Steroids

In a naive attempt to drag the conversation back the mission statement of this web site... How hard should USMS try to define banned substances for performance enhancing effects and enforce those bans? Let me print up a few copies of my manifesto and distribute them in the streets, well OK, the virtual streets. I think we shouldn't do a darn thing. Don't get me wrong. I'd never touch the roids, and I'd hold in contempt and pity anyone who uses them in USMS events, just to perform better. But, I think the solution is an honor system among the USMS members, bolstered with a reward structure intended to deemphasize winning, and reward participation. Consider, we have many USMS participants with serious medical problems who have valid medical reasons to take the medications they receive. Even if we devoted the resources on the level of World Anti-Doping Agency (or whatever the new Olympic drug testers call themselves) to catch "drug cheats," what is the urinalysis gonna tell us? "Yup, I take steroids for my asthma/ lupus/whatever. Want to see my prescription?" Are we really prepared to tell these folks they have to chose between competing at USMS and getting appropriate treatment for their condition? I think not. The real solution is not to go down the road of overemphasizing, and lavishly rewarding, the "winners" of USMS events. Yeah, get your name in our magazine, and few medals, big ego stroke. Terrific. I can't imagine any sane person who would go on the juice for that. But, let's be sure we all keep a sense of proportionality, and as much as we'd like to grow USMS and draw attention to our sport, let's remember our roots and why the USMS founders started the organization in the first place. End of soapbox speech. Matt

In a naive attempt to drag the conversation back the mission statement of this web site... How hard should USMS try to define banned substances for performance enhancing effects and enforce those bans? Let me print up a few copies of my manifesto and distribute them in the streets, well OK, the virtual streets. I think we shouldn't do a darn thing. Don't get me wrong. I'd never touch the roids, and I'd hold in contempt and pity anyone who uses them in USMS events, just to perform better. But, I think the solution is an honor system among the USMS members, bolstered with a reward structure intended to deemphasize winning, and reward participation. Consider, we have many USMS participants with serious medical problems who have valid medical reasons to take the medications they receive. Even if we devoted the resources on the level of World Anti-Doping Agency (or whatever the new Olympic drug testers call themselves) to catch "drug cheats," what is the urinalysis gonna tell us? "Yup, I take steroids for my asthma/ lupus/whatever. Want to see my prescription?" Are we really prepared to tell these folks they have to chose between competing at USMS and getting appropriate treatment for their condition? I think not. The real solution is not to go down the road of overemphasizing, and lavishly rewarding, the "winners" of USMS events. Yeah, get your name in our magazine, and few medals, big ego stroke. Terrific. I can't imagine any sane person who would go on the juice for that. But, let's be sure we all keep a sense of proportionality, and as much as we'd like to grow USMS and draw attention to our sport, let's remember our roots and why the USMS founders started the organization in the first place. End of soapbox speech. Matt