Elitetrack: Sport Training & Conditioning

Heres the video for those who have not yet seen it.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2007/10/05/VI2007100502059.html?hpid=artslot

davan - 08 October 2007 01:52 PM

You list the locations where you will be at any given time and they will go wherever you are—you can also fill out a change of plan form if you are going on a short trip or something of that nature. If you are somewhere else, they can go meet you. Brian Clay one time was on his way to pick-up his kid from school, and they just followed him there and then back.

Basically, they will go wherever you list on the form within 24hrs before you are declared as having missed a test, which is why it is suspicious to say the least how somebody can miss more than one test in a short time frame. Even if they miss it, they have a month to give a written reason as to why they missed the particular test. Depending on what the IAAF rules, the test may not be declared as missed.

They will not look for you for 24 hours.  The time frame is more like less than 4 hours and often times less than 4 hours.  You must be where you said you will be at all times. 

This requirement is what led to the british 400m runner getting into trouble.  On the day of her second missed test she was not at the track where she normally trained.  She had gone across town to another track because there was an event being held at her regular venue.  The day of her third missed test she was at an event speaking to school children set up by her federation, but had not changed her location with the drug testers.  In all three cases of her missed tests she was available within 4 hours, but they did not wait that long.

It says on their site and people who have gone through the process that it is a 24hr time frame and the you can file forms for short trips and changes of schedule and the like.

I live with the process every day.  You are allowed to change your location form up to 24 hours in advance.  They do not look for you for 24 hours.

I worked with a girl who was a USADA drug tester while I was at LSU. She was an instructor in the Kinesiology department and did testing to earn extra income on the side. She was down at the track about once a week to test the elite athletes. She said she never stuck around for more than a couple hours. Usually, if the athlete wasn't at the track, she'd just wait for about an hour or so.

Thoughts on Jones from Lauryn Williams from her WCSN.com blog-

Could someone explain to me why I can count on 1 hand the number of interview requests I have had this year. Yet Marion�??s confession story breaks and I had seven requests in the same day?? They said they want to know what the current U.S. sprint queen feels. So now I am your queen?? I understand the media has a job to do. That is all fine but it doesn�??t change the way I feel about the circumstances under which I was approached.

At any rate here is my perspective. I found out about Marion�??s recent confessions Thursday evening just off the plane from Korea where I finished out my season by answering my mother�??s phone. My sister was on the other end. She thought I already knew that Marion had confessed to using performance enhancing substances so mentioned it matter of factly during our conversation.

My first response to Marion�??s announcement was that I was unmoved by the situation but glad she came clean. Now, there is no reason to wonder. But Friday evening I saw her address the public and emotions swirled as I listened to her speak. Track was not a childhood dream for me as you hear many elite athletes say. With my performances of the past year, I have often wondered if some of my suffering is because of lack of love for what I do. But you don�??t get as worked up as I did watching her speak because of something you don�??t care about. When it comes to my feelings toward Marion, I am back and forth between sad for her unfortunate situation and angry at the mess she has created and left for current athletes to clean up. I also wonder if I am a poor judge of character that was taken advantage of by a con artist or is Marion a good person who made some bad decisions. In 2004, she treated me like a little sister and I thought surely this woman can not be the monster the media claims she is. She even remembered my birthday. Marion Jones called me to wish me happy 21st birthday. I can�??t imagine what it must feel like to live a lie so important to all you�??re telling it to. One thing I grasped well very early in childhood was the idea that for every action there is a reaction. I became very good at measuring the consequences of my behavior and deciding whether what would happen was worth my taking on the momentary gratification.

Marion is a smart woman and although I have never considered her an idol I have always been impressed with her ability to articulate. Being able to put your thoughts together instantly and having them flow from your mouth so smoothly is a gift. I can�??t understand how she couldn�??t know that the effects of her behavior being kept secret were waaaay larger than just her own embarrassment. Sometimes you have to swallow your pride and do what will be for the greater good of everyone involved. I try to tell myself that although this decision affects me directly, everyone in life makes bad decisions. If she had had an affair with a married man we wouldn�??t be discussing it. As long as that married man wasn�??t my husband or the husband of someone close to me I wouldn�??t care. But that is definitely an action I frown upon, just like drug use. So shouldn�??t she be forgiven and we move on? Easier said than done. Still my sympathetic side had to agree with a close friend of mine who summed my own thoughts up better than I could by saying �??I don�??t wish bad on anyone nor do I condone drug use or cheating. What happened to Marion is very unfortunate. Although many will believe she got what she deserved, I don�??t think it is for me nor anyone to judge or prescribe.

Why I believe her situation is unfortunate is because she has created a life outside of track and field. And that life consists of two children and a new husband. Her children, will have a period in their life w/o a mother due to the decisions she�??s made in the past and/or the people she chose to associate herself with. That is unfair to them. So now maybe u can understand �??unfortunate�?? because now her past has caught up to her present and will effect not only her future but her children�??s future.�?� I asked this question before I met her in 2004. What did she contribute to our sport so far? I saw plenty of commercials and interviews but I have never heard about anyone saying that Marion contributed anything to the sport off the track. It is 2007, and I still wonder what other than run fast did she do to improve the sport for everyone?? I think Marion owes us something. She should make an effort to redeem the sport. She shouldn�??t go hide now in shame. She should speak to children about how not to make the same mistake. She should discuss with USADA what they can do better, and at meets make herself available to answer questions to fans of the sport. She should serve on a panel at the USATF national convention this December where we can ask her whatever we want about how this happened and explain to her how we feel. Also there should also be a tell all that explains the whole story and how it unfolded. Many people don�??t condone writing a book that tells a story of conspiracy, fraud and other negative behavior by an author.

