Student athletes struggle
to stay in shape
By Kat Greene
In a world where late-night pizza is its own food group and sugared-up coffee runs through veins, it's tough to be an athlete.
As the perennially ODAC-dominant spring sports teams at Washington and Lee work through their pre-season, the student athletes are working hard to get into shape.
Men's lacrosse coach Gene McCabe said
he encourages his players to eat about 3,000 calories a day, and tells
them to avoid fad diets. "I urge them to eat a good breakfast, lunch and
dinner," he said, and added that healthy snacking is also a priority.
"The academic, athletic and social demands here can be very draining," said McCabe, who is in his first year as head coach for the team. "To meet these demands, our student-athletes need to eat right and get plenty of sleep, and I know that is hard to do," he said.
Photo by Morgan Harris. Used with permission from The Ring-tum Phi.
Jan Hathorn, who coaches the ODAC-champion women's lacrosse team, said she encourages her players to talk to the athletic trainers and the health center about any health questions she cannot answer. "We try to do all we can to give the players information and resources they need to stay healthy," she said.
Because the athletes have year-round workouts, senior lacrosse player Avery Lovejoy said she watches her diet all the time. "For me, especially, it's really necessary to get a lot of protein, veggies and potassium so I don't cramp up," she said.
Lovejoy said that eating well at college isn't always easy, because there aren't many options. "I have to get creative," she said.
Baseball player Dan Harris said that the time factor is often the hardest challenge to overcome. Between classes, practice and social functions, he said, it's easy to fall back on fast food. "It takes a lot of self-control," he said. "You don't want to be the one that hurts your team when it comes down to it in the spring."
Lovejoy and Harris, who are also members of Greek organizations, also face the challenges of the nighttime social scene at W&L. Both of their teams have a "48-hour rule," which means that 48 hours before a game, they are not allowed to drink alcohol. The men's lacrosse team has it even tougher, with a strictly-enforced sober pre-season.
Still, Harris said, the sacrifice is worth it. "As a student athlete, you want to play," he said. "You didn't come here to sit the bench, you came to play."
And in order to play in the game, the athletes have to play by the rules when it comes to getting in shape.
McCabe said it isn't just about success during the season for these players. "A good eating and sleeping routine can help a student athlete have success in the classroom and on the lacrosse field," he said.
Harris said that the rewards of sticking to the routine come when the season starts, but said, "You have to put the work in."
That hard work is showing in the teams' recent successes in the ODAC.
Calorie countdown: The nutritional breakdown of some popular college
foods
Kat visits baseball player Dan Harris at work on the field
Produced by Washington and Lee journalism students.
Lead supervisor: Prof. Claudette Artwick
Reporting supervisors:
Technical supervisor: Michael Todd