eric thompson high jump star

He did make a poor choice, and then compounded it.

Made first poor choice in trying cocaine. Next did not tell the coach or USADA folks. Maybe, just maybe if he tells them, he gets off with a 6 month suspension or a reprimand/warning of some sort (depending on what was allowed at that time).

The punishment seems harsher than the crime.

I also think he compounded his mistakes by missing tests. Maybe this story will remind kids and college athletes of the consequences.

"Cocaine is a hell of a drug." - Rick James

#1 rule of drug testing is that when you know you will fail, refuse the test.

He could claim any number of things - his parents, etc. He might get some sort of slap on the wrist etc.

That being said, he was an idiot.

The same is true of drunk driving sobriety tests. If you are drunk or high, refuse all tests. You are not required to incriminate yourself.

SloppyMeatHole wrote:

#1 rule of drug testing is that when you know you will fail, refuse the test.

He could claim any number of things - his parents, etc. He might get some sort of slap on the wrist etc.

That being said, he was an idiot.

The same is true of drunk driving sobriety tests. If you are drunk or high, refuse all tests. You are not required to incriminate yourself.

You might be a redneck if you believe this. Refusing a test is a sure bet you'll be sanctioned.

Anyway, what's up with high jumpers and coke?

A number of high schoolers do stupid stuff. This guy made a bad decision and unfortunately continued to make more bad decisions. Not everyone grows up in an environment where drugs, etc. are not looked down upon and that is unfortunate. Vice magazine is notorious for it's extremely liberal view towards drug use. The truth is that drugs ruin lives. Whether we are talking about cocaine, pot or even alcohol. An employee of my wife recently lost her daughter to overdose, and I can't help but feel there is not enough outrage in society against the individuals and organizations that supply drugs to the market. The fact that a teenager is able to casually obtain cocaine is outrageous in my opinion and there needs to be more pressure from society as a whole against those who would sell drugs, especially to kids.

comedyrelief wrote:

The truth is that drugs ruin lives. .

The institutions that enforce drug penalties ruin lives.

What is the performance benefit of $5 of cocaine?

If he hadn't failed that doping test, chances are he'd still be a loser. Red flags all around the kid.

Boy you guys are harsh. I'm 71, but still remember what it's like to be young and dumb. Who has never made a mistake?

old guy 71 wrote:

Boy you guys are harsh. I'm 71, but still remember what it's like to be young and dumb. Who has never made a mistake?

Thank you. People on this board can be so harsh and judgmental sometimes.

Yes, he made a mistake, but I've made TONS of mistakes in my life. I can't imagine living a life and never having made a mistake. Mistakes help turn us into wiser adults.

comedyrelief wrote:

A number of high schoolers do stupid stuff. This guy made a bad decision and unfortunately continued to make more bad decisions. Not everyone grows up in an environment where drugs, etc. are not looked down upon and that is unfortunate. Vice magazine is notorious for it's extremely liberal view towards drug use. The truth is that drugs ruin lives. Whether we are talking about cocaine, pot or even alcohol. An employee of my wife recently lost her daughter to overdose, and I can't help but feel there is not enough outrage in society against the individuals and organizations that supply drugs to the market. The fact that a teenager is able to casually obtain cocaine is outrageous in my opinion and there needs to be more pressure from society as a whole against those who would sell drugs, especially to kids.

Alright, Jeff Sessions. Let's intensify that failed 40-year War on Drugs that harshly punishes the users and suppliers. It's been working great.

Herrin, IL is no place for a picnic. Historically a coal mining area and economically depressed...not so different from Appalachia.

Nearby high school also had a 1.50 guy who dropped off the map. Just googled him and read his name in domestic battery police report.

Clearly Thompson made some big mistakes. But growing up in that environment most of us would be hard-pressed to do much better.

Jeff Sessions! Hilarious! Don't punish anybody. Ever. Dealers. Users. Drug cheats. Con-men. Rapists. Murderers. Live and let live. Paradise.

apackeddirttrack wrote:

Herrin, IL is no place for a picnic. Historically a coal mining area and economically depressed...not so different from Appalachia.

