Getting a needle stuck in your arm to give a blood sample would take the rest out.
Actually it is a urine sample.
Many of you seem to take masters swimming pretty seriously, considering that it is all "meaningless."
The argument that "it's only masters" and that our competitions are "meaningless" is inconsistent with what I have seen at nationals.
Hard to believe it's "meaningless" when people are throwing down $500 for Speedo suits and major dollars in travel expenses ... I've seen/experienced plenty of very intense masters swimmers.
"It's only masters" is a odd turn of phrase to me. Does life only exist/have meaning when you're young? We're masters and I assume what we choose to spend time doing matters somewhat to us.
I believe most masters records were accomplished legitimately, but there is really no way to know are for sure for everyone.
Anyway, I would much rather see our public servants in washington engage in random drug screen testing.
The argument that "it's only masters" and that our competitions are "meaningless" is inconsistent with what I have seen at nationals. I think you're being disingenuous when you use this to justify your opposition to drug testing. That's my point.
Some people take it very seriously. 75% don't compete at all in a given year. My personal opinion is that there are better ways to spend the resources to further USMS' mission.
What is unquestionably meaningless is griping about it on the forums, with nothing further. As Rob said long ago in this thread, if someone truly wants this to happen it needs a champion. Is that you?
If it is meaningless, then why bother doing it at all?
Agreed. There's no point at all, unless that $3.00 medal helps fill some kind of emotional void.
At the end of the day, cheaters will ultimately reap what they sow. Men can drape their top ten medals between their new found cleavage, and women can admire them while shaving their beards.
From the Mayo Clinic:
Andro is available legally only in prescription form and is a controlled substance.Manufacturers and bodybuilding magazines tout its ability to allow athletes to train harder and recover more quickly. However, its use as a performance-enhancing drug is illegal in the United States. Scientific studies that refute these claims show that supplemental androstenedione doesn't increase testosterone and that your muscles don't get stronger with andro use.
Risks
Side effects of andro in men include:
Acne
Diminished sperm production
Shrinking of the testicles
Enlargement of the breasts
In women, side effects include:
Acne
Masculinization, such as deepening of the voice, facial hair, and male-pattern baldness
These two statements are not contradictory.
The argument that "it's only masters" and that our competitions are "meaningless" is inconsistent with what I have seen at nationals. I think you're being disingenuous when you use this to justify your opposition to drug testing. That's my point.
A position statement does not require a champion. Nor does it consume resources. But it does send a message.
A position statement. Now that's really swinging for the fences.
How many elites have genuine asthma and have to use inhalers? It must be a disproportionate malady among really great swimmers, because a lot of them seem to have a malady that requires an inhaler. Is this a form of performance enhancement?
