Pubdate: Tue, 25 Mar 2003
Source: Brock Press, The (CN ON Edu)
Copyright: 2003 The Brock Press.
Contact: http://www.brockpress.com/main.cfm?include=submit
Website: http://www.brockpress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2865
Author: Sparky the Badger

LET ME BE THE BEST THAT I CAN BE

For some reason or another, so called 'health concerns' are barring men and 
women from reaching the peak of their performance. I'm speaking of drugs in 
sports.

Now, I'm not only talking about performance enhancing drugs, which just 
have no reason for being banned, but I am also talking about illegal drugs 
that could help performances if allowed in sport.

Steroids are the biggest talk, as it helps athletes run faster, jump 
higher, and go further. For some reason, the powers that be are too scared 
to see athletes reach the pinnacle of their game, and actually accomplish 
super-human ability.

Where would we be if we started banning research into better equipment? 
Would it work if I refused to use a lightweight oar? I prefer this large 
branch of oak I found on the ground. I want to row the old fashioned way. 
It might work, but I don't think that I would win at all.

Tell me how it differs? Runners don't use any equipment. Their legs are 
their equipment. So they should be able to have steroids to help their 
equipment get better even if it makes other parts of their 'equipment' 
shrink. It is their body, why can't they have control of it?

But enough about banned substances, let's look at so called 'illegal' 
substances. Ross Rebagliati was almost stripped of his gold medal in 
snowboarding for having traces of marijuana in his blood. First off, there 
is no way that ganja would help an athlete. Trust me, nine times out of ten 
old Sparky is sparking, and it does absolutely nothing to help my game.

But let's really look at this situation. Even if pot did help performance 
in snowboarding, they are on the top of a fucking mountain, and about to 
ride a thin piece of wood all the way down. No shit, they are going to want 
something to help them relax a little bit. Even the enforcers of the rules 
would ask for a small puff to help them float down to safety.

Have you ever had a dream where you are falling? Imagine that times a 
million, and make it real. That is the kind of fear snowboarders are faced 
with.

Not all of us have the same equal talent. There is no way I am as fast as 
Ben Johnson was (even without steroids). Few of us are. We need drugs like 
steroids to help our muscles grow, and relaxants to keep us calm before a 
big competition. That hard stuff is awful. It wrecks you.

We all just want to be equals. Drugs can give us all that even playing 
field we have been looking for.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens