go for the glory...chance the shame

I am so looking forward to 8/8/08. I really love watching the Olympics. It's funny how the Olympics can make the most boring sport have value to me. However (and you knew there'd be a "however) I am just not understanding how it comes to be that an athlete tests positive for a "banned" drug. I woke this morning to my alarm clock telling me that an athlete has tested positive for a stimulant. As a pharmacist I see the matter pretty black and white. One of two things happens here: she either knew she had taken the drug OR she didn't...and either way I have no sympathy...here's why: Okay, so say she knew. Well this is a no-brainer because she was trying to trick the tests. Maybe she thought she had stopped taking the drug soon enough to pass or perhaps she took something else to assumingly "mask" the illegal drug. Or maybe she took something similar to the illegal drug that isn't supposed to be detected. Anyway, no sympathy here obviously. This leads me to the second option...she didn't know she took it. Well, this gets me because here is a girl who has probably trained her whole life for the goal of going to the Olympics. She is diligent enough to train 24/7 and probably give up her life otherwise to attain this goal AND SHE DOESN'T KNOW THE INGREDIENTS OF WHAT SHE IS PUTTING IN HER PRECIOUS BODY. I must tell you that the reports say that the positive test could be as simple as she took the wrong cough medicine. However, I just feel sure that somewhere in our great internet world (if not personally given to each and every olympic athlete) there is a list of legal medicines that will show up on these drug tests. I mean the testing is an exact science and I'm sure they tell everyone how to go by the rules. We have this idea that these athletes are folks just like us but at this point they are groomed to represent our country. They have resources that everyday athletes don't. I'm pretty sure they have doctors for each need, trainers for every weakness, mentors for every question..all available to help them represent our country well. Why chance the shame?