Jessica Hardy's Olympic dream is done, but her nightmare may not be over.
Yes, she's tested positive for a banned substance. Yes, she's not going to be able to fulfill her dream and say that she was an Olympian. But her dream may be over of ever going to the Olympics. As of right now, Hardy is done with swimming competition. She's banned for at least two years. Yeah, she can train. She can swim exhibitions. But there isn't anything like swimming against the best in the world to see where you stack up.
I know that Hardy is good. I saw her swim at Cal. She works hard. She'll probably be able to bounce back from this, but if she doesn't get her penalty softened, she may lose time to be able to make a splash in London for the 2012 Games.
US Swimming also botched this one badly, and Christine Brennan of the (admirable, but-you-know-its-not-always-there) USA Today agrees that the suits at USA Swimming should have handled Hardy's situation better.
Tara Kirk, Lara Jackson and Amanda Weir should have replaced Hardy in three different events in Beijing, as they were the ones who finished third (or fifth in Weir's case) in their respective events at the trials in July. Instead, current members of the US National Team will swim in Hardy's place.
This probably happened because it was political. And it was political because the coaches probably didn't want to replace Hardy. Especially if you look who is on the coaching staff (current Cal head coach and Hardy's former coach in Teri McKeever). I don't know how much power McKeever wields in the politics of USA Swimming, but when you're star prodigy is Natalie Coughlin, I'm pretty sure you hold a lot of power. (I'll have more on that later, probably after the Games, or maybe during, who knows).
But what I do know is that Hardy is out and her fight to get into the pool has just started. Too bad Kirk (even though she went to Stanfurd), Jackson and Weir don't get to wear the colors in a week or so.
Showing posts with label Jessica Hardy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jessica Hardy. Show all posts
Friday, August 1, 2008
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Kudos to the Merc for Using the Word "Ripples"
The whole Jessica Hardy thing continues to boil over, especially as Team USA has already left Stanford, Calif., for Singapore for its final prep before the Olympic Games. And of course, Hardy is still saying that she's innocent.
Whatever FINA or whoever makes the decision about whether or not Hardy swims in Beijing, her positive drug test has sent shockwaves around the world, so much so that the San Jose Mercury-News was so excited that one of its copy editors decided to headline a story running today with the word. "ripple."
That story is about Tara Kirk, a former Stanfurd swimmer, who was beat out by Hardy in the 100-meter breaststroke at the US Olympic Trials in Omaha, Neb. Seems like Kirk really wants a spot on that Olympic roster, asking for USA head coach Mark Schubert to appeal FINA's rules and add Kirk and UofA's Lara Jackson to the squad. Under the rules, once a national team has sent in its roster, any vacated event must be filled with someone who is already on the roster.
Obviously, this is very fickle. In a true team sport, such as basketball or football (soccer), I would see why a rule like this prevents a team with a deep talent pool from just calling whomever they want to play whenever they want. For example, Dwight Howard gets hurt in that first game, no problem, Brad Miller or Amare Stoudamire is on their way from the States.
But swimming is inherently an individual sport. Is there a team medal awarded for the best swimming countries, a la gymnastics? I didn't think so. So FINA should just let whoever finished third or fourth take the place of finalists who do get suspended or have a freak injury or just decide that the air in Beijing is truly poor and skip out on the whole Olympics thing.
There's no need to punish someone who finished a swim .02 seconds behind someone who is being investigated for testing positive for banned substances.
On a side note, Australia's head coach thinks that this whole episode with Hardy will inspire the Americans in Beijing. Sure it will. I just think that Coach Thompson is just making excuses for his Aussies and preparing the media for the day(s) when the Red, White and Blue kicks their asses in the water. That just me though.
Oh, I did mention that this sent shockwaves around the world and you're asking how? Count them: 1) Australia is talking about this, 2) and Kirk is talking about this from vacationing in Ireland. It wouldn't be the first place I'd go to unwind, but I just wonder if Kirk will have to go back to the United States to pick up her $3,000 worth of Team USA gear if she does make the team, or if USA Swimming will just Fed Ex that stuff to her.
Whatever FINA or whoever makes the decision about whether or not Hardy swims in Beijing, her positive drug test has sent shockwaves around the world, so much so that the San Jose Mercury-News was so excited that one of its copy editors decided to headline a story running today with the word. "ripple."
That story is about Tara Kirk, a former Stanfurd swimmer, who was beat out by Hardy in the 100-meter breaststroke at the US Olympic Trials in Omaha, Neb. Seems like Kirk really wants a spot on that Olympic roster, asking for USA head coach Mark Schubert to appeal FINA's rules and add Kirk and UofA's Lara Jackson to the squad. Under the rules, once a national team has sent in its roster, any vacated event must be filled with someone who is already on the roster.
