Steroids in bodybuilding

> Is it legal? Should it be?

Davie Wong
Sports Editor

Ws all seen and heard about
steroid use in the world of body-
building. In fact, it’s so rampant that
the first thing that often comes to mind
when observing bodybuilders is, “what
kind of steroids are they on?” But other
than knowing that steroids are “bad for
you” due to media advertising, there

is actually very little that the general
population knows about steroids and
steroid use, especially in the sport of
bodybuilding.

First of all, steroid use in the world
of competitive bodybuilding is illegal.
At the highest levels of the sport, and
sometimes even at the lowest, a stan-
dard has been implemented banning
the use of steroids. This is all moder-
ated by the International Federation
of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB).
Although they manage to moderate the
higher echelons of the sport, it is still a
common occurrence to see steroids be-
ing used outside of testing periods, and
nearly everywhere at the lower levels.

But why?

To answer that, we need to under-
stand what steroids are. Steroids are
essentially extra chemicals that your
body already produces. Bodybuilders
will try to increase the amount of posi-
tive chemicals that are in the body and
available to the bodybuilder during a

 

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workout.

The most commonly used steroids
are anabolic ones that increase the
muscle’s ability to absorb protein. Then
there are the androgen steroids, which
aid the time it takes for proteins to
synthesize with muscles. Lastly, there’s

UFV makes for a Funky visit

> Royals women’s volleyball take on the UFV Cascades

Davie Wong
Sports Editor

 

he opening of the PACWEST’s sea-

son second split for volleyball saw
the Royals taking on the visiting UFV
Cascades. Returning to the Royals as
a foe rather than a friend was former
first-string setter, Jessica Funk. Funk
played two years in a Royals jersey be-
fore making the move to the Cascades
to play with her sister, Rachel Funk. As
the director for the team’s attacks and
ace server, Jessica is a dangerous asset
for the Cascades.

That definitely showed in the first
set, though the Royals were ready for
their old teammate. They handed the
Cascades well during a tough first set,
taking it with a score of 25-16.The Cas-
cades would not stay down, however,
striking back to take the next set 25-19.

A decisive third set was a major
factor to the game, and both teams went
the distance. It was tooth and nail, but
the Royals were the ones to come out on
top, winning 25-22 to take the 2-1 lead.
However, the Cascades are far from a
team that takes it lying down. They
swung a set right back at the Royals to
tie it at two apiece, and sent the game
into a fifth and final set.

With the building on the edge of its

seat, the Royals danced back and forth
with the Cascades, trading point for
point. Down 14-13 with the game on the
line, it would come down to a massive
serve by Royals captain Juliana Penner,
and a huge block from Georgia Hurry
to secure the win. From the brink, the
Royals managed to emerge victorious.

As satisfying as the win was, the
team knew they had to do it all over
again the next day. However, things
didn’t go as smooth for the team as it
did the night before. The first set went
completely unhinged as the Cascades
rolled their way to a 25-12 set win.

A regrouped Royals made their
stand in the second, but couldn't hold
off the UFV team, as they dropped the
set 25-18. After much emphasis from the
coach, the team snapped back into form
with a 25-20 effort that earned them a
third set win., which forced a fourth set
in the game, and the Cascades were not
happy about it. They charged into the
fourth set, determined to make it their
last, taking the set 25-19, and the game
341.

The split weekend puts the Roy-
als at 10-4 on the season, which is
good enough for second place in the
PACWEST Conference. They sit one
game behind the league leading VIU
Mariners, and one game ahead of the
8-5 Capilano Blues.

Sy

 

insulin, which allows the body to use
more of the carbs that are being tak-
en in. Those are the big three when it
comes to steroids use.
While it all sounds fine and dan-
dy, there are many cons, dangers, and
reasons why people shouldn't be using

at) ieee

Illustration by Ed Appleby

 

steroids. This is just a shortened list.

First off, you could overdose on any
steroid you put into your body. If you
take too much of one steroid, and do
not take in enough nutrients to balance
it, it really takes a toll on your body, to
the point that it could be lethal. But if
that doesn’t scare you, other side effects
include a decreased libido, and a harder
time controlling bodily functions.

Obviously steroids are used at the
risk of the user, but the question isn’t
why bodybuilders are using steroids, it’s
whether or not it should be legal. One
of the main reasons that the IFBB bans
the use of steroids at the highest levels
of bodybuilding is because they hope to
push the sport into the Olympics. They
claim it is due to steroids being against
“ethics, fair play, and honesty.” This
means that athletes who use steroids are
given an unfair advantage due to their
use.

Using chemical enhancements
that give a competitor an advantage is
against the concept of fair play. But one
could also compare it to the former NFL
controversy on glove usage. Gloves gave
competitors an advantage over players
who didn’t use them. Now everyone
uses gloves. What if a player decides to
not use gloves, and complained about
the advantage other glove users have.
Do the glove users have to lose their
gloves to accommodate the non-glove
users?

I'll leave that up to you.

Image by Analyn Cuarto