Pubdate: Tue, 22 Aug 2006 Source: Naples Daily News (FL) Copyright: 2006 Naples Daily News. Contact: http://www.naplesnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/284 Note: Publisher prints several newspapers - please indicate which newspaper in LTEs. Author: Dana Caldwell Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Test) WHEN IT COMES TO DRUG TESTING, EAGLES EYED CLOSELY BY UNIVERSITY ESTERO -- * Editor's note: This is the third in a four-part series looking at the Collier County School Board's bid to implement random drug testing for its athletes and cheerleaders. The results for Florida Gulf Coast University have been negative. The Eagles intend to keep it that way. But it won't be easy. No FGCU athlete -- some 170 compete these days; the number will swell to around 250 when the school goes Division I in the fall of 2007 -- ever has failed an NCAA test for anabolic steroids or any of the other massive amounts of banned substances that are considered performance-enhancing. Actually, only one FGCU team -- baseball -- has been tested by the NCAA. Last spring, four players were randomly selected. All came clean, which came as no surprise to head athletic trainer Mike Estes. "We don't have anybody on juice on our baseball team -- we could have them take their shirts off and line them up down the hall and you'll agree with me," said Estes, grinning. "As far as anabolic agents go, this is the cleanest group I've ever been associated with." There are several reasons for FGCU's clean image. Except for NCAA championships, during which all athletes are fair game, the NCAA tests just one sport every other year on the Division II level. Football is tested each year. And, as Estes pointed out, FGCU does not have football or track and field programs. Along with baseball and swimming -- the Eagles will add women's swimming and diving in 2007 -- those sports are considered the most risky as far as the temptation for athletes to bulk up. The key factor in the Eagles coming up clean is the stringent on-campus testing program drawn up by Estes at the insistence of athletic director Carl McAloose. "The reason we want to do it is we want to avoid embarrassment during NCAA championship competition," Estes said. "It's our safeguard. And we also want to send a message to our kids, that we do things right. "Bottom line is, you come here, we expect you to do things right, and this is one of those things." History Lesson Estes, 41, has a strong background having worked at Kentucky Wesleyan College, Manatee High and the University of South Florida before joining FGCU in 2001 through a partnership with Naples Community Hospital, where he was the athletic training coordinator who oversaw the sports medicine programs in Collier County. In 1999, Estes worked the Final Four and the Outback Bowl and was named Trainer of the Year by the Athletic Trainers Association of Florida. Estes was so schooled in drug testing that he led the way for it on the high school level. "I had written a policy when I was at Manatee High School that was adopted as a national model for high schools," Estes said. "I basically took policies from the Center for Drug-Free Sports (which oversees NCAA drug testing) and developed my policy." These days, Estes carefully monitors not only the NCAA's ever-changing rules and regulations (a new one makes athletes eligible for testing year-round) but also his own, adding and subtracting when necessary. As with the NCAA, FGCU keeps its Web site updated for its athletes. Things May Get Hairy A recent addition to FGCU's testing policy is the use of DNA at Estes' discretion, meaning suspicious activity or appearance would need to be involved. Hair is used in DNA testing. Half an inch equals one month of growth. FGCU will pluck an inch and a half, giving the school a three-month window to investigate. "And guess what? You can't mask a hair sample," Estes said. Granted, at this point, FGCU's testing, unlike the NCAA's, does not automatically include steroid panels. The cost per test to include that increases by $200. FGCU's focus has been on what the NCAA and school classify as "street drugs": illegal narcotics. However, FGCU's exams screen for masking agents, the over-the-counter substances used to dupe testers for both steroids and street drugs. With the D-I move and the addition of sports, athletes and pressure that will accompany it, the focus on steroids and other performance-enhancing products will increase. "Coaches are going to be pressured to win at Division I," Estes said. "Coaches are going to want kids that look (extremely muscled). But our coaches, especially with baseball, I don't worry about those guys. Coach (Dave Tollett) has zero tolerance. There's no place for it, around him, on his team. I don't worry about that regime bringing in kids like that. "But if that happens, they've got to be tested. We're not going to cut any corners, I'll tell you that." Presently, as is the case with street drugs, suspicion of steroid use can lead to testing after the proper channels are navigated. "For a reasonable suspicion around here, a coach can't just come up and say, 'Hey, I think so-and-so is smoking (marijuana), go and test him,' " Estes said. The procedure is for the coach to