Before an athlete can play well, they have to practice well. And before they can do either of those things, they must first fuel their bodies with good, energy-giving food. In order to support this, many larger schools have specialized dining halls for athletes. But how do Union athletes prepare their bodies when they eat in Brewer Dining Hall, a.k.a. Cobo?
Rylee Iorio, women’s soccer player and freshman mathematics major, has eaten healthy her whole life. As an athlete in high school, she found it easy to eat well because her parents always cooked well. However, now as a college athlete, she has to be even more conscious about what she chooses to put on her plate. Because, while it may be easy to grab french fries or a dessert, Iorio knows that she will regret that decision shortly after making it. For the most part, she has learned to just say no and go for the fruit instead.
Iorio has found that breakfast is the easiest meal to get proper nutrition in Cobo due to the amazing smoothie and omelet bars. Here, she is able to customize her food with all of the protein, fruits and vegetables her body needs. On the other hand, Iorio struggles most with Cobo at dinnertime. During the season, the team could never get dinner because they practiced during the hours that the dining hall was open. On the other days, they had to rush to Cobo as soon as practice ended at 6:45 p.m.
“Even now we have to haul to Cobo in order to eat. So I’d probably extend the dinner times just an hour later,” said Iorio. “And then, I think having the smoothie bar open all the time would be really great because that’s a really great way to get in extra vitamins, and you can put protein powder in there.”
Joshua Whitney, senior business marketing major, is a runner for Union’s cross-country team. He is always trying new nutritional diets to see their effect on his body and performance. In the fall, he ate more protein and fewer carbs, and for the spring, he is testing out more carbs and less protein. Whitney makes sure to eat lots of these types of food because carbs become energy and protein helps rebuild muscles. This means it is important athletes have plenty of access to an array of food groups.
“Cobo has different stations, and I think they do pretty good variations of different foods throughout different meals of the day or the week,” said Whitney. “When in doubt, I just go to the salad bar and just make a big ole salad.”
Whitney has found a food routine that works for him. Breakfast is oatmeal. Lunch is a peanut butter and banana sandwich. Dinner is a burrito bowl with lots of vegetables or a salad. And he always takes fruit to go.
Beyond merely eating healthy and fueling their bodies, some athletes like Taylor Knight, junior athletic training major, have even greater dietary restrictions. She plays for the Union women’s soccer team, and after her first semester, Knight’s doctor suggested she try being a vegan. This led her to become pretty creative with what she put on her plate, but it has also shown her the immense care and kindness of the Cobo staff.
She brought documentation showing her personal need for the dietary change, and the staff took it from there. Knight is always able to go to them and ask for food, and they provide a vegan option for her. In addition, Knight has noticed their efforts to notify what food is vegetarian or vegan and what is not through the allergen lists on the TVs above the food stations.
Knight has found that the staff truly wants to help the students. One of the women in the kitchen, referred to as “Mama,” even personally offered to get dairy-free cheese on her own time so that she could make Knight a pizza.
“It’s not even the fact that they are required to help us,” said Knight. “They want to, and they enjoy making different foods for us, too. [Mama’s] like, ‘I want to try to make a new type of dessert that you can eat.’ Stuff like that is really cool that she’ll come up to me personally, and say ‘I want to try to create something that you can eat.’ At bigger schools, they wouldn’t do that.”
Photo courtesy of Neil Cole
