Banned for two years

[Optimass]

What is CAPO's stance here?

Will Damon be allowed to compete in that federation while he is banned?

Awesome lifts there Damon!

Im not part of the board or committee but as a member I wouldn't be concerned about someone using a pre-workout supplement like Jack3d or superpump. Seems a bit OTT to ban someone for using when many do a creatine monohydrate course prior to comps but this is sanctioned. In order to get 5g of CM from beef you have to consume approx 1.5kg > so taking 30-50g in a day for 5-10 days seems like an UN-natural advantage. To be fair though -

.... the rules are not exclusive to NZPF - WADA sanction across all sports so it may be that superpump or Jack3d use was prevalent in womans synchronized swimming and so they had to take some action across the board - I don't know. Im sure if the athletes registered under their banner had any influence a ban for OTC supplements would not be a problem.

CAPO don't sanction pre-workout supps as far as I know.

[Old Bull]

the sample pack of 1MR was received in a lifting pack way before the ban of 1.3 Dymethelene, I kept a hold of it and took it the night before my lifts as stated in the report.

18. Mr Tafatu’s position is that the positive test is due to his consuming the product, 1 MR, the night before the competition. He got a sample pack of 1 MR at the Central Districts Powerhouse Bench Competition. He says he consumed the 1 MR for the purpose of staying awake on the drive between Wellington and Tauranga for the competition and that it ended up keeping him awake until 3 am on the morning of the competition.

We did not have any Sample Packs at the CD Bench Press Champs.

Seems a bit OTT to ban someone for using

Damon should have only got 9 month's to a year, that's what NZPF thought he would get, but he failed to prove to the Tribunal the points below of 14.4.

30. For an athlete to obtain a reduced penalty under Rule 14.4 of the Rules it is necessary for the athlete to:

i. establish how the substance got into the athlete’s system; and

ii. establish to the “comfortable satisfaction” of the Tribunal that the taking of the prohibited substance was not intended to enhance the athlete’s sports performance.

39. There are too many inconsistencies in Mr Tafatu’s evidence, to enable the Tribunal to accept on the balance of probabilities that the 1 MR was the source, that he took Jack3d Micro and not Jack3d on the day of the competition, or even that the substance tested by DFS was the substance which he took. These ‘inconsistencies’ mean that his evidence cannot be relied upon to satisfy how the prohibited substance entered Mr Tafatu’s body. He cannot rely upon Rule 14.4.

the sample pack of 1MR was received in a lifting pack way before the ban of 1.3 Dymethelene,

1.3 Dymethelene has been banned since 2010, Maria was banned in 2011 for six months as she proved both points in 14.4 she had researched the products and was told by the Suppliers it was clean it was under Geranium then.

[Old Bull]

the sample pack of 1MR was received in a lifting pack way before the ban of 1.3 Dymethelene, I kept a hold of it and took it the night before my lifts as stated in the report.

18. Mr Tafatu’s position is that the positive test is due to his consuming the product, 1 MR, the night before the competition. He got a sample pack of 1 MR at the Central Districts Powerhouse Bench Competition. He says he consumed the 1 MR for the purpose of staying awake on the drive between Wellington and Tauranga for the competition and that it ended up keeping him awake until 3 am on the morning of the competition.

We did not have any Sample Packs at the CD Bench Press Champs.

the sample pack of 1MR was received in a lifting pack way before the ban of 1.3 Dymethelene,

1.3 Dymethelene has been banned since 2010, Maria was banned in 2011 for six months as she proved both points in 14.4 she had researched the products and was told by the Suppliers it was clean it was under Geranium then.

Seems a bit OTT to ban someone for using

Damon should have only got 9 month's to a year, that's what NZPF thought he would get, but he failed to prove to the Tribunal the points below of 14.4.

30. For an athlete to obtain a reduced penalty under Rule 14.4 of the Rules it is necessary for the athlete to:

i. establish how the substance got into the athlete’s system; and

ii. establish to the “comfortable satisfaction” of the Tribunal that the taking of the prohibited substance was not intended to enhance the athlete’s sports performance.

39. There are too many inconsistencies in Mr Tafatu’s evidence, to enable the Tribunal to accept on the balance of probabilities that the 1 MR was the source, that he took Jack3d Micro and not Jack3d on the day of the competition, or even that the substance tested by DFS was the substance which he took. These ‘inconsistencies’ mean that his evidence cannot be relied upon to satisfy how the prohibited substance entered Mr Tafatu’s body. He cannot rely upon Rule 14.4.

[Wyldfyre]

the sample pack of 1MR was received in a lifting pack way before the ban of 1.3 Dymethelene,

1.3 Dymethelene has been banned since 2010, Maria was banned in 2011 for six months as she proved both points in 14.4 she had researched the products and was told by the Suppliers it was clean it was under Geranium then.

He means before the public sale of DMAA was banned in April 2012. 1MR and other companies changed their formulas to reflect this and the other DMAA bans elsewhere.

