Potentially any USATF-sanctioned meet could drug-test masters
When USATF Masters T&F dives into drug-testing in 2011, it could be off the deep end. According to a USADA drug-education session Friday afternoon at Sacramento, masters tracksters would be “subject to drug-testing” at all USATF-sanctioned meets — not just outdoor nationals. That’s the company line, at least. In practice, I doubt any lower-level masters meets would seek urine samples. One reason is cost. USADA (the U.S. anti-doping police) doesn’t charge USATF for testing up to a certain number (which isn’t publicly known). But beyond that number, called an allocation, costs would be borne by meet organizers. At Friday’s session, attended by nearly 40 athletes and officials at the Alumni Center near the track, USADA’s LaDonna Reed said: “We don’t need you to be fearful. We just want to educate you.”
LaDonna, a 2008 Spokane masters nationals sprinter in her late 30s, showed a short video of the sample-collection process (via a semi-comical recreation of an out-of-competition visit by two USADA drug control officers to a female athlete’s home at 6 in the morning). The drill is very precise and professional, but also invasive of privacy.
Masters wouldn’t get home visits, but the collection routine is the same: A same-sex USADA observer would “see the urine leaving your body,” LaDonna said.
The video also stressed the USADA mission: “We are here to preserve the integrity of competition, inspire true sport (while) protecting the rights of athletes.”
The right to record the complete presentation wasn’t allowed, however. When USATF’s Andy Martin noted the presence of my mini-camcorder on a table-top tripod, he warned me that recording the USADA presentation was prohibited. I asked if I could tape any comments by masters track officials, and LaDonna huddled privately with masters chairman Gary Snyder and Andy for a few minutes. They said I could tape Gary. So I did, but he didn’t say much.
At least a dozen questions were asked during the session, the first of two at nationals. (Saturday morning would see another.)
Among other things, we learned:
We may never know exactly who chooses who will be tested. It could be USADA, a local organizing committee or the USATF Masters T&F Committee.
Drug-testers would go after pre-selected events, not individuals. (But that’s not to say that pre-selected events — such as the winner and runner-up of the M75 javelin — don’t amount to targeting people. That’s just my take.)
Post-event TUEs will be allowed. That means if you test positive for a banned substance, you can submit a request for a waiver (a therapeutic-use exemption) after the meet. (That doesn’t guarantee your TUE will be accepted, however. It’s just a convenience for all concerned.)
Who pays for drug-testing? Again, if masters track receives a certain allocation from USATF, it’s no charge. But going beyond the allocation could result in someone paying substantial costs, since urine tests (and even blood testing, which is allowed) costs upward of $500 per case. USADA is a non-profit outfit that gets money from the U.S. government, the USOC and other sources. So it’s possible masters might avoid having to pay a surcharge. We’ll see.
LaDonna closed by saying: “You guys (meaning athletes) need to be pro-active. Go online (to USADA drug-info site) and do the research (on what’s banned and what’s OK). This gets tricky, since some drugs are illegal when found during in-competition tests, and some are OK when detected in out-of-competition tests.
Masters athletes, BTW, won’t face knocks in the night. We’re considered Level 2 athletes. The Level 1 athletes — such as potential Olympians — are the ones who have to keep USADA informed of their whereabouts and get visited at home or at their training venues.
LaDonna answered all questions as if USATF Masters T&F had delegated all issues to her. This isn’t quite the case — yet. But USATF associations guru Andy Martin indicated that the USATF Youth Committee, which began drug-testing athletes 15 and over a couple years ago, has basically handed over all drug-testing oversight to USADA. The same could happen for masters track.
The issue of an age cutoff wasn’t raised Friday. Nobody asked if all 80-plus athletes would be spared drug-testing, for example. But my sense is that USADA would privately accept a policy of no testing of geezers. USADA would want more bang for its drug-testing buck.
After the session, I asked LaDonna about why she was out of competition. She said: “I’m out this season due to injury — but I will be back.” She said she has “turf toe,” and showed me her foot, with an ugly splotch on it.
Hope masters track doesn’t acquire its own ugly splotch with drug-testing.
