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