[Pasifika Solja]

Thank you for your comments Old Bull I can say that the sample pack of 1MR was in a lifters pack all I can say it was an old pack? from ages ago? it was in a Health 2000 bag? but never the less I've been banned for two years and I just have to suck it up and carry on. The Powerhouse Gym run awesome and well organised competitions and supports all lifters. My situation has nothing to do with them as I ingested the pre workout myself and they are not to blame at all. It was careless of me and I should of been more diligent in what I took on the day. Jaked 3d Micro and Super pump max were re formulated and had no 1.3 in it.

Monuina

[Trapfat]

BIG D little bit off friendly advice

if you dig up the past you just get buried

two off your fellow powerlifting brothers and sisters both work for health 2000

and are more than qualified to no whats in the lifting packs

YOU ARE STRONG WITH OUT ANY SUPPS

think you are a good c*nt -- AND THIS WAS BIT HARSH- BUT as you said Just suck it up bro--MAYBE BODYBUILDING

YERRRRRR BUDDDDDYYYYYY

[Optimass]

May be strongman too - other avenues to keep you going mate.

Getting pinged for the type of product you had in your system is not ideal but in my opinion (and probably most on here), using over the counter product is not like using anabolics or other PEDs. Anyone that bags you for using that product, when they probably used it themselves before it was added to the list is a hypocrite. Just unfortunate you didn't think to remove it from your cupboard like everyone else did.

Reminds me of an incident in bodybuilding where an athlete tested positive for AAS and said they were using an OTC test booster manufactured by a local company (run by his mate). This caused a temporary freeze and near recall of product from their distributors lol. Point being when you are confronted with an allegation like this you dont want to have your name associated with guys that are using the top shelf of PEDs (in a negative sense). (in the e.g above the supplier didn't want their product pulled as a result of the investigation). No one can blame you for wanting to make it go away.

As everyone has said on here - just a poor call but unavoidable. Sounds like you have a lot of genuine support at the gym and in the fed. Invest the negatives into positives by concentrating on training and refining. If people shun you for this tell them to go f*ck themselves - not everything in life is pure except the love we have for our children - often is idiots that make the most noise about concerns like this that have more secrets of their own.

[Optimass]

Benchpress: 230kg

Back Squat: 300kg

DeadLift; 300kg

Body weight 118kg

Awesome lifts too by the way. Would be very happy for you to hand me my arse in comp anytime lol

http://globalpowerliftingalliance.com/gpa_raw_classification%20charts.htm

GPA Classification for RAW would have you elite - nice place to be with World Champs next year in Sydney.

[Danomyte]

Good post Opti :nod:

Good advice from everyone really - just keep your head down and sit out your ban lah. Come back wiser and stronger and ready to smash the iron in 2015.

Mafola e aho. Tau manatu fakaalofa lahi atu ke he haau a magafaoa. Kia monuina.

Good discussion NZBB community :clap:

[Pasifika Solja]

Thanks everyone for there support and comments Trap your right I think your views are positive and now I have to put all of this behind me and move on. I think I'm to short for Strongman and bodybuilding might be to hard for me as I'm a bad eater? But my Goals for this year is to hit a 330 Squat, 240 bench and a 320 dead? all Raw? any advice on how to get my Deadlifts stronger?

[I Declare War]

any advice on how to get my Deadlifts stronger?

Hopefully someone who can dead more than you chimes in..

Big John can deadlift heaps... hmmm roundbacker styles.

[soundsgood]

After reading the supplied literature on this subject I still feel you have been handed a very very raw deal Damon.

Yes you broke the rule but not intentionally and the banned substance used actually had a detrimental effect on your lifts. To me it is perhaps a 6 month ban at best if a ban at all is required.

A 2 year ban from all competitive sports for using a banned substance has such a negative impact on someone's social standing too, because the general public assumes the banned substance used is steroids and the lifter is just a cheat. I don't believe this is the case at all here. Especially considering DMAA was still available from supplement stores at the time or had only recently been removed from stores and all lifters had likely used those products in the lead up to lifting comps in the preceding years.

What a croc of shit in my personal opinion :x

So during this time you are banned are you still open to random drug tests etc?

[BarBrother]

Disagree. Everyone knows that pre workouts are a grey area with dfsnz. You can't plead ignorance. It looks like he changed his story a few times and shifted the blame so that automatically discredits what he says. My question is did you declare the pre workout on your dfsnz form while being tested? If not then its pretty obvious you knew it was illegal

[Wookie]

When you take a drug test (yes, I know from experience), you have to declare every supp you use and have taken recently. You are responsible for what is in your body. It's a pretty straightforward system that works well.

Taking Jack3d is nothing like taking AAS, but it's still banned. This is a valuable lesson to make sure you know exactly what you're putting in your body and why.

I agree, 2 years is harsh. But evidently the Tribunal didn't give the usual 9-12month suspension due to inconsistencies in the story. You make your own luck.

Damon, I've never met you, but I know you're a strong guy. Serve the time, keep getting stronger in the meantime, and get back on the platform.

[nate225]

Good to see a moderated view from an NZPF guy Wookie - I kinda felt some others were out to crucify Damon. Stark contrast to the support Maria got when she failed for the same thing, though I guess she kept head down and didnt comment publicly.