24 Responses
Phil Raschker story in SacBee:
http://www.sacbee.com/2010/07/24/2911904/raschker-stars-in-masters-track.html
Lisa Valle world record in 2K steeple among seveal set Friday:
http://www.usatf.org/news/view.aspx?duid=USATF_2010_07_23_18_56_58
Since the Val Barnwell “incident” I have read with interest the comments regarding drug testing at US meets. Some in favour some against. The potential legal problems and the problems related to age and medical conditions, everything that can be raised has been discussed over and over.
As this is causing such argument I have a simple solution.
DO NOT drug test anyone at USA meets, be it National or regional. Simply test ALL U.S. medalists at ALL World Championships. This will satisfy Europeans who in the main are happy to accept testing. Any athletes arrogant enough to think they can beat the system can take their chances, and those who want to cheat can do so in their own backyard but nowhere else.
Surely this solution should satisfy everyone
Everyone, and anyone, should be tested at any time. Where the USATF has to take caution and use common sense, is when someone has been detected as using a banned substance and inquire intelligently whether the substance was used legally for medical life preservation purposes or athletic enhancing purposes. Belive me, I’ve seen masters athletes myself that have been touted as poster children for Masters track that I may have thought, Mmmmm….looks a little muscley for someone in their 60’s or 70’s…but the same could be said for myself by others as well … Test away…If you have nothing to hide, there’s nothing to worry about!
I am 100% for testing at any USATF sanctioned meet!!!
After 35+ years of involvement with athletics, experience tells me that hard-core adult PED users, such as Val Barnwell, cheat mostly for reasons related to ego and vanity. These people say that “they just want to compete”, but what they really want to do is say; “hey, world look at me, I’m bigger, faster, stronger, and in some cases, better looking than you!”
Here’s a novel idea…let’s follow the rules, train hard & clean, live healthy lifestyles, and accept what Mother Nature and Father Time give us gracefully. Also, just in case a few of us need to be reminded, Mother Nature and Father Time are and always will be undefeated!!!
Great races by all those setting WR’s and AR’s in that heat.
Anyone know why Karen Steen didn’t race in the 2K steeple? Saw her at the meet beforehand and she was on the status of entries. Hope she’s okay.
It is reported above that drug testing may be conducted at any USATF sanctioned meet.It was previously reported that USATF will be paid about $5,000 to manage the National Senior Olympics track Championship in Houston, in 2010.
It would follow that drug testing would therefore be conducted at Senior Olympics qualifying and championship meets if a USATF sanction is secured. Is this true?
The USADA top down presentation appears to tell us that masters of all ages will be treated as if we are potential Olympians. We are supposed to feel grateful that they will not show up at our homes in the middle of the night to test us?
Kevin Burgess has made an excellent recommendation to test all Americans who medal at World Championships. Leave the rest of masters 40 and older alone, please.
Karen Steen sprained her ankle on Thursday when doing some hurdle drills on the practice track. Her ankle was swollen and quite discolored so she decided not to risk hurting it again in the steeple. Very sad!
As far as testing only the medal winners goes, suppose all three medal winners in an event test positive for PEDs and lose their medals. Do the next three in line move up and claim medals, even though they’ve not been tested?
The International Convention on Civil and Political Rights mandates a presumption of innocence and bans unreasonable searches and forced self-incrimination. The USADA and USATF should not be imposing WADA protocols in drug testing, and indeed US law should forbid them from doing so. Human rights are far more important than drug free sport. Ban the WADA!
Personally I want the threat of testing at as many meets as possible.
If (as Kevin B suggests) there is only testing at the world championships, would it not be possible for the cheats to be ‘on the juice’ throughout the winter and just clean up for the championships.
Even if the tests are few in number, the threat of tests at any time would be a better deterrent.
Good points!! I am with Milt. If it is medically prescribed, through a legit doctor, then it should be okay.
Thyroid medication, heart medication, asthma medication, even testosterone for andropause should be permitted.
BUT…..you run a slippery slope. And yes those who take it for the ego and pure usage for results should be disciplined.
Sounds like a nightmare……maybe just the winners…or record holders….to make sure the records are legit or at least accounted for.
Lord knows overseas there are some shotput records that stand that were never tested.