Of course, the author profits but if she doesn�??t plan to explain any further than what she has disclosed to the media, then I think the least she could do is write a book telling her whole story so we can get a better understanding of what happened. As far as the timing of her announcement, I am glad this broke now as opposed to next year. Once the season has started it should be old news to the mainstream media. Hopefully those few who cover us regularly know the importance of not dwelling on this for the stake of salvaging what is left of our sport. The announcement itself is bad for the sport. I don�??t mean that she should have continued to hide the truth I mean the fact that this happened at all is bad for those of us currently competing. Every spectacular performance will be scrutinized. I believe with science and technical improvements and increased knowledge of the sport, we should be faster now than ever before �?? DRUG FREE!! One more comment about the media! I am disgusted that we couldn�??t get ESPN coverage of the world championships in Osaka. At least a brief highlight of the Americans who medaled would have been nice. But Marion�??s story made SportsCenter for the whole day and is still a topic now five days later. People wanted to give their expert opinion about a sport they know nothing about. America doesn�??t watch us because we are very seldom televised. That is why no one knows anything of our sport except the drug scandal. And I�??m confused about the timing as she explained first taking the drug. Sept. of 2000? Wasn�??t the original statement 1999? If I am unsure of the info I am getting just imagine how people that are uneducated about our sport are misconstruing the facts and spreading this misinformation.

I find it amazing no one, be it the media who has covered everything else or the athletes who have been implicated and/or banned while working with Trevor Graham, has publicly slammed him for his role in these athletes�?? demise, if they truly didn�??t know what he was doing. I would hate to test positive to doping because I trusted someone who gave me something illegal. So the first thing I would do is shout it from the roof top that I was taken advantage of. And where is Trevor anyway? Why hasn�??t he said anything in his own defense? That about sums up my thoughts for now. What more is there to say except SOMEONE HAS SOME EXPLAINING TO DO!!! �??sub11

"I believe with science and technical improvements and increased knowledge of the sport, we should be faster now than ever before �?? DRUG FREE!!"

Gimme a break toots.  Give me a shout when someone runs 10.4, 21.3, 47.5 or a 41.30/3:14 relay team comes along that's totally clean.

Oh c'mon….there are hundreds of men that run those times legally every year.

Mike Young - 12 October 2007 12:57 PM

Oh c'mon….there are hundreds of men that run those times legally every year.

I think he means women!

Mike Young - 12 October 2007 12:57 PM

Oh c'mon….there are hundreds of men that run those times legally every year.

hahaha i was about to say the same thing.

I knew what he meant. It was a failed attempt at humor.

More comments from a former rival:

Jones took a lot from me - Lawrence

RETIRED JAMAICAN sprinter Tayna Lawrence said she suspected American Marion Jones was using performance-enhancing drugs during and after the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

Lawrence said her suspicion came about after watching Jones' races at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney where Jones won a record five medals - three gold and two bronze.

She would run me down

"I was like, this girl is like superwoman. The whole world knew that I don't have a good finish but I have a good start and it didn't matter how much I would capitalise on my starts, she would always run me down and pass me as if I was standing still," said Lawrence in an interview on KLAS on Tuesday.

"There is no way that when you should be decelerating, you are accelerating - that's what made me think that something is wrong ... that's what brought the suspicion to me," said the 32-year-old who claimed bronze in the 100m final.

In the 2000 Olympic Games 100m final, Jones ran 10.75 to beat Greece's Ekaterini Thanou (11.12) and Lawrence (11.18). Jamaica's Merlene Ottey was fourth. Lawrence is now likely to be upgraded to the silver medal while Ottey should get the bronze.

A lot was taken away

Though the truth has finally come out, Lawrence has expressed disappointment and says a lot was taken away from her by a drug-cheat.

"I am just happy that it is out because I worked really hard, and to get a bronze, but there's no telling what my career could have become after that one race and for her to take away so much from everybody who was in that race, it's just hurtful," she said.

Lawrence, who was part of Jamaica's 4x100m quartet that won gold at the Athens Olympics, also disclosed the reason for her retirement.

"Injury forced me to stop," she said. "I had a bilateral stress fracture (of the foot) that just would not heal and I just gave up on it. I could not perform at the level that I wanted to, so I just decided to stop."

mortac8 - 12 October 2007 04:11 AM

"I believe with science and technical improvements and increased knowledge of the sport, we should be faster now than ever before — DRUG FREE!!"

Gimme a break toots.  Give me a shout when someone runs 10.4, 21.3, 47.5 or a 41.30/3:14 relay team comes along that's totally clean.

Mort flojo was clean when she ran that 10.4.

utfootball4 - 12 October 2007 08:14 PM

mortac8 - 12 October 2007 04:11 AM

"I believe with science and technical improvements and increased knowledge of the sport, we should be faster now than ever before — DRUG FREE!!"

Gimme a break toots.  Give me a shout when someone runs 10.4, 21.3, 47.5 or a 41.30/3:14 relay team comes along that's totally clean.

Mort flojo was clean when she ran that 10.4.

I think they got her urine sample mixed up with Ben's in the Seoul testing room.

mortac8 - 12 October 2007 08:24 PM

utfootball4 - 12 October 2007 08:14 PM

mortac8 - 12 October 2007 04:11 AM

"I believe with science and technical improvements and increased knowledge of the sport, we should be faster now than ever before — DRUG FREE!!"

Gimme a break toots.  Give me a shout when someone runs 10.4, 21.3, 47.5 or a 41.30/3:14 relay team comes along that's totally clean.

Mort flojo was clean when she ran that 10.4.

I think they got her urine sample mixed up with Ben's in the Seoul testing room.

her performance improved bc she had more time to train vs past yrs.