[quote]starmiler wrote:
"He was also, may I point out, simply participating in what everybody else was doing. "
***
"star miler" I ran track in the 80's, was world ranked and I take great offense to this statement. Everybody else was not cheating. I for one was not. of the 68 members on the Canadian Team in 88, I figure 11 were doping. 9 of those were with Charlie. So, remove him and his cheating athletes, and Canada had a pretty clean Olympic Track Team team. Take him out of the equation, and doping in the 80's in Canada becomes relatively minor, mostly some throwers.
There were plenty of clean track athletes in the 80's, as there were plenty of dopers. I had a team mate from college get a silver in the triple in the 80's and later a gold. He was clean. Earl Jones got the bronze in 84. Clean. On our Canadian team Lynn Williams got 3rd in LA, 4and 5th in Korea and was clean. Greame Fell was 5th in the world champs in 87 clean. Angela Chalmers, bronze 92 clean. This list goes on and on and is much longer than those whom chose to cheat.
None of these people embarrassed themselves, their country, took undeserved prize money, took spots on teams that other people may be deserved. They just competed clean and honorable.
What if one of Charlie's "juiced" athletes beat out your 'clean' son for a spot on the Olympic Relay team. How would you feel about him then?
In fact, the majority of world class track athletes in non eastern block countries did not cheat back then. To use that as your excuse to justify your cheating it an insult to all of us who remained clean.
You go on, Star miler to say how Charlie beat the Great Harry Jerome after he doped, like you are bragging about Charlie doping? Look how much better he became when he cheated? Harry Jerome was a great runner. Go take a run through Stanley Park in Vancouver, right by the statue of Harry Jerome. Don't think they will be building a statue for Charlie any time soon.
I understand you were team mates and knew the man and he had many good qualities. He still choose to cheat, only came clean when he got caught, And always justified his cheating on that everyone else was doing it. Charlie was a man who could not admit that he was wrong to cheat. And, if you agree with Charlie, then you are almost lumping yourself "star miler" in with the cheaters. Did you cheat too?
Sure, there were other cheaters for sure. But justifying cheating because other people do it does not make it right.
As a coach you are suppose to mold young athletes. What kind of message are you giving them by encouraging them to cheat? Ben Johnson had a grade 9 education. Charlie had a Stanford Degree. Charlie tells Ben he needs to Cheat, Ben believes him. Remove Charlie, and you have a much more honorable team. Be an interesting question to pose Ben right now. Would he rather have not cheated and not suffered the embarrassment he went through and has to go through?