"I started taking creatine because it was theonly safe thing that really helped a lot andbecause other guys on the team were taking it andit seemed like they were having a log of successin the weight room," Welkom says. "I needed togain weight and strength to get a chance to play,and what I did gain helped my blocking and myspeed. Some of the less flexible players takingcreatine experienced muscle pulls but I don't knowhow much of that was due to creatine.

"I did get a lot faster and stronger sincefreshman year, but it's hard to say how much ofthat was due to creatine. But I did notice moregains when I was on creatine than when I was noton it." Welkom adds.

Not all athletes who experiment with creatinefine it helpful, however. Senior Jason Keck, a5'11", 185-pound catcher on the baseball team,says he used creatine last spring but stoppedtaking it after one month.

"I used creatine and it was not really helpingand it was really uncomfortable so I did not thinkit was worth any risks," Keck says. "There doesnot seem to be a risk but there haven't been anylong-term tests so I am a little nervous aboutusing it."

Many athletes who use creatine agree with Ackilthat the best time to take it is in the offseason,which Murphy calls "the big-gaining season" forthe football team. Athletes from the football,basketball, baseball, wrestling and ice hockeyteams say they lift weights and run four to fivetimes a week during the summer to gain strength.

During the season, however, they lift two tothree times per week to keep up the strength theybuilt up over the summer and offset the fatiguethey experience in competition.

"In the offseason I am trying to build muscle,"Keck says. "But when the season comes along inFebruary I will focus on maintenance and toning mymuscles."

Senior Dustin DeNunzio, a tri-captain on thewrestling team and an All-American in the134-pounds weight class, says he used creatinewhen he took off the 1996-97 year and was notworried about injuries or side effects.

"Creatine has been found to be pretty safe," hesays. "It is a protein that is already in yourbody, so it just stimulates what your body alreadyhas in it."

DeNunzio says he was more concerned that he hadgained six or seven pounds a few weeks after hestarted taking creatine.

"Creatine is very popular among wrestlers, butyou can't use it during the season because itgenerally tends to put on weight," he says. "But theoffseason is a great time to use it because youcan get in more, harder workouts. It makes liftingmore efficient and effective."

Creatine helps athletes in their strength andconditioning programs, but that is only part ofbeing a successful athlete. As much as theyemphasize strength, athletes rely just as much onskill.

"A lineman [in football] who can squat 500pounds will not play if he can't block his way outof a paper bag," Sardo says.

"Creatine can help wrestlers with theirstrength and help them get in shape, but it doesnot help with their skill," DeNunzio says. "Youwill get stronger if you use creatine. But you arestill the same wrestler, only now you are in adifferent weight class."

DeNunzio says practicing on the wrestling matis a major part of the team's workout program.