Newsday (Suffolk Edition) from Melville, New York • 65

A65 i TURBULENT WATERS Jb osclu Lose Finishes 4th in 800M at Trials Meanwhile Foschi not only acquitted herself well in the pool but also with her ability to function amid constant criticism by coaches swimmers and officials regarding her presence in the meet said Evans who earlier called US waffling over status know if I done that at 15 That's a lot of pressure for someone so young pretty overwhelming and she seemed to just put blinders on and go about her Said father Robert: just likes to participate Joining a group of people who share her aspirations and talent I think her great Jessica Foschi first learned to swim when she was 6 months old because her mother Margaret insisted on teaching her children water safety after the traumatic experience of having her pre-teen girlfriend lose two younger sisters to drowning 27 years ago When Jessica was 11 she asked her parents about giving up Jessica Foschi's bid to make the Olympic team: March 1995: Foschi then 14 finishes second by mBIimeters to four-time Olympic champion Janet Evans in the Springs Nationals 800-meter freestyle Foschi's first breakthrough on the elite national level hug 4 1995: Foschi finishes third in the Summer Nationals 1500-meter freestyle to qualify for the US National team in the international Pan Pacific champion-ship meet the following week tog 9: Foschi's father Robert is informed by US Swimming executive director Ray Essick by telephone that in the post-race drug test of the Aug 4 race the first half of Foschi's urine sample is tested and comes up positive for the anabolic steroid mesteroione Aug 1 1 Robert Foschi attempts to get Jessica re-tested in Atlanta by the lab that wBI drug test during Olympics but is told that it is against US Swimming and US Olympic Committee policy Foschi meanwhile is informed that the second half of the original specimen the sample was tested at the UCLA lab and again showed a huge amount of mesteroione Aug 12: Jessica Foschi is withdrawn from the Pan Pac meet after Essick informs Robert Foschi that a second positive test even with the first test still in the appeals process would constitute a lifetime ban Am 14: Robert Foschi arranges to test Jessica at Brunswick Hospital in Amityville The hospital later says the test is negative August-Septraben Robert Foschi begins collecting documentation to be submitted at a US Swimming appeals hearing He his wife Margaret Jessica Jessica's coach Dave Ferris and assistant coach Sigatus Rudakis an subject themselves to polygraph tests to document they had no knowledge of a steroid Oct 9: Jessica 15th birthday Oct SO-S1: A three-member US Swimming board of review panel hears the Foschis' appeal in Austin Texas and votes 2-1 to put her on two-year probation based on the majority's belief that Jessica was not aware of steroids in her system Nov 3: US Swimming president Carol Zateski declares the two-year probation to be against international rules and calls for a suspension setting up the next appellate step a hearing before the Swimming board of directors Dec 2: In her first national-class event since her positive test Foschi wins the US Open 800-meter final in Auburn Ala upsetting rival Brooke Bennett Feb 5 1999: The Foschis sue US Swimming and USQC for attempting to sanction Jessica without due process Feb 9-11: Foschi swims four events at the Spring Nationals hi Orlando finishing second to Bennett in the 1 500 and 800 meters fourth in the 400 meters and fails to make the final in the 200 meters Feb 11-12: The twice-postponed US Swimming board of directors appeal is convened in Oriando 25 hours of testimony over two days At 4 am on Feb 13 Essick calls a news conference to announce that the board in a split vote has imposed a two-year ban of Foschi though the board again stresses the belief that she did not know-Ingiy inject steroids Feb 1 5: The Foschis file for arbitration in the case both on Long Island and through the USQC Feb 20: A ruling by FINA swimming's international body to clear Australian champion Samantha Riley despite a positive drug test prompts the Foschis and their lawyer to ask US Swimming's board to review its decision Feb 25: US Swimming's board after a two-hour telephone conference reverses Its- 10-day-old ban by placing Foschi back on probation March 1: A throe-member American Arbitration Panel completes two days of hearings on the Foschi case in Garden City and announces that a decision wit be rendered within 30 days March 7: