Eating correctly is essential for athletes. With a good meal, an athlete can feel energized for the duration of a competition, but without one, an athlete risks performing poorly. This is no different at Choate, where student athletes need the right nutrition to compete in games, matches, and races. However, Choate students’ pre-game meals can be limited by the options at the dining hall, creating unique choices for pre-game meals.
Among all Choate students, energy or granola bars are popular for quick snacks before a game. Choate students consume these snacks so that they can feel energized without a completely full stomach. For athletes who travel to away games during meal times, SAGE supplies teams with meals that often include granola bars, sandwiches, fruits, and cookies, possibly contributing to the popularity of granola bars as a pre-game snack.
In terms of choices found in the dining hall, different types of nut butter with toast is often a popular choice among students before competitions. Some spread peanut or Sun Butter on toast or a bagel to eat before a game. Girls’ Varsity Field Hockey, Ice Hockey, and Lacrosse player Gina Driscoll ’20 consistently eats whole-grain toast with peanut butter and sliced bananas. “I saw upperclassmen eat them before hockey games, so I figured I’d try it. Now, I’ve adopted it as my own pregame meal,” said Driscoll.
Also found in the dining hall, cereal and yogurt are common pre-game meals. Every student has a favorite cereal like Girls’ JV Field Hockey member Annalise Rhodes ’23, who insists on eating only Froot Loops. In addition, many students enjoy sports drinks like Powerade or Gatorade. Most students do not have an opinion on their favorite flavor, but Girls’ Thirds Volleyball player Nikki Ramos ’22 insists on blue Gatorade.
Although some stick to relatively common pre-game foods, others utilize the dining hall to create unusual meals in preparation for athletic competitions. This sometimes stems from superstition, as some students feel that their creations provide the perfect fuel before games. Kayce Madancy ’22, a member of Girls’ JV Soccer, normally eats a few mini pizza bagels and drinks Powerade. Her belief in pizza bagels stems from superstition after a strong individual performance during a soccer game. “When I was six, I scored three goals and I believed it was because I ate pizza bagels before,” she said. “Now, I try to eat them before every game.”
Girls’ Varsity Field Hockey player Izzy MacArthur ’21 relies on SAGE’s seven-layer bars. She believes that they give her a burst of energy and prepare her for gametime.
No matter the time of day, Drew Cormier ’22, a safety for Boys’ Varsity Football, has to eat waffles before games. “At home, before a game for any sport, I always eat waffles, and they give me some type of superhuman ability,” he said. “When they are in my system, I’m unstoppable.” Cormier doesn’t have a preference for a type of waffle and would eat an Eggo or a waffle from the dining hall. Boys’ Cross Country runner Harry Margolis ’22 has one of the oddest pre-game meals, drinking only three glasses of milk before each race. He believes the milk helps his bones stay strong for competitions.
