SLOHS athletes fuel themselves with nutritious snacks before a game. Photo courtesy of sophomore Juniper Patrick-Miernicki.
San Luis Obispo High School athletes are known for working hard during practice and performing exceptionally, but what goes on behind the scenes? Pre-game food and drink varies between sports, but most athletes agree that what they consume before their sports event highly impacts their performance. However, having a pre-event meal plan can be stressful and sometimes hard to keep track of, leading athletes to consider if this is even helpful for high school level sports? Expressions interviewed several student athletes on their opinions and pre-game routines.
Expressions: Does your team have any meal plan or special foods or drinks that are consumed 24 hours prior to a game or race?
Football player and sophomore Abel Ritter: Yeah, well we always try to stay hydrated. If it’s really hot and we’re playing we’ll hydrate a lot more. Putting good things in your body is really important. So, we don’t really have a meal plan, but it’s encouraged to eat good food. We always eat three hours before kickoff to give our bodies time to digest. Sometimes chicken and rice, a sandwich, or a burrito.
Cross country runner and sophomore Kashmir Sahota-Flood: Not really, we’re just told to stay hydrated and not eat junk food.
Cross country runner and junior Cade Backlin: It’s recommended to drink lots of water and protein, but not everyone on the team follows it.
Football player and sophomore Isaiah Hernandez: The coaches want you to have a good dinner the night before a game, and a good breakfast. Anything that will give you a lot of protein, giving your body a lot of energy and strength. Not like going to McDonalds and getting a burger.
Expressions: Do you think what you eat or drink before a game/race changes your performance?
Ritter: I think some things are obviously very bad to eat, you don’t want to eat something huge, you’re not going to feel good when you play. The more you drink helps.
Sahota-Flood: I try to drink a lot of water and I always eat pasta the night before for a carb load.
Backlin: The one guy I know who doesn’t follow it is our second-fastest runner, so I don’t think it’s one hundred percent necessary.
Hernandez: Oh yeah, definitely. Sometimes I’ll slack off in the morning, and not eat a good breakfast or lunch, and it will make me a little slower.
Expressions: Do you think pre-game/race meal plans are necessary at a high school level?
Ritter: I think that high school sports are important, because it’s where most people play sports. Doing well and eating well are important.
Sahota-Flood: Not necessarily. Definitely as you get older or if you want to run in college, but not if you’re just trying to have fun. Definitely don’t eat junk food though!
Backlin: It can improve your performance, but not for everyone.
Hernandez: Yeah, I’ve been playing since I was four, and we always got told the “don’t eat nothing” and it threw us off sometimes. But now, getting a high-protein/carb meal before the game really fuels your body and gives you energy.
The general athlete consensus is that a carb load the night before, and not eating too much close to your event is the way to go, but this obviously doesn’t apply to everyone. Whether you’re a varsity cross country runner who eats junk food all the way up to a race, or a freshman football player who takes nutrition very seriously, what you eat affects everyone differently.