complete a questionnaire before meeting with McAloose, who alone has the power to require testing for a specific athlete. Say Estes sees an outfielder show up in August with 60 pounds of suspiciously added bulk? "I'd be the first person to go to Carl, the first one to call him out - -- 'Let's get it done,'" Estes said. About Time One of the major differences in NCAA and FGCU non-championship tournament testing is the time frame. The process of NCAA notification begins with contacting the school 48 hours prior. The school then must inform the athlete 24 hours before the test is administered. "So they've got 24 hours to do what they do," said Estes of potential masking attempts by athletes. "You can go to 7-11 or any head shop and get a masking agent. They work -- if the athlete knows far enough in advance." FGCU's policy is much more immediate. Athletes must be tested within six hours of notification. But Estes and company take it a step further, meeting athletes at practice or outside of classrooms to escort them to Alico Arena for the tests. "We don't want them out of our sight," Estes said. Paying The Price Steroids, masking agents and banned performance-enhancing substances are automatic failures in both NCAA and FGCU testing. But the punishments are vastly different. For each failure of its tests, the NCAA dishes out a one-year suspension for athletes. Technically, that could go on and on, but for practical purposes, athletes seldom can recover from two suspensions. "At that point, from an eligibility standpoint, you're probably done," Estes said. FGCU's penalties incrementally worsen. For a first offense, the athlete must meet with an athletic committee consisting of Estes, McAloose, the head coach involved and Kathy Peterson, who is in charge of NCAA compliance. A parent must be informed during the meeting. The athlete must meet with a substance abuse counselor and complete the measures recommended. If warranted, McAloose and the head coach can further punish the athlete. In addition, the school's judiciary committee is informed and may also punish the athlete. "We're going to try to make the negative as positive as we can," Estes said. "Some of the coaches, zero tolerance. Carl's zero tolerance, too. I try to keep him away from that. "I want it to be more educational, not drive them away. It's easy to just want to be the hammer -- suspend them or take away their scholarship." For a second FGCU infraction, the same punishments as a first positive result apply, but the athlete is suspended for 30 days. The third failure by an FGCU athlete results in a revocation of the scholarship and eligibility. "Find another place to go," Estes said. Secondary Education When FGCU athletes reported on Saturday, Estes went over the school's and NCAA's drug policies, which were mailed to them on July 1. They received loads of materials -- including a business card-like list of the NCAA's banned substances -- directions to the pertinent Web sites and consent forms for both NCAA and FGCU testing. FGCU's lifeskills coordinator addresses and schedules guest speakers throughout the school year. "We educate and talk to them until we're blue in the face," Estes said. "It's received very well by the athletes." Also, FGCU athletes are sent to team doctors for illnesses and injuries because they are schooled on the banned substances list. In addition, Estes is on-call for athletes at all times. "They contact us all the time over the summer, 'Hey, I want to take this, what do you think?' And we look at it for them," Estes said. Only once, Estes said, has an FGCU athlete challenged the school's drug policy. He threatened to hire an attorney, but relented to play one season at FGCU under its policies. What happened to him? "He transferred," Estes said. "And then burned another test at that school." *** Drug Testing NCAA * Random tests for athletes always include steroid panels. * Type Of Test: Urine. * Time Athlete Must Be Notified Before Test Is Taken: 24 hours. * Punishment For Failure: Each offense costs athlete one year of eligibility. * Appeal Process: The second of two samples can be analyzed at the same lab in which the first was tested. FGCU * Tests generally are random but can be specific based on documented suspicion. Only in the latter case are athletes tested for steroids. * Type Of Tests: Urine and *DNA, at the discretion of head athletic trainer. * Time Before Athlete Is Notified And Test Must Be Taken: Six hours. * Punishments For Failure: First Offense -- Meeting with a committee that includes head trainer Mike Estes, athletic director Carl McAloose, the athlete's head coach. Athlete can bring someone for support, including a parent or attorney. Athlete must inform parent(s) during meeting. Must meet with counselor and complete recommended course of treatment. Head coach and athletic director can enforce other punishments. Campus judiciary committee is informed of infraction. Second Offense -- Similar to above with a suspension of 30 days. Third Offense -- Athlete's scholarship and eligibility are revoked. * Appeal Process: Second of the two collected samples can be tested at the lab of athlete's choosing. *Newly incorporated into policy - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman