ASP to implement drug testing

You are a moron! The war on drugs has not resulted in 2,489,335 causalities (total in US wars from 1775-present). Go ahead and take another binger cause obviously intelligent thinking and conversation are not your thing.

 

Testing for performance enhancers makes sense because they create an unfair advantage within the sport itself. Testing for recreational drugs is an invasion of privacy. If it doesn’t affect you or your safety it’s none of your business. If you drink its ok, if you drink, drive, and jeopardize innocent peoples safety in the process you’re a selfish a$$hole. So if some pros are getting lit behind closed doors and not bothering any one, it’s no one’s business but their own!
I get the professional sport in the limelight thing but which of the pros was publicly misbehaving on drugs anyway (recently)? What problem has recently hatched involving recreational drug use? These guys are the most elite athletes in the world and they didn’t get so elite with needles and crack pipes.
Gotta love how people attempt to dictate how you run YOUR life. Have some respect for guys that earned it!

 

I wonder to what respect AI has anything to do with the policing of recreational drug use on tour.
To some respect, perhaps the ASP, wants to protect themselves and the athletes from any potential negative influence the tour may provide.

Can you imagine, if the music industry decided test for recreational drug use?
The music industry would die!

 

The entire drug testing idea is a completely slippery slope and the only way to address it is to ban the use of *all* drugs. IF you are going to do it, where do you draw the line in how you define "performance enhancing?"
I'm certain RedBull and Rockstar will not see any ill effects from these rules since they are major sponsors--even though it could be argued that the swill they make is "performance enhancing" and has been proven to cause long term and chronic heart and liver damage.
Also, how will they even define "drug?" Are they going to label caffeine a drug (keeps you up)? How about melatonin (makes you sleepy), or even really spicy food since it can cause an endorphin euphoria much like mild ecstasy? How about when a surfer gets injured and is prescribed an opiate or narcotic pain killer but is still able to surf in the next event even though they are injured.... would they be DQ'd?
I think it's all a bunch of BS. They essentially say "this plant is bad, but this one is good" and "better living through chemistry IF it comes from a billion dollar pharma company but you're doing something bad if you are using a chemical (ie cocaine) that was made in a Colombian jungle."
The only *real* solution is to require each pro surfer to adhere to a strict macrobiotic diet and live in monastery-like conditions or something like Bubble Boy. LOL

ps, I'm sure Wilko will have a fit!

 

1. Demanding that people comply with EXISTING LAWS is not an invasion of privacy. ASP has every right to insist people obey the law, at least in the USA (and pretty much every other country on the tour).

2. Pro surfers are paid mainly as a marketing asset. Hence, the individual PERSONAL marketability of each athlete is one of the highest interests of the governing body administration. It's a job. You want to go do whatever the heck you want? Fine, but no one is required to hire you. It's called a social contract, and both parties bear responsibilities.

Anticipated Rebuttal: "Oh, but what about racism and sexism and other discriminations in the workplace?"

Preemptive Answer: Again, those are ILLEGAL. The drugs in question are ILLEGAL. The ASP has every right to discriminate against people who don't obey the law. Additionally, drug use is a CHOICE. By every definition, illegal discrimination is based on things one cannot control (example, the gay rights debate centered around this specific question). Behavioral choices, particularly ones that are illegal and cast a negative light on the organization, are NOT a valid basis for illegal discrimination.

 

I think this AI's death has everything to do with this. Google "surfer drug addiction" and you'll hit hundreds of articles about Andy. It's a black mark upon the whole organization. I really do think this isn't intended as a police state intervention type of deal. The higher-up's in the ASP are mostly former pro's themselves who genuinely care about the athletes and don't want to see them succumb to the same problems.

As for your second question, probably yes!

 

I completely agree with your dilemma, though I arrive at the opposite conclusion. In the case of "energy drinks" I think it's a tragedy that we market this stuff. I spent a year drinking that stuff (like 2 Monsters/day) and can say without a doubt that it's terrible for you. McDonald's is terrible for you, while we're on the subject. So how do we ensure only good wholesome products are marketed? That's a societal problem. It boggles my mind how we continue to do all this stuff, somehow convinced that it's not a problem. I don't think pro athletes should be marketing any of that crap. Yet they do, and we Americans are all fat and slow with diabetes. Surprised?

As for medical stuff, I'm all for searching the Amazon for the "perfect cure". We over-prescribe. That's not a debate, but a fact. Many doctors will write a prescription for seemingly any reason. It's crazy to me. Personally I go to great lengths to use only herbal cures (yes, I have no problem with med. weed).

Back to drugs...take a look at a typical meth addict and tell me that it does not have an acute, severe effect on health. We don't need an answer because it's common knowledge. If you don't think meth destroys lives, then clearly you haven't been exposed to it. As we said, the war on drugs is an abject failure. Now it's ALL THE MORE IMPORTANT that leaders in society do everything possible to steer young people away from addiction and early death. Firing a pro surfer for abusing recreational drugs sends the message to kids that drugs will ruin your life. If the ASP wants to be a responsible organization, it's not only permissible for them to take this step, but ESSENTIAL.

 

You would be surprised how many surfers actually juice. I know some of the pros been using Stanozolol for years now. Everyone wants to be better than the next or the best. Some people want to be the best at what they do. I'm not surprised at all. Once, they start to test for enhancement drugs. Athletes will just switch to more organic non testable drugs just like the NFL does.

Performance Enhancement drugs are here to stay. Whether you like it or not. They are getting more popular every year. With that said, right here in (monmouth county) there are people in the water ON performance drugs.

IMO on weed. Weed will either make you have a ridiculous sesh or a horrible one.

my .02 cents

 

Dude this could go up or down. I'm for sure against drug testing. I usually surf better sober, but when I used to pole vault in high school my best height was when I was rollin, it was sick

 

not combined you asshole!

http://www.drugwarrant.com/articles/drug-war-victim/

DOUCHEBAG.

 

I kinda like the wasted and reckless rock star surfers. Nobody cares what these guys do out of the water. Nobody cared Irons was a cokehead until he was dead. The ASP is just trying to get bigger sponsorships by saying, "these are professionals because they get tested". I sorta find it offensive considering it was common knowledge about Irons substance abuse. The ASP did nothing there but in order to get Audi to sponsor the next Search everybodys got to piss clean.

 

Check this video out

http://followthefish.tv/?p=1441


There are a couple high profile surfers in there and its quite obvious what the guy sitting next to Dane is doing. Dane himself looks high and fish, well that guy is just nuts. I personally think its bull that the ASP is testing pro surfers. Surfing has become like any other sport, full of greedy corporate deuchers. Look at the NBA and the NFL with their recent lockouts and how it effects the fans. Surfing is getting to the point where its so mainstream the people involved forgot what surfing is about. Look at the ASP schedule this year... Rio, New York, San Fran for a SEARCH EVENT?? What the hell happened? Thats not the dream tour, its the Money Train. I feel like in the next 5-10 years there will be an alternative surfing tour that will emerge and shake up the monopoly that the ASP has on pro surfing. The way the current market is going with pro model boards, gear and fins is really just another reason for me support my local shaper and buy baggies from local shops. The past few years have really gone down hill in my opinion. Crappy venues, 1 world rankings, miscounting the WT, fewer surfers and now drug testing? Surfing is and always will be an alternative sport in the US. Your not going to see it in the Olympics, it wont be on ESPN and who wants that anyways? More kooks watching surfing on ESPN means more kooks in the lineup.

 

I doubt that professional surfers take steroids. It would make more sense if they took adderall so they could be extremely focused on their competition. plus, what surfer is actually absolutely ripped? If they were taking steroids and surfed as much as they did, they would be shredded. most surfers have a gut or are pretty cut, but not steroid cut.

It would make more sense in the cocaine/marijuana testing but it seems that most would get the boot from those alone.

 

OK. My bad stoney. I gave you a combined statistic and you only said the war on drugs "is responsible for more death than any other war". How about the American civil war at 625,000 deaths. Sorry your BS statement still doesn't hold up although I like the weak internet attempt at backing up your claim. Lets see I counted 45 unfortunate deaths and two of them were dogs. Nice try. Now go ahead and clear that bong load and read up.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_military_casualties_of_war

 

mmm kay ?








"I don't do drugs though... Just weed." - Thurgood Jenkins

 

MEXICO CITY – Mexico says more than 30,000 people have been killed in drug violence since President Felipe Calderon launched a crackdown against cartels in 2006.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/12/16/killed-mexicos-drug-violence/#ixzz1daiIwKVl

That's just in Mexico in the last couple of years, Prohabition has been around since the 30's! This is off subjuct anyway...... I remember a couple of years ago when congress was hearing the Steroid use in baseball thing, at the height of a ressesion. I say legalize, if people want to distroy themselves, so be it. Plus, it'd make baseball more interesting. I don't use anything besides caffine, and alcohol, but I feel like if smoking a little weed is your thing, what's the harm, and if you choose to tear yourself down with anything else, it's your choice. Victimless crime. I say Let Darwinism prevail!

 

Here's what Dayne Reynolds thinks: http://twitter.com/#!/Daynolds

"There are 3 reasons drug testing surfers is a bad idea. 1) Surfers smoke weed, 2) Surfers smoke a lot of weed and 3) The uh...."

 

WWII death count is estimated at over 60 million.

 

Dammit.. you beat me to it lol

 

I guess a better choice of word would have been "as much as some" I stand corrected, but my point remains valid.