Track and Field Blogs - Scott Bauhs

Yesterday the shocking news came out that Rashid Ramzi is dirty. My favorite article about the incident is the one on the NBC sports website with a picture of him licking his medal. ( http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/30458294/ ). That picture reminds me of the little kids I grew up with who would lick a cookie to ensure that no one else would eat it. Its like Ramzi was saying "its mine, don't touch." Usually when a kid licked the cookie, it wasn't actually theirs... no different here.

I hate Performance Enhancing Drugs for several reasons but the number one publicized reason for hating drugs is not one that I think about too much. This would be the "Cheaters rob the Clean athletes of Medals and Records" reason. Of course my opinion could drastically change if I were Asbel Kiprop or anyone else robbed of a Gold, Silver or Bronze or advancing to the final in the Olympics or World Championships that he participated in but I still think that everyone he beat can still be satisfied that they did their best which is really what the sport is all about. Don't get me wrong, I would love to set some records and win some medals, but more importantly I want to do the best that I can do and it doesn't do me much good to worry about anyone else. But then again, my only experience being beat by someone who tested positive was at the World XC champs, and I think he got around 20-30th or so and I magically moved up from 52nd to 51st sometime last year.

What I hate about Performance Enhancing Drugs is the attitude that everyone at the top of the sport is on them. In a way Kiprop and Willis are lucky that they didn't beat Ramzi because then everyone would be saying "Ramzi was on drugs and they beat him so they MUST be on drugs." This isn't how it works though, I don't know very much about PED's but I highly doubt that they take normal people and make them superhuman. I certainly think they give you an edge, possibly a big edge, but I don't think that someone who's natural ability peaks at 15 minutes in the 5k would be able to beat guys like me if he all of a sudden started taking EPO. Guys like Ramzi are naturally very good runners, then they take some drugs and they become Champions, but that doesn't mean that someone with amazing natural ability who works very hard can't also be a Champion. (Ramzi suddenly went from 3:39 to 3:30... no one knows when he started doping but presumably he either started that year or he did something different. but either way, 3:39 is still pretty quick and he probably could have improved on his own without drugs). I have no idea how good I can become but it bothers me that if I am somehow able to break 27 minutes in the 10k or win a medal at a World Championship or Olympics that some people will think that I must be on Drugs.

I also hate the attitude that if one wants to be the best that they have to take drugs. I have never witnessed this attitude in American distance running in my lifetime and I am very thankful for that but I have heard it as an excuse in other sports. I have heard of conversations with baseball players who swear that it would be impossible to make their High School or Jr. College team with out doing PED's, not to mention the Majors. I'm sure this attitude isn't exclusive to baseball either and happens within different populations throughout virtually every sport.

I guess we're stuck with it though. I'm glad Ramzi got caught because it validates the whole testing process. Taking drug tests isn't my favorite thing to do and I hate trying to remember to update USADA every time I leave home for a day or two but knowing that cheaters are getting caught validates my doing so. I certainly don't feel bad for Ramzi but I hope that his coach, manager, teammates or anyone else that knew what he was doing or facilitated him doing so gets punished too. I know he wasn't alone in the process. On one hand I hope that this is the beginning but on the other hand I hope that there aren't too many others out there that are stilll cheating.

Maybe he'll grow boobs like Marilyn Manson: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkw4_lXx4bQ