Food Coordinators Guide

The role of the GA5 food coordinator is to work with the coaches and parents to

meet the nutritional needs of the athletes during tournaments. This includes, but

is not limited to working with the travel coordinator to plan and secure breakfast,

lunch and dinner while traveling and coordinating food tables while playing home

matches (and matches that are away that permit them).

Nutritional Needs of the Athlete: (Please read Erica Miller’s Nutrition Guide

for more information.)

Nutrition plays a key role in the performance of the athlete. It can mean the

difference between hitting the ball hard and just hitting the wall. It is important to

eat and drink small meals/snacks throughout the day. This can be challenging

when the athletes are playing 4 matches in an 8-9 hour time period. Pre- match

snacks/meals should be carbohydrate based with a small amount of protein and

a minimal amount of fat. When preparing for the next match, post match snacks

should contain carbohydrates and a small amount of protein and should be eaten

within 30-40 minutes post playing to take advantage of optimal glycogen storage.

The pre-game meal should be rich in carbohydrates, since they are the primary

fuel source for working muscles. A high quality protein source is also essential for

this meal. Protein will help the "staying power" of the meal, slowing the digestion

process and preventing the player from entering the match feeling empty. A good

pre-game meal might include a grilled chicken sandwich with a baked potato

topped with broccoli and salsa; grilled chicken breast covered in marinara sauce

atop a dish of pasta; or a turkey sub/sandwich with a serving of pretzels.

Breakfast might be a whole grain bagel with an egg or peanut butter and a glass

of orange juice; yogurt, fruit and juice or a bowl of cereal, banana, and a juice.

During the match it is important to maintain hydration. Fluid guidelines accepted

by both the American Dietetic Association and the American College of Sports

Medicine indicate that 4 - 8 ounces (~1 mouthful = 1 ounce) of fluid should be

consumed every 15 minutes during activity. Making it a goal to drink between ½ -

1 cup of a drink during each time-out or each time the player comes out of the

game should accomplish both of these goals. Remind players that the most

important time to hydrate is the day before the match. Gatorade and other sports

drinks have their place, but are usually not necessary for hydration during

matches, but can be beneficial between back-to-back matches. As always,

check with your coach for their hydration preferences.

A post-game meal or snack is often forgotten. This meal, however, has a very

important function. The human body has a very limited capacity to store

carbohydrates. They are stored in the form of glycogen in the liver and the

muscles. Therefore, it is important to maximize the amount that can be stored.

After a volleyball match, the enzymes that are responsible for taking in fuel and

storing it are at their highest level within the first 30-45 minutes. Taking

advantage of this window is critical in the recovery process, getting the body

ready for the next match. An energy/sports bar works well when there is little

time between matches. Look for a bar with high carbohydrates (preferably less

than half coming from sugar), some protein and low in fat. It is highly

recommended that each girl be responsible for bringing her own energy, sports

bars to each tournament. Having one bar per day in their packs should be

sufficient.

Examples of suitable bars include:

Cliff Z Bar –

130 calories, 24 gms carbohydrate, 11 gms sugar, 4 gms fat, 3 gms protein

Special K Bar-

90 calories, 17 gms carbohydrate, 8 gms sugar, 1.5 gms fat, 2 gms protein

Nutrigrain Bar-

130 calories, 24 gms carbohydrate, 12 gms sugar, 2 gms protein, 3 gms fat

Misc-

Before the season it is important to check with the team for food allergies,

especially peanut allergies. You will need to determine if the player just needs to

avoid these foods or if the offending food needs to be totally avoided by the

team.

Please keep cost in mind when planning meals and going out. Work with the

travel coordinator to bring food in whenever possible and choose restaurants that

have low cost food options available.

When purchasing snacks and ordering food from restaurants remember to

include your coaches!

Home Matches/Food Tables

Food Tables will vary depending on the time of day you are playing. If playing

early 8 AM matches – include food for a mid-morning snack and a light lunch.

PM waves might require a light lunch/dinner and a snack. The week before an

Atlanta tournament (or after the draws come out so you know what time you are

playing) work with the coach to decide on what foods/meals you want available

for the tournament. Then you can send out food assignments to your team

parents.

Below is an example of food table assignments:

1.         2 lb turkey breast/day, low fat crackers

2.         Fruit – that can be easily grabbed by players (bananas, grapes,

pre-sliced apples, etc. .)

3.         Low fat sliced cheese for sandwiches, cheese sticks

4.         Sun Chips, pretzels, hummus, peanut butter and jelly, mustard,

low fat mayonaise

5.         Green salad with low fat cheese/meat

6.         Pasta salad with low fat meat/cheese

7.         Water - 3 gallon jugs/day, cooler with ice

8.         Whole grain bread, bagels, low fat cream cheese

9.             Gatorade (dozen small/day), granola mix

10.        Paper goods, utensils, table cloth

11.        1 lb chicken/day , sliced tomato and lettuce for sandwiches

Food While Traveling

Each tournament will present with unique challenges and circumstances. It will

be important to work with the travel coordinator to determine where meals will be

eaten. Make sure to recruit other parents to help you with purchasing food,

buying breakfast, and making snacks and sandwiches. Whether eating out or

bringing in food, low fat food is encouraged. For example, when ordering from

Olive Garden, pasta with marinara sauce and grilled chicken on the side is a

better choice than fettuccini alfredo or lasagna. Order salads with dressing on

the side and add an extra helping of steamed vegetables.