Obviously, this is very fickle. In a true team sport, such as basketball or football (soccer), I would see why a rule like this prevents a team with a deep talent pool from just calling whomever they want to play whenever they want. For example, Dwight Howard gets hurt in that first game, no problem, Brad Miller or Amare Stoudamire is on their way from the States.
But swimming is inherently an individual sport. Is there a team medal awarded for the best swimming countries, a la gymnastics? I didn't think so. So FINA should just let whoever finished third or fourth take the place of finalists who do get suspended or have a freak injury or just decide that the air in Beijing is truly poor and skip out on the whole Olympics thing.
There's no need to punish someone who finished a swim .02 seconds behind someone who is being investigated for testing positive for banned substances.
On a side note, Australia's head coach thinks that this whole episode with Hardy will inspire the Americans in Beijing. Sure it will. I just think that Coach Thompson is just making excuses for his Aussies and preparing the media for the day(s) when the Red, White and Blue kicks their asses in the water. That just me though.
Oh, I did mention that this sent shockwaves around the world and you're asking how? Count them: 1) Australia is talking about this, 2) and Kirk is talking about this from vacationing in Ireland. It wouldn't be the first place I'd go to unwind, but I just wonder if Kirk will have to go back to the United States to pick up her $3,000 worth of Team USA gear if she does make the team, or if USA Swimming will just Fed Ex that stuff to her.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Making Sense of Hardy's Mess
One piece of news that I am very interested that has come out in the last couple of days is potential Olympic hopeful and former world record holder Jessica Hardy's positive test for a banned substance. One of the reasons being is because I'm a huge Cal fan (as I am a graduate of that fine university) and that Hardy swam for the Bears for two years before turning pro last year.
Of course, Hardy's agent and current club coach, Dave Salo, have come out in Hardy's defense. Salo says that Hardy's positive test may have come from "inadvertent consumption."
The OC Register has the great story of how Hardy is an endorser for AdvoCare, a sports supplement company and how a handful of other Olympians have been linked to the company.
After reading that story and reading a couple of other reports, Salo (who currently is the head coach of the USC swimming programs) may be right. There is no knowing what these athletes truly put in their bodies when they take these supplements. Sure, the product may contain substances that aren't banned by sport governing bodies, but they may be contaminated.
My take is why risk such a thing? Why would any athlete risk the chance of losing their opportunity to compete by taking these substances? Do these substances really give athletes that much of an edge?
Salo's statements also remind me of when Barry Bonds was first charged with taking banned performance enhancers. Remember when Bonds said that he didn't know what he was taking?
I feel somewhat sorry for Hardy if she does lose her Olympic roster spot. There's no doubt that she deserves it. But at the same time, athletes need to know what their putting in their bodies and they need to know for sure.
Inadvertent? Doesn't matter to me. She tested positive. I don't think Hardy can get out of this pickle. If she does, then a cloud may hang over her whenever she steps into the pool in Beijing.
And, as a larger point, do athletes really need to these performance enhancers to be jump higher, be swifter and be stronger?
It has also come out now that Hardy's positive test was for a drug that normally treats asthma. To come to her defense, the Bleacher Report has this story that states that: a) Hardy has asthma and b) many athletes take asthma medication and get a pass for it.
However, the asthma medication that Hardy tested positive for is a banned substance. So, not too much to put up as a defense there.
Bottom line: just don't put shit in your body.
Of course, Hardy's agent and current club coach, Dave Salo, have come out in Hardy's defense. Salo says that Hardy's positive test may have come from "inadvertent consumption."
The OC Register has the great story of how Hardy is an endorser for AdvoCare, a sports supplement company and how a handful of other Olympians have been linked to the company.
After reading that story and reading a couple of other reports, Salo (who currently is the head coach of the USC swimming programs) may be right. There is no knowing what these athletes truly put in their bodies when they take these supplements. Sure, the product may contain substances that aren't banned by sport governing bodies, but they may be contaminated.
My take is why risk such a thing? Why would any athlete risk the chance of losing their opportunity to compete by taking these substances? Do these substances really give athletes that much of an edge?
Salo's statements also remind me of when Barry Bonds was first charged with taking banned performance enhancers. Remember when Bonds said that he didn't know what he was taking?
I feel somewhat sorry for Hardy if she does lose her Olympic roster spot. There's no doubt that she deserves it. But at the same time, athletes need to know what their putting in their bodies and they need to know for sure.
Inadvertent? Doesn't matter to me. She tested positive. I don't think Hardy can get out of this pickle. If she does, then a cloud may hang over her whenever she steps into the pool in Beijing.
And, as a larger point, do athletes really need to these performance enhancers to be jump higher, be swifter and be stronger?
It has also come out now that Hardy's positive test was for a drug that normally treats asthma. To come to her defense, the Bleacher Report has this story that states that: a) Hardy has asthma and b) many athletes take asthma medication and get a pass for it.
However, the asthma medication that Hardy tested positive for is a banned substance. So, not too much to put up as a defense there.
Bottom line: just don't put shit in your body.
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