ARE WE IN THE WBC'S JUICED ERA?
"No. I don't have to [use steroids]. I mean, I'm a good enough ballplayer as it is. I don't need to be any better. I can't get any better at this age." -- Barry Bonds, MLB Home Run Record Holder, June 2002
"I have never had a single positive doping test, and I do not take performance-enhancing drugs." - Lance Armstrong, 7 Times Tour de France winner, Jan 2004
"I have never, and will never use PED's, all I need to compete at the highest level is talent and hard work." - Barista Competitor X, 20XX
Lance and Barry are well known cheats, they both used performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) to become legends in their fields, eclipsing records that would otherwise have been unobtainable. They achieved the impossible and reaped the rewards, yet ultimately got through by unfair and illegal means. Their exposure lead to crises in both sports, fans turned off and sponsors pulled their money. Both governing bodies were extremely slow to react, after all why rock the boat if things are going so well? Its a testament to the flexibility of human thinking that both sports have recovered admirably, happy to simply ring fence off the Barry and Lance era's as the bad old day. But the stigma still remains, after all if a sports greatest competitors cheated, how can we trust anyone?
So far only two of the opening quotes have been shown to be false, but if the recent rumours of beta blocker use by high level Barista Competitors turn out to be true then the WCE has a problem on its hands, one that MLB and the UCI know only too well. The whole idea of PEDs in barista competition seems odd, after all how can drugs help you make better coffee? As always, the secret is in the choice of drugs, as Barry turned to steroids to increase his power, and Lance turned to blood doping to increase his endurance, so the Barista competitor might turn to drugs to help control those ever present nerves.
This is where the Beta Blockers come into play, typically used to treat heart arrhythmia and to help those with chronic anxiety. In sports they are used for their ability to block the body's receptors to adrenaline, especially useful in sports where a steady hand is needed. I think you can see where this is going. Whilst there are those who are prescribed them to live their everyday lives, and so would need them to be able to compete, what if a perfectly healthy competitor used them to gain an advantage over their peers? I've always maintained that at the highest level its about the performance on the day; run a WBC final 6 times, and its quite likely you'll get 6 different winners. By controlling a competitor's reaction to adrenaline, and the shakes and nerves that go with it, its easy to see how this can tilt the scales in their favour.
With the potential rewards for success greater than ever, it should be no surprise that these rumours are spreading, just as it should be no surprise that less scrupulous competitors will turn to PEDs. Perhaps this is a symptom of our more cynical times, perhaps it was just an inevitability as the WBC grew in stature. Either way two things must happen;
Firstly the WCE must act quickly. It's not acceptable for them to stand pat and hope that this will blow over. It won't. They must get out in front of this brewing crisis and show leadership. Where they draw the line will be a difficult decision. In Cycling the TUE (Therapeutic Use Exemption) system of allowing banned drugs to be prescribed for pre-existing conditions is open to abuse, but to go the way of Archery and ban beta blockers in and out of competition excludes potential competitors. It's Hobson's Choice, but they must choose.
Secondly, we must not rush to judge those who are current competitors or who have competed in the past. As always we must keep our trust until proved other wise.
*FULL DISCLOSURE: I am currently Events Co-Ordinator for the SCA UK chapter and as such oversee the WCE sanctioned competitions. These opinions are mine and mine alone and are not the official position of either WCE, SCA or the SCA UK.*