Nearby high school also had a 1.50 guy who dropped off the map. Just googled him and read his name in domestic battery police report.

Clearly Thompson made some big mistakes. But growing up in that environment most of us would be hard-pressed to do much better.

Completely agree. It's not surprising this happened if you know where he's from. I mean he did a stupid thing but some parts of southern Illinois are so poor and uneducated that these kids are screwed from the start. There are so many bad influences in those parts.

I competed against herrin at many downstate invitationals and at the 2007 state meet. Thompson was amazing to watch. He really did have Olympic level talent. Everyone would gather around the high jump pit just to see him jump and he always made it exciting. It's too bad it ended up like this.

Btw is the 1:50 guy Stephen Williams from Marion? Another squandered talent. One of the smoothest strides I've ever seen by a high schooler. He made the 800 look like a jog.

apackeddirttrack wrote:

Herrin, IL is no place for a picnic. Historically a coal mining area and economically depressed...not so different from Appalachia.

Nearby high school also had a 1.50 guy who dropped off the map. Just googled him and read his name in domestic battery police report.

Clearly Thompson made some big mistakes. But growing up in that environment most of us would be hard-pressed to do much better.

true. i was initially too harsh. when i was in highschool and college, i had the good luck to have a lot of people keeping me on the right path. i was very fortunate. this guy - not so much. fortunately he has found life again through his two daughters and his story will also help more people stay on the right path

Try Thies wrote:

You might be a redneck if you believe this. Refusing a test is a sure bet you'll be sanctioned.

Anyway, what's up with high jumpers and coke?

You should absolutely do this for test with legal implication. If you KNOW you will blow > 0.08 you should refuse all tests. Yes, you will lose license on the spot for 6 months - 1 year, but much better than having DUI and losing license for just as long. They can get warrant for blood test, but usually you are sober by the time that happens.

Even better though: Do stuff that will result in positive test!

1.50 guy is indeed Williams. Never saw anyone come close to him (I wish I'd raced him). Remember seeing him run a 51.X (??) in 8th grade - I had no idea people could even run that fast. Blew me away.

Very lean frame but powerful. Not hard to imagine him cruising a 1.46. Could've been a great.

Plenty of talent from the area that disappeared after high school - Kali Jackson comes first to mind. The south can produce some gritty souls, but it's a tough environment to shake off.

SloppyMeatHole wrote:

comedyrelief wrote:

The truth is that drugs ruin lives. .

The institutions that enforce drug penalties ruin lives.

What is the performance benefit of $5 of cocaine?

If it's taken shortly before the performance, a lot. There's really no way to tell when it was taken. Could be a few days before, could be 15 minutes.

Stimulants aren't banned out of competition. If you can't go without for 3 days, no point whining.

Try Thies wrote:

Anyway, what's up with high jumpers and coke?

It's right there in the description of the event.

apackeddirttrack wrote:

1.50 guy is indeed Williams. Never saw anyone come close to him (I wish I'd raced him). Remember seeing him run a 51.X (??) in 8th grade - I had no idea people could even run that fast. Blew me away.

Very lean frame but powerful. Not hard to imagine him cruising a 1.46. Could've been a great.

Plenty of talent from the area that disappeared after high school - Kali Jackson comes first to mind. The south can produce some gritty souls, but it's a tough environment to shake off.

I remember both Thompson and Williams as I was competing at the same time they were. I always wondered what happened to those guys, sad to hear about both. The 800 battles that Williams had with Durrell Williams back then were great because they were both crazy talents that ran completely polar opposite styles. Stephen would go out in 51 and hang out whereas Durrell was known for his virtually even splits. Always fun to see them match up.

The south definitely is known for producing great HS athletes between (primarily) Cahokia and East St. Louis, but none of them seem to do anything after HS. Hopefully Ja'mari Ward will buck that trend over at Mizzou.