Drug use and competitions

KDX

KDX

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I just read this the other day and was totally surprised by it. I didn't think there was anything that would benefit a shooter and although the guy got caught was shooting pistol, I was thinking it might apply to precision rifle also.

Propranolol is one of the banned substances in the Olympics, presumably for its use in controlling stage fright and tremors. It was taken by Kim Jong-su, a North Korean pistol shooter who won two medals at the 2008 Olympic Games. He was the first Olympic shooter to be disqualified for drug use.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propranolol
 
beta blockers (such as Propanolol) can theoretically have a theoretical advantage because they slow heart-rate. BUT.... If you want my professional clinical opinion, there are no drugs made that give any shooter any sort of advantage; they only detract.

The one exception.....Look at CyaN1de: He's loaded with Zidovudine and Acyclovir and it certainly does not hurt him.
 
i used to compete in Modern Pentathlon and we went from doing five sports over five days to four over five because the "eastern bloc" countries were rummoring to be using drugs to "calm" their athletes on the day of the shoot...

the governing bodies solution was to have the shoot in the morning and then the cross-country run right after the shoot, no one is going to run well after taking downers so problem solved....

these days they do all five sports in two days but in more of a "sprint" type format and with air pistols instead of 22s
 
well IPSC has a rule set that allows for testing and all that. What I'd like to see is a drug that speeds up a person processing, perception and awareness. I've read reports about trials of things along those being attempted for soldiers, but nothing too concrete.
 
Slavex said:
well IPSC has a rule set that allows for testing and all that. What I'd like to see is a drug that speeds up a person processing, perception and awareness. I've read reports about trials of things along those being attempted for soldiers, but nothing too concrete.
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It's called amphetamine. Dexedrine is still issued to USAF pilots under certain circumstances.

With careful use, it's quite a wonderdrug for the mind and abilities. However, it's a fine line between proper use and abuse.

The closest thing I can think of offhand would be Vinpocetine as a nootropic, but that might just be handwaving. Modafinil (Provigil) might be another candidate.

However, when one can simply rest up properly, either of these are just wind-pissing IMO.

-M
 
The whole drugs-in-sports thing is a horrible can of worms, and I just hate the whole damn thing. The formal anti-doping rules ("WADA") basically assume that everybody is guilty, and lays out procedures and appeals that are big, expensive, and in my opinion is fundamentally unfair, dangerous, and in violation of medical ethics. Also, there are all sorts of drugs banned that have nothing to do with performance enhancement (for example, cocaine and heroin - they are already illegal, I think that it is a mistake for sports bodies to assume law enforcement duties).

Most drugs that are "useful" for cheating in sports involve going faster/further/harder, which is actively unhelpful to shooting. The only drug class that I am aware of that might be of benefit to shooters are the beta blockers. A doctor & shooter I know has said that he has serious doubts as to whether one could effectively abuse beta blockers in order to gain an advantage in outdoor fullbore shooting. If you pass out in the sun & heat because your pulse rate is too low, you're not helping yourself cheat and win the match. Presumably the implication is that in indoor shooting sports, one might be able to get a benefit from this cheating.

I don't think that we have a cheating problem in fullbore shooting, and I think that hypocritical efforts to "look clean" by adopting anti-doping policies are wasteful, mistaken, damaging, and insulting to the integrity of our shooters.
 
Obtunded said:
beta blockers (such as Propanolol) can theoretically have a theoretical advantage because they slow heart-rate. BUT.... If you want my professional clinical opinion, there are no drugs made that give any shooter any sort of advantage; they only detract.

The one exception.....Look at CyaN1de: He's loaded with Zidovudine and Acyclovir and it certainly does not hurt him.
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I thought he just got married,, is there something he should tell us and his new wife LOL oh yeah I am a doctor LMAO
 
Beta blockers are a double edge sword. Yes, they slow heart rate, but they act like a pharmacological governor. Your tolerance for physical activity is significantly affected and as such I cannot possibly see how their use can be a benefit. They also have more obscure uses, but these would constitute a legitmate medical need (They are used to treat certain forms of tremors). Suggesting that some of our elder shooter discontinue their prescriptions - or even implying such, is forensically irresponsible.

If yu really want performance enhancement, get your cardiovascular fitness to the point where you have a resting heart rate in the 40's or 50's. If your heart is going 100/minute, that's becuase it NEEDS to. Chemically Slowing it to 50 means you'll feel like you've had the stuffing taken out of you.

Cocaine, amphetamines (MDMA et al) caffeine, are all stimulants. These are definitely NOT what you want when shooting. Opiates are probably the grug with the greatest potential for performance enhancement through their euphoric/sedating properties, but finding just the right amount....

SO... does taking a couple of over-the-counter 222's before a match because you're a broken down old F-Class shooter constitute use of a banned substance? Does having a script for Tylenol 3's make you inelligible for competition?

I frankly see the whole thing as pedantic obfuscation.
 
mysticplayer said:
Forget about the drugs, I would much rather prefer a wireless weather station down range.

I wonder if you can get an app for that :)

Jerry
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I realize that you're probably saying that tongue-in-cheek, but in TR and F-
Class competition it is not allowed. ICFRA F-Class Rules:
F3.2. Personal wind indicating or measuring devices of any description are forbidden on the firing
point. “Wind Correction Tables” in printed form, or as “slide rules” are permitted. National
or Team flags, flown at the back of the Team Area are not considered a contravention of this
rule.
​

Ian said:
Beta blockers are a double edge sword. [...snip...] Suggesting that some of our elder shooter discontinue their prescriptions - or even implying such, is forensically irresponsible.
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Amen to that. I am not a lawyer, nor am I a doctor. But I am shocked at the legal and medical presumption, no, gall, behind WADA's attitude towards shooters with legitimate prescriptions (mostly for heart conditions), which is basically "...there are other treatment options available, go use them instead..."

Ian said:
SO... does taking a couple of over-the-counter 222's before a match because you're a broken down old F-Class shooter constitute use of a banned substance? Does having a script for Tylenol 3's make you inelligible for competition?
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Fortunately ICFRA and DCRA have not gone completely off the deep end (which would be to adopt WADA idiocy). Under our much-more-liberal procedures (but still in my opinion way too burdensome), a shooter must file an exemption form in advance of the match. If the shooter is tested for drugs and is found to be positive, an otherwise "illegal" test would be excused by the exemption form. Not only is there the possible privacy implications of this data being mishandled, lost, etc, there's also the sheer damn burden being imposed on someone who is manifestly *not* a cheater, in asking him to provide evidence for his innocence in advance of any possible testing. And in case you need further riling, consider this - theoretically, evidence of innocence presented after the test is conducted would not be admissable. I therefore reserve the words "over my dead body we'll nail him", just in case I ever find myself on such a jury.

I frankly see the whole thing as pedantic obfuscation.
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Yup. But "It's for the childrens".
 
I'm glad IPSC only concider drug testing for level 4 and 5 matches. Of course during an arthritis flare up in alergy season it would be fun to watch the reagent strip burst into flames.
 
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