Topic: News: Weightlifting still struggling to escape its sordid history

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Because steroids are as much hype as they are effective.

Its funny to me that before steroids entered mainstream consciousness, it was the steroid users themselves who ridiculed the Dr.'s who said they didn't work. I've trained around plenty of steroid users. Some could never have outlifted me no matter what they took or how much they outweighed me by, but the steroids made them better no doubt. Steroids don't seem to play favorites from what I have seen. They make crappy athletes better and they make great athletes better.

Let's drop the bro stuff guys and stick to the issues, please.

[Mark Winchester Sr]

Done.  I just think too much on either side of the issue is made.  There's an excellent article called Never Enough Steroids which talks about the genie is out of bottle and not going back in.  Its next to impossible what is the right way to go.  Laws & testing sure ain't gonna do it.  Its gotta be a personal thing I guess.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Mark,

Thanks for keeping it civil and welcome to the site  . I certainly respect the libertarian view of the matter, much better than the deniers who say cheating isn't really happening much. It does appear that drug testing is never really going to change anything fundamental, what with gene doping coming fast if not here already.

I'm beginning to think having a drug-free and drugs are cool leagues is the answer. Of course, the problem is that the only thing that makes our sport pay off in terms of extrinsic rewards is the Olympics. And, although the Olympics is doped up through and through pretty much, they aren't likely to allow drugged up weightlifting, at least in name- read hypocrisy.

Cheers

[Mark Winchester Sr]

Chris
I'm glad to be here & glad to be a new Oly lifter (interested in the C&P primarily altho).  I think drugs should be allowed to a point but it would be hard to decide what ng/dl is too much.  Now if we can only bring back the C&P we'd all be happy.

Again, glad to be here.

[Brian Randell]

Chris
I'm glad to be here & glad to be a new Oly lifter (interested in the C&P primarily altho).  I think drugs should be allowed to a point but it would be hard to decide what ng/dl is too much.  Now if we can only bring back the C&P we'd all be happy.

Again, glad to be here.

No, Steroids should not be allowed at all. As for as your question about why no great American lifters, let me tell you a story. I was training with Daryl Scholfield at his Gym In Tulsa when we have Shane Hamman walks in. We started talking about lifting blah blah blah then drug tests came up. The reason no American lifters are in the tops is how many times they are drug tested.

Shane told us how just two weeks prior the USOC was waiting OUT SIDE OF CHURCH for him to do a random urine test! how in the last year he had been tested about 17 times RANDOMLY.  You will never see Russia, Bulgaria, China etal do this.

Bottom line, its cheating. For those that don't feel it is, find a sport like WSM, Bodybuilding etc that doesnt test and knock yourselfs out.

[Mark Winchester Sr]

No podnuh,  I think I'm gonna choose which sport I wanna compete in.   Again, its so funny how the country which introduced steroids (for the most part) is the very country trying so hard to eliminate them...kinda like nuclear weapons.  When they kicked Japan's ass nuclear weapons were great....now when Iran has them suddenly nuclear weapons are as bad as ..... oh I don't know......STEROIDS!  When WE were were slaughtering native americans it genocide was fine & dandy.....when Saddam tried to kill of the Kurds suddenly genocide was intolerable.  We have become a nation of hypocrits...plain & simple.  If the IOC doesn't like what China, Russia, Albania, etc. are doing then either do something about it or shut F up.  Its very simple.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

When WE were were slaughtering native americans it genocide was fine & dandy.....when Saddam tried to kill of the Kurds suddenly genocide was intolerable.  We have become a nation of hypocrits...plain & simple.

I really do find this kind of logic astonishing. What you are saying is that any citizen of any country is personally, morally responsible for everything that country has ever done in World History. This pretty much means no one in the World could ever speak out against anything without being a hypocrite. This line of logic condemns humanity to a level beneath that of wild animals where we would be completely incapable of determining right from wrong and it would ensure that evil would go completely unchecked.

[Matt Foreman]

All those things are true, and this type of logic also removes any responsibility on the individual who chooses to break the rules and cheat.  Most, if not all, of the drug users I've met think exactly the same way.  They all have a rationalization locked and loaded, just like every murderer and drug dealer in prison who blames their poor upbringing and social inequalities for their crimes.  "I had to sell drugs because my neighborhood was a ghetto.  It's the government's fault."