First, Roger Clemens' wife, now this...
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/met....a1d61c06.html
Sheep's 16-year-old owner banned from stock shows in doping scandal
Web Posted: 02/08/2008 05:18 PM CST
John Tedesco
Express-News
Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds aren't the only athletes defending their names in doping scandals.
A pregnant ewe that won a second-place prize last year at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo later tested positive for a muscle enhancer commonly used in swine.
The female sheep was disqualified and her owner, Hannah Kaplan, 16, lost a $10,000 scholarship and was banned from "any participation" in San Antonio's stock show for the next four years.
The organizers of Austin's stock show also barred Kaplan from competing in the 2008 Star of Texas Fair & Rodeo.
To outsiders, the controversy might sound amusing. But thousands of dollars ride on the outcomes of stock show contests. Just like professional sports and horse racing, stock shows have had to cope with heated compe ions and performance-enhancing drugs.
Kaplan denied ever giving her ewe a muscle-building drug, and this week, Kaplan's father, Kevin, sued both livestock organizations in a Travis County court to try lifting the bans, especially the one in San Antonio.
"The problem is, it punishes her by banning her for four years," said the Kaplans' lawyer, Miller, who pointed out that Hannah Kaplan will be too old to compete in junior stock shows by the time the ban is lifted.
"It's a ban for life, in effect," said Miller.
Messages left with San Antonio stock show officials weren't returned Friday afternoon. In a statement, Assistant Executive Director Pamela Rew said: "Incidents like this happen at every major show, and it rarely reaches the press."
Rew added: "Over 12,000 young people from across the State of Texas compete at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo. As in any compe ive event, rules must be in place to govern a fair compe ion."
She cited a part of the rulebook that says the stock show has the right to permanently ban participants whose animals have tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. The rules say every participant is ultimately responsible for their animal.
The lawsuit said the family has no idea how the drug Ractopamine ended up in the ewe. Miller said it could have been in feed for some hogs in a nearby stall, or planted by a jealous compe or.
"There's a lot of jealousy at a stock show," Miller said. "We don't like to talk about the jealousy it creates, but it sure does. And this girl's been real successful for eight years."
He said Hannah Kaplan had even taken a polygraph test to try to prove her innocence, and passed.
"The problem is, it punishes her by banning her for four years," said the Kaplans' lawyer, Miller, who pointed out that Hannah Kaplan will be too old to compete in junior stock shows by the time the ban is lifted.
.....What would we do without lawyers in this world? And to think I date one.
Poor tlong must be very upset.
Upset? now he can get that sheep at a cheap price!
Yeah, she passed the polygraph, but my guess is that maybe daddy was doping Dolly on the sly to make his little girl happy by winning. He didn't think it all the way through, though. She's the one who's rep has been tarnished now.
Even if getting lawyered up gets her back in, she'll never win another contest. The judges and the other compe ors will no doubt shun her.
Somebody should have told her she couldn't use a cheat sheep.
Shoog has been loving the puns lately.
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