Page 12 - Publishing Inspiration Christmas Card 2021

Disqualified
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It was the early 1980s, and the International
Olympic Committee had been doing drug testing

for some time. Though the National College
Athletic Association hadn't yet implemented similar

measures, there was talk of it possibly coming. It
was against this backdrop that Martin walked into

the college wrestling room and handed me a news
article, saying, "Hey, Howard, you've got to read

this."
We were warming up but hadn't yet started

practice, and since Coach wasn't there, I sat down

to read. I had just begun when Coach walked in.
"Howard, are you too good to join us for

warm-ups?"
"Sorry, Coach," I replied. "Martin just handed

me something to read."
"What's it about?" Coach asked.

Martin laughed. "Oh, you would love it. It's
about an athlete that had some problems with drug

testing."
"Well, maybe we should all hear it," Coach

said. "Howard, read it out loud."

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