It won’t be up to us what is banned and what isn’t. We don’t decide. WADA and USADA do — that’s how drug testing works. If it’s on the banned list you can try to get a therapeutic use exemption (TUE), but just because a doctor prescribes something doesn’t mean you’ll get the TUE approved. It’s far more complicated than that and some substances are simply not permitted (except in very small amounts) even if they are taken for legitimate medical reasons.
Also, at the meeting on Friday (which I attended) it was pretty clear between the lines that the official USADA line is that they test at all USATF sanctioned meets. However, it was also very clear that testing for masters, like testing for youth, will not come under USATF’s allocation of 5000 tests per year and someone will have to pay for the tests. That someone will most likely be athletes participating in national championships and it will be paid either as part of the entry fee or as a mandatory surcharge on the entry fee. As a result, since USATF Masters will be paying the bill, for all practical purposes USATF Masters will be doing the deciding about the when, the where, and the how many issues of testing.
One very interesting thing to me was that there are different tolerances for different substances depending on whether one is a Level 1 athlete or a Level 2 athlete. What I heard the woman from USADA say was that masters athletes are Level 2 UNTIL THEY PARTICIPATE IN THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS. Then we are subject to the same tolerances as Olympians and potential Olympians. No one (including myself) followed up on that statement after she made it.
Thanks for the info, Kelly. Sorry to hear that. As a steepler myself, it’s a tough enough event to run healthy much less with a sprained ankle.
Melow Johnny, please stop hijacking blog entries. It’s better to discuss your questions on the forum and not on unrelated blog entries.
“Anonymous”: thanks for policing the site in regards to “hijacking” but in #2 above, Ken mentions the women’s 2K steeple so my query was in response to that. Thanks anyway.
Just stating what many are thinking.
Importantly, do not stop taking medication you actually need! Your health should come first, stumbling over hurdles second. Apply for a therapeutic use exemption, you will get it. For regular people, drug testing will cause only a minor inconvenience (paper work, peeing into the cup). However, I can see how some people would have a major problem with drug testing, but since their behavior is not fair towards the rest of us, there is no reason we should be concerned about them…
Test early and often suggests that we accept what Mother Nature and Father Time deals us. We just get old and accept death without utilizing the services of a physician?
Are we supposed to stop competing in masters track and field as soon as our doctor prescribes a medication which may be on an expanding banned substance list?
As of January 1, 2010 use of albuterol and salmeterol will ONLY require a Website Declaration of Use (no TUE required). See the 2010 Prohibited List PDF for more information. (see https://www.usantidoping.org/athletes/tues/).
You just need to fill out a form and then email it to tue@usada.org.
I found out about this at the USADA booth at the Nationals.
Do what US cycling did years ago, take urine samples from ALL the podium finishers at most major US competitions. The cost is not much for those cups, then after everyone has left, flush them down the toilet and not spend the money to actually test them . It worked as a great deterent for years until someone spilled the beans.
True story
Dear Anonymous:
If you are going to be the Emily Post for blog entries – use your name – do not hide behind “Anonyous” or a pseudonym —
you “speak” for yourself – do not assume to speak for others especially when you are hiding your identity. And I am “just stating what others are thinking”. I am a mind reader too but I use my name.
Hi all
great to see many in support of testing.
To H
My comments in post # 3 were a little tongue in cheek as I was concerned by how many people were seemingly anti testing at US nationals. (posts on other storys)I would not expect all US medal winners at Worlds to be tested. I was just playing devils advocate that if you dont sort the problem that may or may not be in your own back yard then dont complain when you have to abide by the rules in the rest of the World. I am specifically refering to Barnwells attitude that testing should not apply to people like him. Unfortunately there are too many who also think this way.
My regards and best wishes to all fair athletes
To the best of my knowledge,Sandra Myers, pictured in the link below never tested positve for drugs, but it’s pretty clear that her physique fits right in with the likes of Mr. La Barbera, Val Barnwell, Kathy Jager, Ben Johnson, FloJo, Marion Jones, Jarmila Kractochvilova, Barry Bonds, A-Rod, and Jason Giambi.
http://www.sporting-heroes.net/athletics-heroes/displayhero.asp?HeroID=9550
I also found an article from 1991 that described her as having rippling muscles and lumberjack shoulders. CLASSIC…LOL!
http://articles.latimes.com/1991-08-21/sports/sp-838_1_sandra-myers/3
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