Hungry, Hungry Hawks

When students are in sports at Lakeland High School, they have to make sure they eat properly in order to perform their best. 

Whether it be for swimming, football, wrestling or other sports, keeping their diet in mind is very important. 

Wyatt Aramburu, a student on the LHS swim team, believes that eating healthy is very crucial to being successful. 

“Before a swim meet, if you want to do good, it is important to eat clean food. Eat a lot of vegetables and fruit,” said Aramburu.

Although it may not seem like a big deal, eating healthy is very important during sports seasons. 

Foods like fast food are not the best option to eat during sports seasons. 

“Taco Bell is a no-no; all greasy foods or sugar should be avoided,” said Aramburu. “I have learned from personal experience, that if you want to do your best, just avoid fast food as a whole.” 

There are foods that can help an athlete perform better in their sport. 

Making sure that this is in a swimmer’s diet has the right foods can help them do better in their sport. 

“Red meat is good, and a lot of protein in general before meets is also good to get your body in the right state to do well in a meet,” siad Aramburu. 

Making sure a student has enough caffeine in their system can help too. 

Any drinks to boost energy can help an athlete perform well. 

“Drinking a lot of energy drinks and pre-workout helps keep you pumped and feeling good,” said Aramburu. 

Eating healthy can also improve someone’s mental status during games or meets. 

If you don’t eat well, you won’t feel very good. You will be way more mentally and physically stable for your meet if you eat healthy,” said Aramburu.

The football team also does a lot to make sure that they are eating the best they can so they can do their best. 

Schroeder makes sure that all of his players have a stable meal to get his players through the game. 

“Our meals before games depend on what Schroeder wants us to eat; last week we had chili, rolls and a chai teas,” said Brayden Tirri, junior varsity football player at LHS. “Sometimes, he gets us food like Jimmy Johns and Domino’s.” 

The football team also takes the time to use their pregame meals to get closer as a team. 

Before each game, the football boys have a team dinner so they are more united on the field. 

“We use the team dinners we have also as a pregame bonding time so we all spend time together, which I think makes us play better together,” said Tirri. 

Sports like wrestling impact students’ meal needs in order to keep up in wrestling. 

Since measuring is divided by weight classes, students have to watch their eating and make sure they stay in the right weight class. 

“It all just depends how much you want to cut. Most people are good to just have a big breakfast filled with proteins and high carbs,” said Owen Rose. “It’s good to avoid sugary food when wrestling season is in. You have to watch your weight during the season, so you can eat what you want as long as you stay in your goal.”