that. nothing is more satifying than knowing what you yourself were to accomplish. Being mentally strong and true with your training regimen is the best way to achieve what you want.

I'm done. Sorry to preach.

[SlickVT]

I say let them all roid. It would make track and field a really exciting sport. Think of what it would do for pole vault. I know what oyu are all thinking. Is he serious? I'll let you all wonder about that one.

[theflyingkorean]

Was it a public or private school?

[rainbowgirl28]

I say let them all roid. It would make track and field a really exciting sport. Think of what it would do for pole vault. I know what oyu are all thinking. Is he serious? I'll let you all wonder about that one.

Then we would have to pay all their health bills when they have cancer at the age of 30, and are giving birth to deformed babies.

What would it do for the sport? Well examine pro body building. Has the public embraced those doped up freaks of nature? Is that really where we want to go?

[vaultguru6]

I say let them all roid. It would make track and field a really exciting sport. Think of what it would do for pole vault. I know what oyu are all thinking. Is he serious? I'll let you all wonder about that one.

You know it would be really cool to see some dude jump 21' someday even if he were juiced off his a**. Kinda like its really cool to see someone hit 72 homeruns in a season, even if he is juiced off his a**. But the only problem i see with it, is some day I want to be a world class vaulter, but I don't want to resort to roids to get there. So yea, if we'd let em juice (and didn't expose the fact that they did), kind of like baseball, it'd probably become a bigger spectator sport. But at the same time you take away the dream of every athlete like myself who is not willing destroy his body to get to that level. And isn't that what sport is all about?

[KYLE ELLIS]

It takes commitment to be a world class vaulter, but if u r resorting to roids then your giving your entire life away and its not worth it to me. u will be unhealthy, probably have a lower life expacatncy, out of control rage and so on. if i knew as a youngster, that the only way i could be a world class vaulter is to throw everything away for it i wouldnt of ever tried it or any sport. thats what i think will happen if they allow roids, many world class athletes would be seperated and probably lose their jobs because some would choose not to juice. for example john runs a 9.9 100m and mike runs a 9.9100m on gets on roids and runs a 9.3 but the other doesnt want juice and stays around 9.9 thats not cool.

[rainbowgirl28]

http://www.olympic.org/uk/news/olympic_ ... asp?id=247

At the ceremony, Sergey Bubka expressed his gratitude, declaring that he had "received a great deal from sport", and that it was now up to him to give something in return. He also stressed the importance he accords to the fight against doping, regarding it as "the biggest threat to sport in the 21st century"

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That's funny, I thought the shorter pegs were a bigger threat Just kidding!

[rainbowgirl28]

This is kind of a funny article, it starts off describing one Michigan athlete who had his trainer test a candy bar he was given!

http://www.freep.com/sports/othersports ... 031105.htm

Until recently, Flintstone vitamins were the only supplement Livonia decathlete Paul Terek consumed as part of his training.

"Two chewables a day," he said.

Creatine, available over the counter, is found in many foods such as meat, poultry and fish. Some think the supplement can improve performance during intense exercise.

Terek said he used Creatine powderlast season, taking "one-fifth" of the recommended amount because he was told it could help him recover after longer workouts. He is unsure if he will take the supplement next season.

"If I buy Creatine from a lower-end manufacturer, what if it's mixed up in a vat that had andro?" Terek said. "I've never tested positive for any banned substances. Maybe I'll go back to Flintstones."

[rainbowgirl28]

4 Oakland Raiders have reportedly tested positive for THG

http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/ ... 278662.htm

I bet there are more pro athletes (in major sports) on THG than track athletes. Too bad MLB does not care about the problem