Topic: Article: York Barbell's Role in Steroid Controversy

[Matt Foreman]

I think almost all of the top international lifters in the world (in the men's division) are taking drugs.

[Dave Almeida]

I agree and was just posing the question to find out what you thought. I mean we all knows its impossible to simply train with the volume that they do without drugs.
  
  I agree with Shawn Thomas' comments in that hypocracy is a big part of this as far as the general publics perception of steroids go. At this point in my life I don't think I will ever use drugs but it doesnt mean i don't look at the amazing numbers the best lifters put up and automatically say "Oh that doesnt matter its steroids" like many common people do. I originally got started in weight training through a board that promoted the use of steroids but they also made it clear that it is not safe to use until a certain age and I quickly learned a lot about them and when they are safe to use so my opinion may be different than many on here.
  
 I feel that there will always be doping in weightlifting because for the majority of  competitive weightliftings existence there have been drugs and the drugs keep getting better. I think many people need to just accept that it comes with the territory of being a great weightlifter in this day and age (this may anger a few im sure =P). However, I don't like that its clearly not being used safely by many lifters especially the ones who are 18-20 years old and younger. Drugs SHOULD NEVER be used by people this young and it is IMPOSSIBLE to use them relatively safely at this age. This is where, I believe, WADA should focus their testing. They should atleast try to protect the younger athletes from being forced into using by their greedy coaches who want future 3 time olympic gold medalists (You can see this with Ilya Ilin right now) so they can get huge bonuses from their countries.

 WADA has a limited budged and will never be able to stop doping, if they can atleast make it safer by preventing the use by younger individuals and focus their testing in that area I think that would be a huge step in the right direction.

[Mike Wittmer]

You are correct about the money issue.  My son gets tested all the time, four times in the last six weeks.  It's supposed to be random but one guy told him that the guys towards the top get "picked" more often.  

A different guy came to the house Wednesday (Jeff is home from school on Christmas break).  This one did not come as far but sometimes the USADA officer will have to drive over four hours, one way, and sometimes they have flown.  As you might imagine, they're a little eager to see you pee when they need to get back to the airport for a return flight.

Anyway, the guy here two days ago did not say what he was paid but did say that the average test cost $700 which makes sense.  How much would you want to be paid to drive four hours, sit around two or three hours to watch someone pee, then drive another four hours home?  Consider vehicle use and gas.  Or, plane fare.  I'm glad they do it, but we put the money into it here, I don't know what is done elsewhere though it does seem that the testing is getting better.

Do you think the IWF would take some of the hundreds of thousands in "fines" they got before the last world championships and put that back into the testing program?