Odell Manuel springs to mind too for his failure for DMAA, cant recall any negative comments towards him there - from memory even PA members were sledging ASADA before Wilks pulled them into line! :pfft:

Anyway I see he chose to go GPC and did an unreal easy 300 (or 320??) for 8 on Deads the other day :shock:

Anyways its a done deal - go lift some weights Damon and make the decision that sits best with you.

[Danomyte]

Good to see a moderated view from an NZPF guy Wookie - I kinda felt some others were out to crucify Damon. Stark contrast to the support Maria got when she failed for the same thing, though I guess she kept head down and didnt comment publicly.

Odell Manuel springs to mind too for his failure for DMAA, cant recall any negative comments towards him there - from memory even PA members were sledging ASADA before Wilks pulled them into line! :pfft:

Anyway I see he chose to go GPC and did an unreal easy 300 (or 320??) for 8 on Deads the other day :shock:

Anyways its a done deal - go lift some weights Damon and make the decision that sits best with you.

Good points Nate. I don't think this is a case of trying to crucify Damon here. We're all good mates with Damon here :nod: - aye lah?

The guys who are most angry are the guys who are on the WADA testing programme - the guys who did the research and were diligent enough to make sure another positive wouldn't reflect on the NZPF.

The guys who seem more supportive for Damon aren't on the testing programme - the guys who aren't under restrictions or regulations to compete as a clean athlete.

It seems like an issue about the ban and actual banned list to me here. Nothing more. The ban is harsh and the banned product is even harsher IMO.

It goes back to the other thread when I said I found it 'interesting' that the poilitians in Aus Pro-Sport had a big influence in the 'dealings' of the athletes. I'd bet my bottom dollar - DMAA was banned for political reasons rather than athletic performance reasons - just like most things banned for no reason (my conspiracy theory - no proof here :wink: ).

[bar-belle]

Thanks everyone for there support and comments Trap your right I think your views are positive and now I have to put all of this behind me and move on. I think I'm to short for Strongman and bodybuilding might be to hard for me as I'm a bad eater? But my Goals for this year is to hit a 330 Squat, 240 bench and a 320 dead? all Raw? any advice on how to get my Deadlifts stronger?

Hey Damon I have my own opinions about the ruling that was handed down. At the end of the day it is a sporting sanction NOT a criminal offence :roll: but enough said I don't want to get into the politics of all this as it will turn into a fed slinging match and TBH I'm totally over all that :wink:

But would just like to extend the offer that if you wish compete in power lifting in NZ then you would be welcome in Capo NZ. We do not sit in judgement and are just a group of like minded individuals who love power lifting and smashing some tin. You don't have to register as a lifter..we do run Novice comps alongside our Championship events throughout the year. Currently we are Auckland based though do have members from Whangarei to Christchurch. Hopefully will be adding other North Is based venues early next year. But if you would like to know more then PM me as I'm on the Capo NZ committee and can give you more info about Capo NZ and how we roll :grin:

[ThreeWhiteLights]

When you take a drug test (yes, I know from experience), you have to declare every supp you use and have taken recently. You are responsible for what is in your body. It's a pretty straightforward system that works well.

Taking Jack3d is nothing like taking AAS, but it's still banned. This is a valuable lesson to make sure you know exactly what you're putting in your body and why.

I agree, 2 years is harsh. But evidently the Tribunal didn't give the usual 9-12month suspension due to inconsistencies in the story. You make your own luck.

Damon, I've never met you, but I know you're a strong guy. Serve the time, keep getting stronger in the meantime, and get back on the platform.

Great post Wookie :clap:

[Danomyte]

I don't want to get into the politics of all this as it will turn into a fed slinging match and TBH I'm totally over all that :wink:

Good post Rach. Like you - I'm getting over the politics :nod:

The actual proof is in our lifting and what we as lifters do on the platform, not what is said on the internet or in our journals :nod:

Anyone can talk a big game, but results speak for themselves - in which ever fed or what ever rules you are following :nod:

[Pasifika Solja]

Thanks everyone for there support and views.

BarBrother if I knew it was illegal I wouldn't of used it? I'm not a regular user of supplements and my knowledge is very limited, but I can appreciate your view on it all? My uso Big Ruben Simanu called me today and said just serve the ban and come back stronger? I respect Ruben and I will follow his advice and the rest of the powerlifting community, for the blame and carelessness sits with me but my strength and the will, will only grow. Faka'aue lahi mahaki Danny your vids will also give me inspiration to carry on.

Famaolsi Uso and stay STRONG!!

[BarBrother]

Fair enough bro. Everyone makes mistakes and you have owned up to them. Strong mofo for sure. It's funny because I was actually in getting tested at the same time you were. Just think of it as a 2 year off season. Came back bigger and stronger for sure. All the best

[Old Bull]

Good Move D, another year on top is no good, you still have plenty of time to represent NZ on the World Stage.

Ia manuia lava

Fa'amalosi Damon

OB