can often be found trailing behind a winning athlete as he or she
completes media obligations, hugs friends and family and stands
on the podium. During an out-of-competition test, DCOs can be
found anywhere. I have been tested in my home; at various com-
petition venues and training camps; twice in a bathroom in between
classes at the University of Utah (incredibly embarrassing); once at
a bachelorette party; and once at the grand opening of Shannon
Bahrke’s Silver Bean Coffee Shop. We know our local DCOs by
name, as we have shared many intimate moments together, and
most try their best to be as patient and understanding as possible.
Sample collection can include both urine and blood, though thank-
fully I have only had to provide the former, and the process can be
quite unnerving at first. As USADA’s website explains: “In order for
the DCO or chaperone to have a clear view of the sample being
provided, the athlete will be asked to pull their shirt up to mid torso
and pants down to mid-thigh.” After providing a sample, we process
by pouring it into two separate glass bottles and securing it in an
anonymous collection box, identified by number, to be sent to the
lab. If an athlete is unable to produce the full 90 millileters of urine,
a partial sample is secured, and the athlete and DCO must moni-
tor the urine until they are able to produce the full 90 ml. This was
the case for me at both the bachelorette party and the Silver Bean
grand opening, both of which I spent an hour toting a partial sample
and chugging water and coffee beside a very patient DCO.
Alpine and freestyle skiing are not known for doping violations,
and I am proud to be in a sport that is known to be clean. In 2011
more than 300 athletes were tested and of 30 sanctions, none were
from skiing or snowboarding. Aside from the usual suspects which
include anabolic agents, hormones or growth factors, and diuret-
ics or other masking agents, my teammates and I need to be very
aware of everything that goes into our bodies in order to avoid an
unintentional failed test. Athletes have been known to test positive
for substances that may not be seen as performance enhancing,
such as nutritional supplements, cold medicine or energy drinks.
Skeleton athlete Zach Lund was banned from athletic competition
for one year the night before the Opening Ceremony of the Torino
2006 Olympic Winter Games after testing positive for Finasteride, a
substance in his hair growth stimulant. LaShawn Merritt, an Olym-
pic gold medalist in track and field, tested positive for the steroid
derivatives DHEA and pregnenolone from a male-enhancement
product called ExtenZe and is just this year returning to sport after
a 21-month suspension.
I have been tested more than 50 times in the last 10 years by
USADA and other entities including the World Anti-Doping Agency
(WADA), and I am thankful that I can trust the nutritional supple-
ments supplied to the U.S. Ski Team by USANA. As a team we
are consistently monitoring USADA’s website for news of changes,
such as the addition to the banned substance list of pseudoephed-
rine, found in many over-the-counter cold medicines, for in-season
testing. Paying attention to whereabouts, nutritional supplements
and to the changing rules in anti-doping protocol keeps us safe
from sanctions and safe on the hill for training and competition.
Though some athletes find USADA’s policies overly intrusive, I
find the inconvenience of testing and filing a small sacrifice when
considering the prevalence and dangers associated with doping
today. A core goal of USADA is to preserve the integrity of competi-
tion and to protect the athletes’ right to participate in a fair and safe
environment, and for that I am thankful. To know that I compete in
clean and fair competition, which helps to maintain the spirit and
essence of sport, is inspiring and makes me proud to represent my
country — and OK with one of those early morning wake-ups every
once in a while.
