Masters Swimming and Illegal Supplements

The USADA is very clear regarding the use of supplements: www.usantidoping.org/.../athlete advisory-approved or verified supplements.pdf BTW, I once treated a woman who suffered significant postoperative bleeding related to her use of gingko, a commonly used supplement. Hers was by no means an isolated incident.

There was a piece on Fox sports that showed that small amounts of steroids administered to young healthy adults will have a positive effects on physical and mental health with NO unhealthy side effects. If small amounts of steroids can make your life better - and are not dangerous - then why not use them? If the argument is USMS is more about making yourself better - and that is what steroids do - then wouldn't steroid use fit in USMS credo? This argument only has merit if "safe" steroid use is possible. I do not know if it is, but I do believe in science and I think it is naive to think that safe steroid use won't be possible in the future. If your argument is built on steroids being "unsafe" then it really has nothing to do with my questions...

Originally posted by aquageek Maybe what she meant was she was sprinkling cocaine on her poppyseed bagel before eating it. Bar none, one of the funniest things I have seen on here. Geek, you are a freakin riot! Keep it up!

Please tell me what you mean by cheating? USMS has no banned list, so you certainly are not breaking any rules. Steroids are banned in other sports not because they make you better, but because they are unsafe. If some people choose to use them, you would have to do something dangerous to your body to be on a level playing field. With safety out of the equation this point is moot. A fast skin suit makes you faster and you do not have to do anything to get the improvement. Just put it on. Steroids will only make you faster if you work hard. So the "you get faster by doing nothing" argument has little relevance and no precedence. Please define cheating...

Currently USMS does not prohibit performance-enhancing substances. Nor am I aware of a policy statement. Keep in mind, however, that use of a controlled substance (anabolic steroids) without a prescription is illegal.

Lefty is asking whether it's still considered cheating if you aren't breaking any rules. Just be sure you don't wear any kind of flotation device. And enter feet first during warmups.

I believe this is a summary of USMS policy re: performance enhancing drugs: .

originally posted by Aquageek Maybe what she meant was she was sprinkling cocaine on her poppyseed bagel before eating it. I thought everyone ate thier bagels that way?

My brother used to be an army officer. His last tour of duty was in Germany telling soldierts taht they were being discahrged becaseu the either tested postive for drugs or were HIV positive. He said that almost to a man, each person claimed it was because of poppy seeds. supposedly, the Arymy then did a stury and found that you woudl have to eat about, I believe, 10 lbs of poppy seeds to meet the level the army said was necessary for discharge. Also, I have a question about the USMS's policy on banning drugs. Didn't I read that there isn't one? But doesn't the USMS follow Fina? It is really confusing

Craiglll: I think people in swimming are not saying much because of the press statements by David Salo and John Leonard after Montreal were not taken to well by both *** Pound of the WADA and Mustapha Larfaoui of FINA. The bigger news today was a request that Italy back off with its criminal charges if anyone is caught cheating with drugs during the competition. I read the news item in swiminfo today and it looks like they don't want Italy to go through with this during the Winter Olympics. They just wanted you banned from competition not jailed if you are guility.