Serious Question - College Athletes, Parents and Snacks
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Anonymous
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Husband played on a D1 team in college. He said 90% of parents showed up for home games and about 50% for away games. Other than a player bringing in a treat his mom had baked, no parents ever provided snacks. Lots of the parents threw parties for the team, though, and fed them before big games. The team always got special team meals, but sometimes the parents would get together and throw special parties before big rivalry games. All snacks were provided through their funding. This was at a university known for their athletics, so the athletes were treated very, very well there.
My niece does gymnastics at a D1 school, but it's not a popular sport there, so their funding isn't that great. They have no team meals or snacks provided. They get their competition leos and warm-up suits provided, but her friends who are athletes on more popular sports teams at the school get tons of swag. |
Anonymous
| My DC was on a D3 team. We were about 2 hours away and went to a lot of meets. I was surprised how many parents came to meets when it required flights and hotels - for us it was a day trip. The team did a parent supplied potluck once a season, I think on parents weekend, but not always. No snacks for other meets that I know of. |
Anonymous
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LOL no. This ended with elementary school.
What are parents supposed to do, fly in from out of state with cut up oranges and juice boxes for every game? |
Anonymous
| I wonder if this is from the weirdo kid why says he trolls in website feedback. |
Anonymous
Some do (or at least buy them once they arrive). Did parents not show for your DCs games/meets? It's interesting how different the experiences are. |
Anonymous
| I will go to my DS' games if they are up to 2 hours from my home. I might bring some snacks/food for him, as he is underweight. I am not planning on bringing food for the while team. |
Anonymous
My school had a well-funded athletics program even for non-big-time sports so parents didn't provide much. They showed up for the banquet at the end of the season, but the school funded that. |
Anonymous
| We were required to give trophies and orange slices for each game. |
Anonymous
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Though it apparently surprises most of you, pre and post game nutrition matters to college athletes and most every D1, D2, and D3 program that I have seen as a referee offers post game meals to their players - particularly when the team is on the road.
Depending how much time the player gets on the field in the match, they may burn anywhere from 500 - 1,500 calories and it is important - especially if you are playing lots of minutes, that you replenish your body soon after the match is over to ensure that your body effectively recovers. Given the craziness of the college game where teams are often playing multiple games a week and at a more frenetic pace than club and professional soccer, this recovery is vital and should be done as soon as possible after the match is over. One of the biggest challenges for college athletes will be post game meals on the road. Most teams that I see who have travelled to a game usually have some type of meal ready for them after the game - from pizzas to big spreads. From catered to pot luck, it usually isn't too fancy - trays of pasta to simple sandwiches, lots of chocolate milk and Gatorade. It all depends I guess on the school and how the team administrators or the parents have decided how to handle this. Also, pregame meals and snacks are important too. If a team has travelled overnight, they most likely eat at the hotel, but most D3 travel is same day, so having proper snacks on the bus is going to be important too. Now, whether the school pays for and/or organizes these meals and snacks is going to vary from school to school depending largely on the school's resources and level of parental involvement / boosterism. I'm sure that there are other benefits to these meals - the parents and friends who have traveled to the game get to see and spend a little time with their kids before the kids get back on the bus or in the vans to travel back to campus. At the end of the day, if your kid is playing college soccer, he or she is doing it because they are a serious athlete, and to have success and withstand the rigors of college soccer, they need to eat properly. |
Anonymous
| Ok, but that doesn't mean mommy needs to fly to every game to make sure Larla or Larlo gets post-game nutrition. If the school isn't providing it, 18 year old kids and older need to figure out how to handle this on their own. |
Anonymous
| What PP described IS the situation in many programs and the reality for parents is the coaches and students are conditioned to believe that all of this feeding FOR EVERY GAME is funded by parents that almost always let be out of town. It’s not like you write a check. You must dole it out like they are 3 years old. I can’t get over it really. |
Anonymous
So how else do you propose that the students get proper meals before and after a game outside of either the school or the parents funding post game meals or the bus stopping at some restaurant on the way back to campus? And be honest - outside of football and basketball at top D1 programs, all athletic programs loose money. |
Anonymous
| My son plays baseball at a D3 school. We are fortunate that his conference is fairly local, so we go to all his weekend games. He often plays a double header, and if it is a conference game that is two 9 inning games, with an hour to an hour and a half in between games. So we often pack him a snack to have between games because the snack/lunch the school supplies is not enough. However, he would certainly survive if we did not and quite a few kids make do without. |
Anonymous
How about the University Food Service packs it up and the team/players get it on the bus? Aren't these student athletes paying for a lot of uneaten meals? And maybe the parents could cover and special extra costs associated with that service. |
Anonymous
| Yeah, this is not that complicated. If the school or team officials don't arrange for boxed meals or whatever, the student/player packs one at a prior meal (with approval/explanation from the team if necessary). Or buy food somewhere else and bring it to the game. I figured out how to handle this as a serious dancer at a young age with semi-absent parents. I walked from school to the studio most days and was there until a parent picked me up at 9 or so pm. I packed food for after school and for dinner time. If a 10 year can figure this out, D1 college athletes can do the same. |