A comment from the super aito. "I would like the (French Polynesia Outrigger Canoe) federation or the Sports Ministry to establish controls. Some paddlers are doped. When there's money at stake, the temptation is strong," said Cronsteadt, who added he is campaigning for the Polynesian sport to maintain its impeccable image.
That may explain all the record breaking at Molokai.
Submitted by westside on Tue, 08/19/2008 - 6:49pm
You know the French simply can't be trusted. Gimme some Freedom Fries Baby!
#1 Tue, 08/19/2008 - 6:58pm
If there is doping going on why would you limit your suspicions to Tahitians. Hawaiians or the rest of the world for that matter are virgins in that territory? Me thinks not.
The Tahitians have fundamentally changed (improved if you will) their stroke, their pace, their training, commitment, you name it, etc.
Hanging on doggedly to the way it was and training the way it was and then blaming a loss on doping is ludicrous and boy oh boy them grapes are still sour.
Train harder grasshopper and you'll beat the new masters.
Call me ignorant but who is Cronsteadt ?
I'm against doping and and for testing and I also have a feeling that Tahiti would still beat the stuffing out of anybody even if say 2 out of their 6 were doped, kicked out and replaced with "clean" second tier paddlers.
It's the fundamentals!
#2 Tue, 08/19/2008 - 7:54pm
Georges Cronstead just won the Super Aito 2008...
#3 Tue, 08/19/2008 - 8:55pm
...and that's true, we tahitians are doped : we drink Hinano, wich gives us an unfair advantage over other competitors...
#4 Tue, 08/19/2008 - 8:58pm
I am against testing.
The French are the only ones that don't dope, Jim, trust me.
If you ever want to eat real French fries you actually have to go to Belgium.
#5 Tue, 08/19/2008 - 9:07pm
I don't know how often the tahitians test for performance enhancing drugs. But I do know that before they went to the world sprints the federation did test everyone. If you tested possitive you could not do the race. I don't know about the mainlanders or other countries, but hawaii didn't do any testing.
#6 Tue, 08/19/2008 - 9:22pm
It was a little different... The federation tested everyone who was willing to be tested... since it was not after a race, they couldn't force you to be tested.
Anyway, those who were not willing to be tested were out of the selection... no world champs for them !
#7 Tue, 08/19/2008 - 9:47pm
Heck,
what sport doesn't have those that indulge in steroids. I guess our sport is no different and will have the junkies too.
I do not believe that the numbers are huge. The users are the minority and probable rob themselves of reaching their potential unassisted.
It doesn't worry me that I paddle against those that indulge. I struggle against those that don't use, so I have gotten used to being neaten.
I would love to see an Olympic games where Steroids were legal. How awsome would that be.
Imagine the freaks,.... they will be even freakier.
world records will....probable still be the same, but the freaks will be the entertainment.
In our sport anabolics can give a paddler power surge, but it does not give them skill. EPO however would assist with the cardio. That could be a decider in the Molo and long distance stuff.
Top sports people are always being quoted. Sometimes not that acurate and sometimes out of text.
Georges Cronstead is an amazing paddler. I watched him win Gold (OC1) at the Bora Bora world sprints.
He seeemed like a pleasant person. I saw him gift his paddle to the number one in the Pineula (NZ,) crew that beat his crew. Georges was in awe of the timing that the NZ number one set.
It is awsome that such fine paddler is anti drugs in our sport. That makes him a good role model.
I was supprised not to see Georges or Karyl paddling for Tahiti at the Sacramento worlds. Mind you the junior Tahitians had no trouble taking out the Gold in the open!
What an amazing base of paddling talent.
#8 Wed, 08/20/2008 - 12:03am
It was incredible to watch the Tahitians race at the World sprints in Sacramento, totally raised the bar. I`ll keep the visual picture of what really moving a canoe looks like for many years to come.
When your entire nation loves paddling and it`s the National sport , teams and individuals get good.
Seems to me that in Tahiti the approach to paddling is to be excellent as a paddling Nation rather than a conglomeration of competing clubs.
A United States outrigger racing team would be pretty excellent too if we went at it the way the Tahitians do.
http://maineoutriggerchampionships.blogspot.com/
#9 Wed, 08/20/2008 - 1:11am
Welcome to the doping era.. Tahiti is great and can win dope or no dope. But once someone prettymuch confirms some paddlers were doped in Super Aito, you gotta question how some records gets smashed so bad.
