Integrity

In an effort to immerse myself in the world of Olympic Weightlifting, a month or so ago I started listening to a couple podcasts including The Weightlifting Scoop (Team MDUSA - Coach Glenn Pendlay, Travis Cooper, James Tatum, and others from the team) and Weightlifting Talk (Attitude Nation's Jon North and Ryan Grady, and Travis Mash of Mash Elite Performance). Being a relative baby in the sport, it's difficult to wade through all of the information that's out there and I'm learning that everyone goes about things in a different way. It's also hard to separate CrossFit philosophies, from Weightlifting and Powerlifting philosophies. It's important to remember that while all of them have some component of lifting weights, they're three separate sports. But information is power and I try to absorb as much as I can - it's also pretty entertaining.

One reason I enjoy Weightlifting Talk is that Jon (Weightlifting), Travis (Powerlifting), and Ryan (CrossFit) all come from these three different worlds and are able to offer insight on training from these different perspectives. It's also kind of cool because I actually got to work with Travis when he coached me at the MDUSA Team Tryouts, and we've kept in touch via Facebook and Twitter, so it's kind of like listening to a friend on the radio. I wouldn't say that I agree 100% with everything I hear from anyone in regards to weightlifting philosophies. I view it a lot like I view religion in that it seems like a lot of different answers to the same questions, but not knowing enough about it all on my own I find it difficult to latch on to any one person's specific philosophy and follow it as if it were gospel. I try to take in everything I can and try to digest it, but in the end I also have to take into account and trust the coaching that I receive first hand.

Today on Weightlifting Talk (https://www.spreaker.com/user/weightlifting_talk/das_efx) - around the 85 minute mark - they got into talking about steroid use in weightlifting and how the American weightlifters are at a disadvantage at the Olympics and on the world stage because of the United States Anti-Doping Agency and the fact that it seems obvious that Team USA is in the minority when it comes to adherence to the anti-doping rules set forth in Olympic and International competition. In short, the playing field is not level when other countries aren't forced to follow (or find ways around) the rules that the Americans are held to. It makes it difficult for USA to bring home gold medals as "clean" athletes, when other countries aren't playing fairly.

I am very much a rule follower, and value integrity in myself and others, so it was upsetting to hear someone that may represent our country admit that if he wouldn't get caught he would use steroids in a sport where it was already commonly used, even if it was against the rules. I'm sure that this is a common thought among many athletes, so it's not the fact that Jon would admit to thinking this that was upsetting, it's the idea that our athletes would have to feel that breaking the rules is necessary to win or that winning at all costs is what is expected of them. I posed the following question to Jon, Travis, and Ryan on Twitter during the show today:

 

 

I agree that the situation isn't fair, nor is the playing field level, but in the history of the modern Olympics, in several sports, the USA has faced similar fights. Not only in adherence to anti-doping policies, which seems to always be a concern in the Olympics, but also in the fact that United States pitted amateur athletes against paid professionals from other countries. While in many ways, for many years, this put our athletes at a disadvantage, it didn't mean that the USA never brought home gold medals. In fact, the "Miracle" 1980 USA Hockey Team proved that amateurs can go up against the best athletes in the world, against all odds, and emerge triumphant. To me, that's what makes the Olympics so awesome.

I've always held United States Olympians in the highest regard. I've wanted to be an Olympian since I was probably 5 years old. I idolized Mary Lou Retton and Kim Zmeskal. As a little girl I was convinced that I would one day train with Bela Karolyi and win an Olympic gold medal. That is, after all, the whole point in competing in the Olympics, right? To win gold medals? Except that I've always thought that being an Olympian was about much more than the prize. Being able to put on a red, white, and blue uniform with USA emblazoned across your chest and represent your country in front of the whole world. To compete with pride and integrity with the best in your sport. Win or lose, from that point on you are always an Olympian. Like being an Oscar Nominee, you will always have that tag line with your name. Just to make the team is an honor.

I was fortunate enough to train this year with Olympian Cara Heads Slaughter who competed on the 2000 Olympic team in Sydney, Australia. I'm not going to lie, but I was severely star-struck at the thought of getting coached by an Olympian. How cool is that?! How many people get to say their coach competed in the Olympics? Even though she didn't medal, I don't think of her as any less of an Olympian. It doesn't matter to me that she didn't win a medal, It doesn't make her any less of a great weightlifter. It doesn't mean she knows any less about the sport or how to teach others.

Being an Olympian is something that no one can ever take away from you, unless of course you cheat. Then you can have that title stripped, your medal (should you win one) taken away, as well as all the honor that you may have once had. To me, bringing shame to your country by cheating to win gold, even if you don't get caught, is not worth the gold medal. I have way more respect for the athletes that have competed for the USA with honor and integrity, even if they didn't medal, than I have for someone from another country that didn't follow the rules and gave a super-human performance to win gold. The medal doesn't matter as much to me as integrity.

It's easy for me to sit here on my high horse saying that I would never cheat to win, because I have never been in a position to have to try to win a gold medal for my country. I've never felt the pressure of the hopes and dreams of an entire country. I've never been faced with competing in a sport where I know the field isn't level and everyone isn't playing fair. But I can understand how frustrating it can be to work your hardest and know that because of things out of your control, your best may never be good enough to win. The difference is that I am okay with not winning because I was taught that it isn't whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game. And I believe in it. Yes winning is nice, and if you aren't playing to win, why play? I'm all for keeping score and having winners and losers, but I'm personally not willing to compromise my integrity to win. I wouldn't feel good about it. Any victory I didn't truly earn, fairly, would be tainted and worthless. Even if no one ever knew and I never got caught, I would know. I still feel weird about the bronze medal I got at the RVA Open, because there were only 3 lifters in my weight class - did I win bronze, or just come in last place?

Think about it this way - if we agreed that it would be okay to break the anti-doping rules, because everyone else was doing it and it would level the playing field... where would it stop? Who gets to pick and choose which rules to break? Why not just hire a goon to bash in the kneecaps of your competitors and take them out of the picture all together? It's a very slippery slope.

According to Wikipedia, the ultimate source on everything - "Integrity is a concept of consistency of actions, values, methods, measures, principles, expectations, and outcomes. In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one's actions. Integrity can be regarded as the opposite of hypocrisy, in that integrity regards internal consistency as a virtue, and suggests that parties holding apparently conflicting values should account for the discrepancy or alter their beliefs. The word "integrity" stems from the Latin adjective integer (whole, complete). In this context, integrity is the inner sense of "wholeness" deriving from qualities such as honesty and consistency of character. As such, one may judge that others "have integrity" to the extent that they act according to the values, beliefs and principles they claim to hold."

If all that matters to you in life is winning, no matter the cost, and playing within the rules that others have created (by breaking the ones that were mutually agreed upon by society/the governing body of your sport), then by all means... But, if you claim to live an honest life and value your integrity - you should be able to be proud that you have done your best and you are a person of honor, regardless of how others act and behave, and regardless of whether or not you "won" a medal. Is there really any victory in a dishonest win? Will you be able to sleep well knowing that you cheated to win? And in the end, say you do cheat, you do win - but you get caught and have your medal stripped from you and you're banned from your sport forever? Was winning really worth it? Are you any better off than if you had competed honorably and lost? Why not ask Lance Armstrong?