A new year of NCAA competition is in full swing, bringing a new batch of questions from athletes about banned drugs and dietary supplements. Athletics staff are well-equipped to answer those questions, thanks to the NCAA.

The Resource Exchange Center (REC), housed at The National Center for Drug Free Sport, is the only recognized source for information concerning NCAA-banned drugs and dietary supplements. The NCAA underwrites the annual cost for providing the REC so that all NCAA schools and their athletes have a free, confidential means of getting accurate information on NCAA-banned substances.

Not only does the REC provide banned-substance information, it provides the NCAA with a sense of the types of supplements being used, which can help NCAA committees and schools tailor their drug-education programs to the latest trends. The REC also forwards, with the reporter's permission, adverse-event reports to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Medwatch Program. Medwatch is the safety information and adverse-event monitoring program of the FDA.

The REC can be accessed by phone at 816/474-7321 or the Web site, www.drugfreesport.com/rec. Posters and bookmarks with REC contact information are always available. To view the posters, go to the REC Web site. To order posters or bookmarks, e-mail the request and contact information to info@drugfreesport.com.

Below are a few points of interest and answers to commonly asked questions. Feel free to contact the REC for any clarification.

Rachel Olander is a resource specialist with the Resource Exchange Center. She also is a former Division I student-athlete at Appalachian State University. She can be reached at info@drugfreesport.com or 816/474-7321.