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USAPL President Micheal W. Overdeer |
President's Message
June 2001
There can be no other current issue that has evoked the passions and sentiments of USA Powerlifting than that of the modern plague of over-the-counter steroids. Since their introduction in 1997, they have been added to stacks, drinks, bars, mixes, capsules, powders, and only Heaven knows what else.
Every time an athlete I know of, either personally, or by reputation fails a drug test for low-level nandrolone, My gut wrenches - I am torn with empathy and filled with disgust for the lack of action by those agencies that should be monitoring what goes in to food supplements. To be sure, some of these positives represent, and always have, someone who used Deca, got off, thought they would test clean - but their fat cells squeezed out a remnant for us to detect. However, this is no longer always the case. In my family, we are not only administrators, we are athletes, coaches, and promoters of strong, drug-free lives. How can it be that to champion this lifestyle, we must tread with paranoia when putting anything into our bodies? Angie & I have come to the point that we will only take supplements manufactured by two companies, whom we have researched extensively, and will provide us with lot-certified analysis of their products. We have seen too many of our fellow athletes, whom we admire and respect, go down because chemical technology, in the hands of unscrupulous manufacturers has laid them low.
We already know that Norandro compounds are being "spiked" into products that do not carry this information on the label. Until the FDA actually pulls their head out of the sand and acts on this issue, what do these manufacturers have to lose? Lets see, If I want to develop a line of "Mike's Natural Power Vitamins" and I can get the manufacturer to add a nice little blend of Norandrostenedione and Androstenediol, then I can expect that my "customers" will get a bonus anabolic kick, be happier with their training cycle, and buy more of my vitamins. The only real risk would be that someone might have my vitamins analyzed, and then they would have to make a case based on truth in advertising laws - after all, the stuff is legal to sell. What single individual is going spend that much money and go through that much effort? Not too much to worry about, the way things stand now.
Then there is the criminal law issue that nobody is looking at. If the substance on the shelf is one molecule away from a controlled substance, and it converts enzymatically in your body to an actual controlled substance - then aren't you guilty of possession by consumption? As a law enforcement officer, I routinely enter charges on people who fail the chemical tests. They are found guilty of being in possession of alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy, etc., because the substance was detected, in their body, by breathalyzer, blood, or urine samples. If the FDA is even looking at the situation this acutely, are they saying "Well this is potentially a criminal issue, so the Justice Department will have to handle it". I don't know, but I am incredulous that there is a "whole lotta nothing" going on with this situation, from the legal standpoint.
Where is the Department of Health and Human Services on all this? Millions, Billions? Of dollars are spent looking for cures for cancer - one of the primary killers in the USA. Yet, pre-cursors/prohormones that become controlled substance steroids in the human body are sold without apparently any monitoring across the supplement market. My understanding is that giving someone with cancer anabolic steroids is something akin to pouring "Miracle Gro" on your weed patch. Who's asleep at the wheel here? Have they forgotten the sad lessons learned from athletes like Lyle Alzado?
What I do know is that the anger and passion surrounding this issue needs to be directed where it belongs, and not at USA Powerlifting, or the labs, or at the officers/administrators whose duty it is uphold drug-testing standards for the organization. "Killing the messenger" is not going to make the situation any better. Sure it's more convenient, but is it right? What will you have left it you tear up the system of accountability in our sport? Remember that we follow the drug testing standards used by the International Olympic Committee. We hope, and believe that we will become an Olympic sport one day. The dark history of steroid use in strength sport still casts its shadow over us, even though we have pioneered the concept of drug-free strength sport across the world. Remember that vote in Seoul, where Weightlifting survived by a single vote as an Olympic sport, over the steroid issue? Yes, we know that we have busted our _sses for over 20 years to become a model for drug-free athletics, but an uneducated layman can't help but note that we use the same toys. Our standards must be higher than status quo, not less - if we expect to prove to the world that our strength sport is something to be proud of.
Lately, I've been hearing people preach the new gospel that nandrolone should now be recognized as being endogenous to the human body, in moderate levels. They would assert that the human body may have evolved or adapted into nandrolone production. Interestingly enough, what is completely overlooked by proponents of this theory is the precise coincidence with marketing of over-the counter steroids. As justification, it has been cited that trace amounts of the base metabolites have been found, mostly in pregnant women, by newer, high resolution equipment. Perhaps for this reason, the IOC Medical Committee has adopted 2ng/ml for men - 5ng/ml for women as a nominal threshold for registering a positive result. This does not mean that the IOC, the medical community at large, nor mainstream science recognizes nandrolone is an endogenous compound. Rather, that a nominal value needed to be established for a defensible positive result. Please remember, the IOC and WADA set the standards that we must adhere to, not the other way around.
USA Powerlifting is adamantly in direct opposition to the burgeoning over-the counter steroid market. We hope that whatever regulatory agencies should be involved, be it FDA, Health & Human Services or Justice Dept., that they lift their heads, and get committed to this problem. We cannot, nor should we bend/break or change our rules to address this tragic situation. We want our athletes to be able to compete with healthy bodies, free of the health risks, free of the stress, worries, and pitfalls of positive drug tests caused by "legal for sale" controlled substances. I will guarantee that our forefathers did not intend that our right for "the pursuit of happiness" should include having to worry about drugs in our food.
Sincerely,
Michael W. Overdeer
President, USA Powerlifting
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USAPL Vice President Larry Maile
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Vice President's Message
June 2001
This has been a most productive and at the same time, and at the same time, there have been some major disappointments. First the good news, though.
After an extended time in implementation, our online newsletter, Powerlines has been released to the membership, with the first issue out April 2001. It appears to have been well received. Important in it are the rankings of 2000, for women, and the online data base for 2001, including all sanctioned competitions. In our forthcoming issue, the men's 52 - 60 kg. weight classes for 2000 will be included, with succeeding categories following.
Another milestone is our reaching an agreement with General Nutrition Centers Pro Performance ™ supplements. Our cooperative agreement includes sharing information from our member data base, in exchange for sponsorship dollars. We hope to use these funds to increase our drug testing programs. If this relationship proves positive for both parties over the rest of the calendar year, we opportunities for greater publicity and sponsorship of major competitions may be forthcoming.
In the area of publicity, we have also reinstituted the USAPL Corner in two of the major powerlifting publications. We continue to work on a cooperative relationship with these fine publishers to provide greater exposure to our athletes and for USA Powerlifting.
As you are aware, the National Governing Body approved additional staff for the National Office. We have hired Barbara Born. She works days, Monday through Friday, and is rapidly coming up to speed on our processes and procedures. The immediate impact is that our turnaround time for membership cards has decreased to two weeks on the average. Barb is also continuing the audit of American records such that we pick up those that have been missed, omitted, or miskeyed over the past several years. This is proving to be an exhausting task given all of our divisions and age groups, but the work continues.
We have added, due to the initiative of Tony Cardella, our webmaster, a page for World Teams. Each lifter on the roster (s) has the opportunity to submit a resume and pictures to be viewable on the USAPL website.
We have a number of new state chairs, including: Diane Siveny, who replaces Gene Bell in North Dakota; Steve Mann who follows Robert Granko in Pennsylvania; Lance Slaughter who succeeds Howard Budwin in California; Bret McCune who fills the vacancy in Colorado. I haven't heard the results of the election for Chair in Texas, but it is likely that Kim Beckwith will take over from Willie Mastin. Please extend your thanks to the outgoing volunteers, and assist the incoming Chairpersons in continuing to build memberships in their respective states.
In terms of committee memberships, we have several new faces as well. Jon Magendie takes over as Collegiate Chair from Cathy Marksteiner. Cathy devoted a number of years to this position and resigns to attend to personal matters. Jon is off to a quick start, initiating a "Collegiate Web Page" and forum for lifters in the collegiate ranks. P.J. Couvillion takes over the Technical Committee from Don Haley. Don, as you know is a landmark in both powerlifting and lifting for the disabled. Don and Fran, his bride have been present at major championships for decades, offering refereeing clinics and proctoring examinations for National and International referee credentials. Don and Fran will devote more time to furthering disabled lifting. I have resigned as the Chair of the Coaching Committee, a position held for the last 3 years. No chair has been identified as yet, but the membership of the committee are actively working on team selection for international competitions and have resurrected the Coaching Certification process which will, in some ways, mirror that of USA Weightlifting. It is our intention to recognize those coaches who have served at the National and International level, and to raise the level of expertise of individual coaches across the country. This process will be facilitated through use of the Team Manager's Manual authored by Sandra Perron, and available on the USAPL website. While other changes are anticipated, this is my best recollection of them at this time.
Sadly, we must say farewell to Mr. Bill Decker, one of the true gentlemen of powerlifting. Bill had been active in lifting sports since the 50's (at least), holding many master Olympic and Powerlifting records. He served as Chief Referee at many championships, and demonstrated a tough but fair and consistent style appreciated by lifters and coaches. I can't imagine we will be able to replace him.
This year was also to have marked the initiation of the North American Championships in Minneapolis. For a variety of reasons, this competition had to be cancelled, causing significant difficulties for the lifters intending to come. We would still like to continue to foster international competition and friendship within this region, and will look for other approaches that provide lifters with guarantees of quality competition. One suggestion has been to include a North American Division with our Men's and Women's National Championships. Please forward any suggestions you have in this regard to me at: l-maile@usapowerlifting.com.
Our lifters are beginning to enjoy renewed exposure internationally with 9 world champions from the U.S. in 2000. We were also invited, and participated in the Russian National Championships in St. Petersburg the 1st - 4th of March. It was a great experience, but in terms of lifting and spectating, but also in terms of sharing information and camaraderie. Hopefully, this trend will continue with increased opportunities to travel and lift. We maintain an open invitation for lifters from other countries to come and be our guests.
Finally, we are approaching the Men's National Championships, and the National Governing Body Meeting. There are three positions open on the Executive Committee, and several athletes representative positions. Please consider coming to Omaha to participate in our governance process. We are considering a change in format for this NGB meeting, with discrete sessions, such as "Budgetary," "Coaching," etc. to provide better organization and to eliminate redundant issues. Hopefully, we will be able to conduct the business of USA Powerlifting in a more timely and organized manner that will encourage more participation. It is no secret that the length of our meetings have discouraged those competing in succeeding days from staying. We have also suffered from the confusion of dealing with similar items at several points in the agenda. Grouping these would save both time and effort.
See you there,
Larry
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