Track and Field is a sport near and dear to my heart. I was on the track team for four years and these were some of the best times in my life so far. Throughout my career I had a lot of success, but I was never able to get to the big stage. Our team won four straight district championships and I got to three straight regional finals. Every year I knew I would make it to the regional final, but I couldn't take the next step and reach state. Despite my accomplishments in high school I will always have a sense of failure that I will carry with me for a long time. People have said that not many people have had the opportunity that I have gotten and I always think to myself that they also never expect it. The issue that has reminded me about my situation is the recent publicity of Marion Jones. She was highly regarded and was an idol to many. Marion Jones has been a staple in the Track and Field world and was at one time the fastest woman in the world. According to Pat Milton of the Associated Press Marion Jones admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs before her campaign in the 2000 games. The question that a lot of people will have is Should she be forgiven or should she be stripped of her 5 medals? In my opinion, I think that she should be forgiven. She has taken the right steps in attaining this by retiring from the sport. It took a lot of courage and guts to stand up to her mistake and she will always have a black mark on her career. Travis Tygart; a chief executive officer of the Anti-Doping Agency said it best when he said "She captivated the country with the audacious goal of winning five gold medals. She fell short by attaining three and two bronze, but now she is broke and her reputation is ruined. Marion will have a tough time coming back into the spotlight especially when young kids see what she has done. She is facing jail time and her story is becoming more common in the sport. Why shame her even more than she already is? It does nothing for anyone and just creates more controversy.
When I look back at my career it was clean. I didn't take substances and I did it the right way. Although, I failed in one aspect I can be proud that I was truthful. It is an unfortunate situation, but these stories are sure to continue in a steroid era.
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I actually agree that she shouldn't be stripped of her medals because I feel that she rightfully earned those. I mean at least she admitted to using them unlike others in the sports world(Mr. Bonds). I'm not saying that I support the fact that she used steroids because I think that is wrong. I totally only support natural athletic ability. But I still support her in the fact that she shouldn't be stripped of her medals.
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