Breakfast - For AM waves providing breakfast for the girls can be a

challenge if the hotel they are staying in does not provide it. The travel

coordinator will work with the hotel to try and arrange breakfast at the hotel when

this is an option. Options for when there is no breakfast at the hotel include:

-Getting a refrigerator for your room or coach’s room (A5 will reimburse)

and purchasing food for breakfast. This can include yogurt, cereal, bagels,

peanut butter, cheese sticks, orange juice, milk. (The goal is to make sure the

girls are eating adequate amounts of carbohydrates and a small amount of a

quality protein.)

-Locating a bagel store (Einstein’s, Panera) and sending in the order the

day before. This can often be picked up by a parent that morning by 6:15 AM

and brought to the girls at the hotel. Collect the girls/coaches’ orders before

leaving for the tournament and fax it into the restaurant. Ask them to put the names

or numbers of the girls on each order. Follow up with a phone call the

day before to make sure it will be ready for pick up.

Lunch - Each tournament will be different depending on what is available

at the sight, if you can bring food in, etc. Some tournaments (Big South) offer

nutritious foods in the convention center and if the coach agrees the girls can

purchase their own lunches and bring their own snacks in their backpacks. Other

tournaments offer nothing but pizza and fried food and you will want to find

alternatives. Locating local Subways, Paneras, Jimmy Johns, etc. before the

tournament can be very helpful. If food is not allowed in the court area, then the

team may have to gather in an outside area (look for a location that is usually

provided). It is best to eat this small meal during the two hour time slot in the

schedule when the team is refereeing and resting. In the beginning of the

season, collecting each player’s and coaches’ favorite Subway, “supermarket,” or

Panera sandwich and compiling a standard order for the team can be very

helpful to expedite the order.

Dinner – For AM waves the travel coordinator will work with the coach to

make dinner reservations at a restaurant or get take-out to eat at the hotel. For

PM waves, “dinner” often will be the same as lunch (sandwiches, etc.) to be

eaten during a longer break in play. Often a coach will then decide for the team

to eat a meal together after the PM wave is over (if it is later in the evening, takeout

at the hotel is often preferred).

Water – GA5 highly encourages the use of water bottles and using gallons

of water to refill them (instead of using individual water bottles). Often

tournaments will have large coolers situated around the gym for the girls to refill

their bottles or water fountains they can use. Talking to parents who have

attended the tournament in the past can assist you in determining what will be

available.

Traveling by Bus

Ask your team travel coordinator (who is making plans with the coach) what

dinner arrangements have been decided. Your coach may decide to stop for

dinner along the route (the travel coordinator will then make arrangements with a

restaurant ahead of time). Or if the trip is shorter, the coach may prefer to eat at

a restaurant (or do take-out at the hotel) after arriving at the destination—which

the travel coordinator will plan. Another option that some teams have found to

save time and expense (and eat better and healthier!) is to bring food on the bus

and have dinner together while traveling. Help your travel coordinator by

assigning food items for each family to bring on the bus.

Here is a sample menu for a bus trip to Louisville (usually many of the parents

will accompany the team on the bus). Also included in this list are items for the

next day. Once you arrive at the hotel, you can save expense and have parents

help pack up snack/lunch bags to give to each player for Saturday tournament

play.

1.         Sliced Rolls (for bus), ww bread (Saturday sandwiches)

2.         Grilled chicken (bus sandwiches)

3.         Mayo, mustard, sliced lettuce, tomato, onion (for bus) bananas,

grapes (for Saturday)

4.         7 gallon water jugs

5.         Pasta in ziplocs (for Saturday)

6.         Cheese & cracker & apps for parents & coaches on bus!

7.         Pasta Salad for bus

8.         Green Salad for bus, ziploc sandwich bags (for Saturday)

9.         Plates, napkins, utensils

10.        3 lbs turkey breast (Saturday lunch)

11.        2 cases gatorade in cooler with ice

Handling the Money

Please keep cost in mind when planning meals and going out. Work with

the travel coordinator to bring food whenever possible and choose restaurants

that have low cost food options available.

When traveling there will be expenses incurred for meals, etc. There are

different approaches to collecting money from players for the weekend. One

approach is to pay as you go. This means collecting money from each

player/family every time you pay for something (this can get old). Another

approach that has worked well is having one parent on the team be the money

manager (can be a different parent at each tournament). This parent collects all

receipts and records who has paid for each item. At the end of the tournament,

he/she then collects money from each player/family for the cost of the

tournament and repays the parents who paid for items.

In the trip itinerary, make sure the travel coordinator advises players to

bring enough money to cover the costs of incidentals, restaurant meals, or food

purchased individually by the player.