The Plymouth High School football team, ‘The Rockies,’ play against Warsaw Community High School’s football team. On September 5, 2014, The Rockies won 41 to 6. Photo by Jordan Kelly

By Emory Smith

Athletes at PHS have earned an excellent reputation by working hard before, during, and after competitions.

The actions completed the night before a competition are consequential. Sophomore Cross Country Runner Jordan Morrow said, “The night before we might have a team dinner.” Fellow teammate, Senior Kennedy Schnieders elaborated, “I make sure to get a lot of rest and eat a good dinner. It is important to keep your body in good health in order to perform. Usually on the night before a big meet the whole team has a pasta dinner to carbo-load and relax.” Senior Football Player Jacob Lafree said, “I get some sleep, eat some carbs, drink some water, get off my feet. That just helps you rest up and have your body be at its full potential. The football team has a walk through practice to nail some final things down and to build up confidence, then we go get the job done.” Junior Tennis Player Nate Knapp advises other athletes to “always drink a lot of water and make sure you eat right, and get the right amount of sleep.”

As these athletes have mentioned, tailoring your food intake goes hand-in-hand with competition. Sophomore Cross Country Runner Alex Rostron said, “I eat pasta which makes me run fasta.” Knapp said he eats “veggies…noodles or starches.” Lafree said, “[I eat] some carbs and protein to put my body in peak physical condition.” Schnieders said, “I usually have pasta and fruit the night before. Healthy foods and foods heavy in carbohydrates are key sources of energy for your body during a run. During the day of a meet, I try to eat a large breakfast so that I have enough energy to run well.”  Athletes’ diets play a central role in their competition days.

Right before their competition, whether that be a race, game, meet, or match, PHS athletes have their own rituals. Morrow said, “We think about how much running stinks, and then we stretch. Sometimes we use el baño.” Rostron said, “I put on my lucky purple socks and I drink a Red Bull.” Knapp said, “[I try to] focus and usually eat something small. I try to drink a lot of water and a Gatorade.” Lafree also prioritizes becoming “mentally prepared.” Schneiders said, “Just prior to running a race, our team first goes for a warmup run and then goes through our calisthenics routine, which is meant to stretch out our legs and prepare us to run.”

Plymouth’s boys cross country team relaxes after running at Regionals. For most of the team, this was their last race of the season. Photo contributed by Zaccheus Hutchings.

After all of the practicing, thinking, and rituals, the thoughts that race through an athlete’s mind can shape their performance. Morrow said that he thinks about how he “just hates running.” Along the same lines, Rostron said, “I think about how much I want to stop running.” On a positive hand, Knapp said that he “thinks about winning.” Instead of himself, Lafree has an artist’s work in his head. He said, “I have Epic Sax Guy playing on loop in my head, it gets me in a nice groove.” Schnieders said, “While running I try to focus on what I visualized myself accomplishing during the race. This helps me keep myself internally motivated and prepared for how I must react to what other runners do during the race.”

Following the competition, a number of athletes seem to shut down while others do not. Morrow and Rostron are in the first camp. Morrow joked, “[I] go jump into traffic because we all just figured out running stinks.” Rostron said, “I contemplate getting a permanent wheelchair.” However, Knapp said, “[I] make sure I replenish what I lost in the match, like sodium and water, and we all do the same usually.” Lafree said, “We celebrate a good win and go get some sleep.” Schnieders said, “Post-race, our team goes for a cool down jog to get the lactic acid out of our muscles and alleviate any soreness.”

From eating, to thinking, to warming up, athletes at PHS conduct themselves with purpose to succeed on competition days.