NYCkayaker Anabolic steroids et.al. [was: Re: YPRC Commodore]

[mike]

I actually agree with you, I knew I was going to be interpreted as
supporting juicing, it was my poor writing, I reacted  to the  hero of the
giants and  Marion Jones.
Reality it is very big in world class kayak competitions. As with all sports
that require quick muscle, it is a perfect fit, again not that I endorse it.
But how do you deal with it, when everybody wants to sweep it under the rug
and keep it in the stalls.  The Clemens thing is going to play out like the
senator, denial, denial, denial, macnamee was a cop he knew he was going to
be the fall guy with nothing in the bank and jail  time  and Clemens  with
millions and freedom.
The denials will continue until they find a way to remove the shame, I think
the shame is what keeps it in the closet. I say it goes back to Mickey's
time.   
RSK you make some very valid points, I just tend to be more worried about
local police and people with guns, all those farm boys on the patrol boats
hopefully are just big boned.
It is a kayak issue if you race.  The Americans seem to be about half the
size of the others.  
 I don't know what the solution is, it has already worked its way into a
couple generations of athletes.

>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: nyckayaker-bounces at rockandwater.net [mailto:nyckayaker-
>>bounces at rockandwater.net] On Behalf Of Rich Kulawiec
>>Sent: Friday, February 08, 2008 12:10 PM
>>To: nyckayaker at rockandwater.net
>>Subject: NYCkayaker Anabolic steroids et.al. [was: Re: YPRC Commodore]
>>
>>On Wed, Feb 06, 2008 at 11:31:26AM -0500, mike wrote:
>>> At least the anabolic in sports is really harmless to the other
>>> people, except for the rage acts.
>>
>>Two-part answer.
>>
>>First, it's not harmless.  It is Not Much Fun to train 300+ days a year,
>>alone, in all kinds of weather, with no coach, no support, nothing, and
>>then travel hundreds of miles to a race...only to finish seven tenths
>>of a second behind a guy whose already-toned biceps have somehow doubled
>>in size from October to March.
>>
>>If you're me, and you're in your 40's when that happens, and there's
>>really nothing on the line but your own pride, then eventually you just
>>get over it.  But if you're 22 when something similar happens, and you
>>just finished third in a qualifying race that selects the top two for
>>an event that only happens once every four years -- an event that you've
>>been training for since you were 10, an event that was important enough
>>that you put college on hold, an event you may never get near again for
>>the rest of your life, then maybe you don't just get over it.
>>
>>Or maybe, even worse, because you're young and don't have the long view
>>yet, you decide to pre-empt that possibility by out-doping your rivals.
>>
>>And then, when you're 57, and your body is destroying itself while your
>>family and friends look on in horror, and while your doctors desperately
>>try to figure how the hell to stop it, and while every financial resource
>>you once had is drained to try to keep you alive, maybe you figure out
>>that it wasn't such a bright idea.  Too late.  Oops.
>>
>>Now multiply by the number of kids in sports who are good enough to
>>be competitive, but not quite good enough to be the among the best
>>without a pharmaceutical assist.  Make sure there's a generous dose of
>>the didn't-win-the-silver-medal-really-lost-the-gold attitude in play.
>>Add in peer pressure, coach pressure, team pressure, parental pressure,
>>societal pressure, financial pressure.  And factor in ready availability
>>of an vast assortment of drugs -- many of whose primary effects, let
>>alone side effects, are barely understood.  Set clock to "February 2008"
>>and you have arrived precisely: here.
>>
>>And that's the benign part, when compared to:
>>
>>Second, "except for the rage acts".  Yeah.  Except for the assaults, the
>>rapes, the suicides, the homicides.  You know: minor, transient problems.
>>Nothing to see here.  Move along, move along.
>>
>>
>>So I completely reject your assertion.  It does a lot of harm,
>>and that harm extends well beyond the individual taking the drugs.
>>And I'm profoundly sad to say that competitive kayaking isn't immune
>>to the problem -- I suppose it would be quite surprising if it were,
>>but I still find myself very disappointed every time that thought goes
>>through my head.
>>
>>---Rsk
>>
>>p.s. I am not, by the way, advocating the stunningly idiotic approach of
>>the "War on Drugs", which is proving to be as complete and monumental a
>>failure as the "War on Poverty" was and the "War on Terror" will be.
>>I'm not actually advocating any approach at all to *solving* the
>>problem in this message; I'm just arguing that it (steroid and other
>>performance-enhancing drug use in sports in general and in kayaking in
>>particular) really *is* a problem, therefore worthy of debate over how
>>it might best be addressed.
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