Another World Class Swimmer Caught Cheating

Doping on an amateur basis is crazy. I'd see folks in the gym who would raise suspicions of "jucing up." Do they compete in bodybuilding or powerlifting, or anything? No, they just want to "look good for the ladies." :rolleyes: I can understand professional athletes turning to substances as they have a financial investment at risk, but amateurs? Messing about with roids and other chemicals is a crapshoot for your longterm health. Remember that amateurs don't have the access to the medical science and opinions that wealthy pros do, so they really are playing Russian roulette withtheir health. Doping to bench or squat that extra plate is no different to doping to get that win or record, so I am sure there are a few among our herd that dabble.

When I was in college in Colorado I saw Lyle Alzado freak out and go ballistic on some poor guy in an Italian restaurant in Denver one cold winter night. He was a classic example of roid rage gone ballistic. I'll never forget that crazed look in his face that night. I had no idea he was a roid freak back then and I thought he was simply insane. He wigged out over the poor guy just looking at him and during that time Alzado was a very famous NFL football player. Alzado is probably most remembered today for being one of the first major U.S. sports figures to admit to abusing steroids. In the last years of his life, as he battled against the brain tumor that eventually caused his death at the age of 43, Alzado asserted that his steroid abuse directly led to his fatal illness. Screwing around with steroids for monetary gain and recognition is crazy enough on its own, but screwing around with steroids to impress the ladies is brain dead stupid. Fact is, you screw around with the bull long enough and sooner or later you're going to get the horn....unfortunately, it was to late in Lyle Alzado's life for him to realize that.

That's the beauty of steroids as a method of cheating, they come with their own varietals of punishment.

That's the beauty of steroids as a method of cheating, they come with their own varietals of punishment. While the "caveat emptor" stance is fine with me to apoint. It's like with any controlled substance, the trickle down effect starts to show up in college and then HS. Just waiting for time to exact punishment doesn't help those that might be encouraged to use substances at younger and younger ages. At 18 I was lifhting 3x a week. There were guys my ages pumping themselves full of dope, just to stand around with relatively skinny legs and huge upper bodies at the disco. Madness.

I wonder if the drug cheats ever get mad when a clean athlete beats them? Maybe in their skewed world view they're out their saying "all the money I spent on drugs and this guy/gal comes by who only had to buy a suit and goggles has the nerve to beat me!" They probably assume that the winner got more or better drugs....

"I understand from a friend who lives in Argentina, Brazillian Olympic Committee and some of its sport foundaitons are very disorganized and corrupt. The members of the Brazillian OC are appointed by politicians as rewards for favors. I'm not real sure how this works though. I htink that not until recently, since the olympics in Greece there were no 50meter pools in South America that were avaiable to atheletes. I guess there are some inhotels & one at the presidents palace in Brazalia." Craig, do not believe anything an Argentinian writes about Brazil and vice-versa. I am posting from an internet cafe so I will not answer about all the stuff above except for the pool question. In a city close by, where I go to some meets, there are two public 50 meter pools and one in a private club. They were built in the 60s I believe. I can assure you that similarly to the U.S. there are plenty of 25 (meter) pools here and less 50 meter ones. Our master's group has about 8 meets a year, with 3 being in LCM. The pool behind the Palacio da Alvorada in Brasilia, our equivalent to the White House, has a 25 meter pool, which you can probably see in the google satellite pictures. Later, billy fanstone

An apology… In a post on the 13th I made some flippant and cavalier comments about drug testing at the upcoming USA Swimming National Championship, for which I am sorry. These have been edited out of my post, but they were posted and they were inappropriate. First, to clear up a misstatement; I volunteered to be a drug testing chaperone at the championship, escorting athletes from the pool to the testing area. The actual drug testing is conducted by trained professionals in a tightly controlled manner. The chain of custody and confidentially is strictly maintained for legal and ethical reasons. The people who work for FINA, USA Swimming, WADA, and USADA are seriously committed to keeping swimming clean. Are they keeping our sport 100% clean? Of course not, but I believe these people are doing everything they can to insure that our competitions are fair and our athletes are given a level playing field on which to compete. Firefighters don’t prevent 100% of all fires; doctors don’t cure 100% of their patients, teachers don’t teach all straight A students. And, most of us would not propose that we give up on these professions as failed endeavors. Most of the people who choose these professions are trying to make a difference and doing what they can. I believe the same is true for the people working for WADA and USADA. The people at FINA, USA Swimming, WADA, and USADA are working to keep our sport as clean as possible. Will a very few athletes continue to try to gain advantages illegally? Unfortunately, yes. Will the testing agencies catch every cheating athlete? Obviously, no, but I bet the people working for ASADA and WADA are more frustrated by this then any of us.

The 2nd World Anti Doping Conference starts today and there are more than 150 countries in attendence. One of the items on the agenda is implementing a tougher anti doping code. Key proposals in the new WADA code are four year bans for series first time doping offenders but also more flexibility in sanctions and the chance of lesser punishments for caught athletes who co-operate with the authorities. The conference also marks the end of the *** Pound rein and they will elect a new President. *** Pound has always been controversial and has significant ties to swimming. He was an Olympic competitor in 1960 and finaled in the 100 Meter Free. He was also the Honorary Meet Director of V World Masters Swimming Championships in 1994, in Montreal. He has an interesting book out now called "Inside Doping". I have provided some links of what goes on behind the scenes about *** Pound and the WADA. www.telegraph.co.uk/.../main.jhtml canadianpress.google.com/.../ALeqM5iZCFPl-aZaElkVK7vmuwjU439jlw canadianpress.google.com/.../ALeqM5jEbGrsu9a3p1-dE4ePYl24SFKL-A www.wired.com/.../pound.html

*** Pond is a bloody hero in my book! For years and years he was the only guy who had the brass to tell it like it really was/is. In doing so he's been maligned, insulted, bashed, threatened and castigated by the cheaters. Years ago Marion Jones called him anti American, only to confess to her drug cheating years later. Sports is in serious debt to *** Pond and the brass he brought to keeping sports drug free. He will be missed.Phil Whitten is another name that comes to mind when we talk about guys who had the brass to tell it like it really was/is.

I wonder if the drug cheats ever get mad when a clean athlete beats them? How would they know the athlete who beat them was clean? More likely they'll think the athlete who beat them had better drugs.