Excerpt from "An Open Letter to Cheaters" by Mike Warkentin
We're going to take a deep dive into cheating. Why people do it, and why it's so detrimental to not only themselves but their community.
"Admit it: You’ve shaved a rep. Maybe you’ve even shaved entire rounds off workouts. You might have even lied about loads or times. Guess what: Your coach noticed. And so did the other people in the class."
"By bending or breaking the rules, you can reduce or end the pain and perhaps take a whiteboard win, which can be very tempting when a grueling workout demands everything you have and some things you don’t. All athletes have come face to face with the moral dilemma of the 145th wall-ball shot that didn’t quite hit the line during Karen. A choice must be made at that point, and it’s sometimes hard to make the right one. But everyone in the community expects you to man and woman up by replacing the short shot with a good rep.
Coaches most definitely understand that sometimes you forget which round you’re in. It happens. We know that sometimes you accidentally write the wrong load or time on the whiteboard because your brain isn’t functioning correctly after a screaming match with Fran. We’re aware that you can’t always tell if you squatted below parallel exactly 300 times during Cindy. These are honest mistakes made by honest people.
But some athletes cheat. On purpose. Regularly.
And when you cheat, it is most assuredly noticed."