#10 Wed, 08/20/2008 - 1:36am
wait, you're saying that since the guy who won the super aito is saying that others may be doping, that's why records are broken in molokai? what about him? how's he going so fast if not doped? maybe some of those guys are just that fast and some of the others are doping to keep up? i suspect even if half the tahitian field was doped and was eliminated, there would still be a fast enough crew to win molokai- their paddling population base being so huge
money may be a big motivator, but judging at how much time, effort and money is spent by the average paddler, i bet there are plenty of people who would be tempted to enhance themselves, prize money or no, so i don't think tahiti is the only one who has to struggle with this issue. but obviously since money IS involved, then at least they can demand to regulate it...it could be that it's a major issue, who knows.
but i think it sounds like sore losing to try to find any way to justify why someone else is winning- flatwater specialists, professionals, cheaters, dopers.....maybe they're just faster? maybe the rest of the world needs to catch up.
#11 Wed, 08/20/2008 - 2:58am
So people don't think there's doping going on right here? I haven't heard of the hawaii racing testing our paddlers for performance enhancing drugs. Was there a discussion like this when Lanikai dominated the moloka'i hoe? How about when their open men beat up on everybody at states? There is talk about testing for the moloka'i hoe. I know local paddlers that actually don't want it, hmmm..... why? We keep looking for excuses of why the tahitians keep moping us. The bottom line is they train harder. Lanikai dominated... why? Because they trained harder than the rest of us. We keep looking for excuses of why we get beat. Stop making excuses, just train harder.
#12 Wed, 08/20/2008 - 6:05am
Dacho, 808 waha,
who's making excuses. What makes you think there was an excuse made. I think Tahiti are great champions of this sport. I just read what was printed. Call the reporter and tell them to stop making excuses. Maybe there is some truth to it maybe not. You make your own judgement. Im just saying what I read. Make all the excuses of why you think there are excuses, but it still makes me wonder..
#13 Wed, 08/20/2008 - 12:47pm
Westside
Did I hit a sore spot? Getting a bit defensive aren't we. What I said was people have been making excuses for years now. Are you one of them? If not then relax, shut your waha and just read peoples comments and opinions thats what this forum is about.
#14 Wed, 08/20/2008 - 4:35pm
Only spot you hit was your own waha. Have no Idea what you mean by people making excuses. So easy on the waha..
#15 Wed, 08/20/2008 - 5:57pm
Publicly there are no huge grudges between top paddlers in Hawaii that I know of other than the known "paddletic" competition. This being the case, and the fact that there is very little money involved, I think that if drug testing were done in Hawaii, and a few top paddlers were in fact caught, that it would do more harm to the sport and its image in Hawaii than to the paddlers themselves. Look at baseball. Granted there is money involved and I think that they should be tested, but what it did to the reputation of major league baseball in general. I just think that if it is going on, and no one is getting hurt(other than what those are willingly doing to themselves) why bring such a dark cloud on such a beloved, publicly involved sport if it isnt truly needed? I dont personally know Kai, Karel, or Manny but they all seem like great personal individuals with a huge love of the sport and a desire to promote it. I dont think that any of them are doping but if they were I seriously wouldnt want to know. Once people are getting rich and there is much more involved - start peeing.
#16 Wed, 08/20/2008 - 10:47pm
NZ did testing some years ago.
A can of Redbull and other high cafine drinks would see you banned for 2 years.
So how many of us could pass the test...are we all dopers in some form.
Some cough medicine is banned as also other basic medication.
I know we are talking serious abuse, so I will chime out.
Speaking of...
How did you go at the World Srints Fuzerider?
#17 Wed, 08/20/2008 - 11:51pm
doping controversy. The only thing that bothers me is the Champion of the Super Aito calling for testing. If the Champ is asking, then you know something is fishy. Also, rumors have been flying for the past couple years that Lewis L. was juiced. Who knows...who cares...it doesn't bother me, I am too old, too worn, and all 'bus up' to worry about doping.
Besides....hey Hiro, it's not the Hinano that makes the tahitians go fast, its all those 'TOPLESS HONIES' down there that make you guys go fast. Momma Mia!!
Hey Fuze...was it you that came down to the World Sprints in the big a$$ motor home with all the Zephr's on the roof?? If it was then, sweet ride. I was scoping that puppy out.
Jaws Out....
#18 Thu, 08/21/2008 - 10:47am