Fast Food Generation

[VolleyTX]

I'm generalizing here.... but I think there is a point to be made....

Just compare the current crop of NCAA Volleyball players today to the girls back in the 80s or even 90s. There is a big difference in body type. Compare the current crop of NCAA Volleyball players to the their counterparts in Europe or Asia. There is a big difference in body type.

I'm not trying to be sanctimonious about over-weight folks. I just don't understand how so many elite athletes, who may be getting their educations paid for, can be so unconscience about their dietary choices. I won't mention the team.... but I watched a very good volleyball team on TV the other day and I was a bit shocked by what I saw. If I saw about 1/2 these ladies off the court, I would never have suspected they were athletes.

I'm sure these girls are so dedicated to working hard and improving and wanting to win. But I'm curious to know if there is any effort made to help these girls make better food choices. They have to realize that an extra 20 lbs is going to hold them back from reaching their full potential. These girls are definitely burning enough calories.... they are just making really bad food choices.

[PierreAmi]

incrediball said:

[td]The parents really should know better - or check with the coach first

[/td]

Ok- I was chuckling before. Now I'm just laughing. Rolling really.

Seriously, Pierre? ;D [/quote]

Of course! If the parents knew anything about elite athletics and truly wanted their team to perform at its best - they would make sure they gave their daughters healthy food to eat. At the very least, they should run their choices by the coach for his/her opinion.

Unless, of course, college volleyball is not really at the "elite" level.

[INcrediBall]

Ok- let's jump into the discussion of how much these athletes give to these programs. Yes, they recieve a college education, but the day in, day out, abuse they must endure, both physcally and mentally is rough. They put in outrageous hours, play through pain, sleep little, and do little of anything else nearly year round. They are tired ALL THE TIME and emotionally spent most of the time. When a kid sneaks over to her parent's table at dinner and "suggest" that Mom and Dad order the Oreo Cheesecake to go, Mom and Dad happily oblige. If the team just won- they deserve it. If they lost - the chocalate helps heal the pain.

I'm not suggesting that these elite athletes make bon bons and mudslides part of thier regulare diet, however, if you are suggesting that parents check with the coach before slipping a kid a chocolate chip cookie, you are either a coach or very niave.

BTW- at the time that I witnessed the contraband cheesecake entering the team bus, the team was ranked as top 25. I think that's fairly elite.

[PierreAmi]

But how many of that team were patently overweight? An elite athlete will take care of all aspects of her training, including the fuel she's putting into her body. There's a reason you never see an overweight high jumper at the elite level.

And of course its ok to reward yourself with a treat every once in a while - as long as its the exception, not the rule.

[stanford78]

I'll guarantee you that the top 5 college programs (I think many more) all have nutritionists and strength/conditioning people on their staff. I would be shocked if watching the Final 4 this year in Sacramento to see anyone on any of the final 4 teams look out of shape. That said, I don't think a "team cheesecake" is going to make one bit of difference in their fitness. These women burn a TON of calories every day at practice and/or games. Now if you are talking club/HS volleyball, I'll agree that thats a totally different universe...

[Greenie]

Well, from first hand experience, I can tell ya this... there is a point of diminishing returns in trying to be thin, and I'm not talking anorexic, I'm just talking thin.

I was a high jumper back in the day and our coach weighed us in every Monday. We kept our weight down, worked our butts off in the weightroom, and trained really hard - that was part of the team culture.

But the weight thing was so stressful (one other HJ was anorexic, one was bulemic) that I remember saying numerous times "when I'm done I'm gonna pack on 15 pounds and be fat and happy." And I did, and I was not fat at 5'11" and 158, but I woulda been a big high jumper for that era, but most interesting was that my vertical stayed the same after the fatpack and I wasn't working out as hard. And I quit being sick all the time.

So, I think coaches and strength coaches realize that fit is not necessarily super thin for all kids. And when you see the teams in person and stand next to them when they are in regular clothes, they are for the most part thin. Even the ones that don't look great in spandex.

[Greenie]

pierreami said:

And of course its ok to reward yourself with a treat every once in a
while - as long as its the exception, not the rule.

Rewarding yourself or others with food is not a great way to look at nutrition and health.

Variety. Moderation. It's simple.

[Wolfgang]

My mother uses beer to motivate my dad to work around the house. He has no other access to beer since she also handles the money. I see a coup coming in the months ahead.

[silversurfer]

You might be surprised how many college coaches take a very active role in their teams diet/body weight, some to a harmful extent that creates eating disorders, but most are probably very sensible.

I think many D1 players have good habits already.

[liquid running]

gatorvball said:

Florida has a team nutritionist and the best strength and conditioning guy in the country(if you ask me). Florida is always among the best conditioned teams in the country and Matt Delancey is a big reason why. The difference between when players come into the program and even by their sophomore year, is huge. He works those girls hard and they take great pride in being in tip top shape.

True enough, but I think every now and then some get a little too much of mom's cooking over the summer, i.e. Kisya Killingsworth this year. She looked a bit heavier than usual early on and I think that contributed to a somewhat slow start in addition to getting back at middle.

Kyla Roehrig surprised me when Minnesota played at the regional in Gainesville last year. She's stocky, but had much better mobility than I would have thought just by looking at her.

[2 cents]

volleytx said:

I'm not trying to be sanctimonious about over-weight folks. I just don't understand how so many elite athletes, who may be getting their educations paid for, can be so unconscience about their dietary choices. I won't mention the team.... but I watched a very good volleyball team on TV the other day and I was a bit shocked by what I saw. If I saw about 1/2 these ladies off the court, I would never have suspected they were athletes.

Hah! Blame it on spandex!

pineapple said:

Metabolism plays a strong part here. I can eat a few bites and get fat; whereas my former fellow worker, who is a nutritionist, can eat 2nds and still stay slim. Her metabolism works faster than mine, burning calories more effectively. To console me, she told me that my metabolism is more efficient than hers, making better use of little amounts of food, whereas hers is wasteful. .....

Interesting point about metabolism. My metabolism is so efficient that I gain five pounds if I just inhale passing by a Krispy Creme.

A fellow worker coaches high school wrestlers. He said the metabolism of some of those kids is so naturally phenomenal that they cannot pass a physical because their body fat is <5%. The doctors refuse to sign off. As coaches, they coerce them to eat more but they simply don't gain any fat- all muscle.

Amazing.

[GatorVball]

True about Kisya, but it didn't take her long to get back into shape. She looked great in person last week. It didn't take long.

[StuffU]

I recall a picture and a quote from Lindsey Berg after a big match at some tourney where she was talking about running out and grabbing some McDonald's.

Many people on this board have commented on Lindsey's physique. She has a naturally stocky build in comparison to other well-respected setters, but she has shown that you can reach the elite level while making questionable diet choices.
How much better would Lindsey be if she had the optimal diet? I'm not sold that a better diet would make her a better setter.

[VBCOACH]

I've been mentioning how heavy the female volleyball players were getting for years on this board, but when I do, Gorf yells at me.

When Jerry Angle was the coach at Northwestern, you could see the bodies of the freshmen change (for the better) year after year. I'm sure proper diet was part of it, but the muscle gain was from the weightroom.

Not anymore. Some Northwestern players improve their conditioning year to year, but now it's more random. Some haven't changed at all after several years in the program.

[AntennaMagnet]

Don't they manufacture a new digital camera that makes the subject look thinner after pressing the vanity button ?