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Pe --- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, March 7, 1989 -- 7 NO SURPRISES | must admit | was neither shocked nor surprised when Charlie Francis told the Dubin inquiry last week that Ben Johnson used steroids since 1981. If anybody would know this, it's Francis. He has been the only track coach Ben Johnson ever had. And when asked at the inquiry last week about Johnson's use of steroids, Francis was blunt in his reply. Sure, he used them, and sure he knew what he was taking. And Francis went further with his suggestion that any athlete at the top of the class in world com- petitions, must be using performance enhancing substances. Ever since Ben Johnson was tested positive for steroid use at the Seoul Games last September and then stripped of his gold medal for the 100 meters, there have been all kinds of rumours and allega- tions flying around. And last week, Charlie Francis, ynder oath, simply confirmed them. No big sur- prise. : Can you blame Ben Johnson? Not really. As Francis testified so poignantly last week, there was no choice. Johnson could either use steroids, or enter world class sprints with his starting blocks a meter or so behind everyone else. Some choice. | guess if | feel any sense of anger over this whole sorry mess, it's the fact that it took a federal inquiry for the truth to finally be known. Remember last September in the wake of John- son's positive dope test and his being stripped of the gold medal. There were lies and denials all around, and everyone ran for cover like a bunch of Viewpoint by John B. McClelland scared rabbits. There were preposterous stories that John- son's water bottle had been "spiked" just before the race, or the linament rubbed on his muscles by his therapist had been "doctored" with steroids. Johnson skulked away for Seoul in the . dead of night. His coach Charlie Francis ducked out of sight, and said nothing until his testimony last week. His physician Jamie Astaphan denied any knowledge of steroid use in a remarkable interview on The Journal. . When Johnson finally did issue a public state- ment a couple of months after Seoul, he said he "never knowingly took steroids." Instead of "coming clean," with honest admis- sions, they either clammed up or lied through their teeth. Ugh. And this in the face of the results of the most sophisticated anti-doping tests administered at the Seoul Games. The denials and the silence simply compound- ed the problem of steroid use. | don't really blame Ben Johnson and his entourage for using steroids. But their attempts at "damage control" in the wake of the scientific testing were pathetic. They got caught red-handed and then didn't have the guts to admit it. When Charlie Francis testified last week, he painted a picture of wide-spread steroid use in the world of athletics. The question now is how many Olympic Gold medals over the last decade or so are tainted with a banned substance? The picture that has been painted is not a pretty one for sport. In fact, the implication remains that were it not for the ever more sophisticated ways of testing for steroids, this whole thing would still be under wraps, Johnson and others, with the blessing of coach and physician would still be gulping down tablets, proudly wearing their medals, raking in mil- lions from endorsements, and held up as role mod- els for kids as examples of how to achieve success by hard work and determination. Jeepers, some people are worried about fight- ing in hockey, and the baseball world is reeling be- cause Margo Adams has gone public with a "kiss and tell" article about her relations with a well known player on the Boston Red Sox. Enough said on this sorry mess. | can't help but wonder what Ben Johnson will have to say when he takes the stand at the Dubin inquiry. AAAAARARAARAAAARNRAAS A few weeks ago, | wrote a piece about one of my favourite spots in Scugog Township, the 400 acres of Crown land at the north end of Scugog Is- land. The tract of land is owned by the Province and managed by the MNR, which has asked for submis- sions on possible changes. Both Scugog council and Durham Region council have suggested that the province up-grade this tract for picnics, boat launching, hiking, even as an interpretive centre (whatever that is) In other words, they want the piace crawling with people, with a fancy new access road. I say MNR should leave the land as it is right now: in a near natural state, with its rugged shore- line, wooded areas, rolling fields, home to many « 2 (Turn to page 8) ; 8 Remember When? 70 YEARS AGO Thursday, March 6, 1919 Wanted - A girl or woman with good experience in general housework. Wages $25.00 Phone 84. Dr. F.E. Luke, 167 Yonge Street, Toronto's leading optician can be consulted about your eyes for glasses at A.J. Davis Drugstore, Port Perry on March 13th. Don't miss seeing him. Satisfaction guaranteed. 