Foschi swims her first Olympic Trials race winning the consolation final in the 200-meter freestyle her weakest event March 9: Foschi swims the fastest final 100-meter split of the Trials 400 meters' eight finalists to finish fifth with a career-best 4:1384 March 11: In her final attempt to make the Olympic team in the 800-meter freestyle final Foschi finishes fourth and fails to qualify- John Jssrsmrs fCr yij7 fisnsos sy nr vv-j i By John Jeansonne STAFF CORRESPONDENT Indianapolis End of story? Jessica Foschi finished fourth in last Olympic Trials 800-meter freestyle when die needed to finish first or second to make the US team for the Atlanta Games Brooke Bennett won the event Janet Evans was second and a lot of swimming officials were relieved confirmed former Olympian Bill Stapleton who had served on the first US Swimming appeals panel that accepted story that die never took steroids knowingly despite her positive test at last national championships "This simplifies things for US Foschi the 15-year-old high school sophomore from Old Brookville had come into the Trials among the best five or six distance freestylers but her times never really threatened Bennett or Evans at their best Last race went according to form as Florida native Bennett also 15 fulfilled the reputation she built over the past two years as a worthy protege of the grand old champion Evans who is heading to her third Olympic Games at 24 Bennett immediately went to the lead and churned methodically to the victory in a fairly ordinary 8:3141 Evans whose seven-year-old world record (8:1622) still stands in the event settled into third place behind Bennett and 19-year-old Floridian Trina Jackson for 300 meters then took over second place and easily held on for her Olympic berth in 8:3360 Ill and figured most of last summer Evans said swum that race like me in a long time but this was a step in the right Jackson finished third in in 8:3552 ahead of 8:4161 fourth place really that concerned about not making the Foschi said through a US Swimming spokesman feel any pressure I scared or anything I was just thinking about my The week of scrutiny during which Foschi won the consolation race in the 200 freestyle and was fourth in the 400 with a career-best time not that hard to deal she said had some good races I gave my best She even signed a few autographs for kids during the meet After seven months of drama on the high seas of stormy drug testing tangles Foschi got what she most wanted a chance to swim in the Trials against the best and both US Swimming and the global ruling body FINA got what they wanted Foschi qualify for the Olympics FINA has said that any positive steroid test regardless of an intent or knowledge mandates a two-year suspension and US top officials agreed wished bad luck on said US Swimming executive director Ray Essick who along with federation president Carol Zaleski had publicly called for a two-year ban of Foschi But Stapleton believed that many within US Swimming and FINA were relieved that Olympic eligibility has become a moot point and Stapleton further predicted that is going to act in an attempt to suspend Foschi Essick noted that FINA would have no jurisdiction if Foschi chooses to continue: competing Jessica Foschi looks at Trials Sho finished in 3 AP Photo scoreboard after finishing fourth in 800-meter finals of Olympic 8:4151 and was a nonfactor in the race won by Brooke Bennett other sports to swim year-round Margaret Foschi at first insisted she stick with basketball but when Jessica broke her wrist playing basketball swimming became her one sport So now what? Foschi and her family still are awaiting an American Arbitration Association ruling in an attempt to have her two-year swimming probation dropped Plus there is a suit pending in New York State court to prevent sanctions against her without due process The ongoing legal wrangles hard for a 15-year-old to deal with I Margaret Foschi said I think Jessica has any Said Jessica Foschi after last night's race: just going to keep training Just the normal Shaun Jordan one of the 'members of the US Swimming board of directors who pushed for probation rather than suspension believes the Trials have been a good experience for Foschi had a good Jordan said spunky enough that she let this end her career She showed nothing but dignity and courage for a young girl Swimming t-U teaches you a lot about life and she got to use some of domestically tbroughouther pipJtwtiQiV rivt(h VA-aS Vt JWHf sa 1 -v y- WVl fefvM.