45 YEARS AGO ag Thursday, March 2, 1944 Pte. Robert Carnegie, C.D.C. of Toronto and A.C. Gordon Carnegie, R.C.A.F. of Manning Depot, spent the weekends at their respective homes here. After two and a half years in England with the Royal Cana- dian Engineers, Sapper Bill McCartney arrived home last week. Dr. Donald Christie of Toronto spent last weekend at the home of his parents Mr. and Mrs. G. Christie. 35 YEARS AGO Thursday, March 4, 1954 March 1st, 1954, the Port Perry Lions entertained their Grain Club boys and their fathers. The winner Dan James obtained 930 points out of a possible 1000. 30. YEARS AGO Thursday, March 5, 1959 Last Friday night both the Tripp Service Station and the Tex- aco Service Station suffered malicious damage at the hands of would-be thieves. Ted Lamb, John Sommerville, Bruce Leask and Alex Leask were four Port Perry Junior Farmers to fly to Florida. David Milne, Arthur Jefford and Ian Beare received their Queen Scouts badge from Field Commissioner Wally Harper at the Father and Son Banquet. The Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire, represented by Mrs. Storey Beare, presented a flag to the new scout troop. 20 YEARS AGO Thursday, March 6, 1969 Sharon Baird, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James A. Baird, received top swimming honours in a class of 25 at Western University, London, Ontario. A well-known O.P.P. constable in this area, Peter David Onlock, has been promoted to the rank of corporal, and com- Letter S to the editor Traffic at Durham 23 water spring To the Editor: Am I to understand from Mary Kershaw's letter of Feb. 7, 1989 that she and others wish to erect a stop sign on the major north- south artery Regional Road 23 at Chalk Lake Road? This is the same "Stop Sign' mentality prevalent in Toronto where traffic is in chaos because of it and pollution on the rise. May I remind Mrs. Kershaw that other than local residents, many more people use this road for access to their homes in the north, and stopping traffic would serve no other purpose than to let local residents out, hold up north- south traffic and stop the people using the well from getting back on the road until the traffic cleared. Opponents of her proposal are right about trucks having to gear Why the delay? To the Editor: I would like to commend the Port Perry Star on its long service to the community and awards received as an inland newspaper. On the other hand, I would like to ask the editor, why it seems to take so long for an event of high academic achievement to find its way into the pages of such a highly respected weekly journal? The event to which I am refer- ring is the R.H. Cornish In- termediate Science Fair held (Turn to page 8) up from a stop sign. There are hundreds of stone trucks in this area and obviously Mrs. Kershaw doesn't have to follow them off and on for 80 miles a day like I do. But, what about coming down the hill from the north? How does she expect a gravel truck to stop at the bottom of that hill on snow or ice? I think this is a more frightening prospect than having to watch for speeders. One of the reasons I live up here and travel to work is the absence of the many stop signs and lights and I enjoy the usually smooth flow of traffic. The answer to this is not a stop sign, but enforcement of present traffic laws in the area, maybe a lower speed limit for a hundred yards or so and better parking facilities for those using the spring. The reason Mrs. Kershaw fears turning into her own driveway is because anyone behind her assumes she is turning onto Chalk Lake Road just past it. This situa- tion exists in thousands of places but most people don't go after their own stop sign. If she would turn on her signal way ahead of time, there would probably be no concerns. Also, the people using the spring have to take some respon- sibility for their kids and dogs as they would anywhere. Kids should be left with someone in the car and the dogs the same, or leash- ed. This is not a playground. Finally, I say yes it is "too bad" as Mrs. Kershaw put it if people don't like her idea, but it is also too bad she can't see her own needs to those of the majority of us who need Regional Road 23 free, clear and fast to get to our own little homes in the north. Yours truly, Ted Cumber, Seagrave, Ont. c.c. Gary Herrema, Chairman of the Durham Regional Council ter to the editor. Letters to the Editor ... our policy It has always been the policy of this newpspaper to encourage our readers to make use of the letters to the editor column. Our readers have a right to freely express their opinions and view- points on just about any subject, and we feel that a lively letters col- umn helps make a better community newspaper. We insist, however, that a letter writer sign his or her name. On rare occasions, we will agree to with-hold publication of a letter writer's name, if we feel there are very good reasons to do so. Under no circumstances will this paper print an anonymous let- While we enjoy receiving letters from our readers, we must con- tinue to insist on knowing the identity of the writer. :