'It's a special time': Pregame meals fuel the mind and body of Athens-area football players - ABH

9/8/2021

When Athens Academy football coach Josh Alexander was a player at Morrow High School, he can clearly remember the pregame meals he and his teammates consumed.

“We usually ate two Chick-fil-A sandwiches and a bag of chips,” said Alexander. “And we were really appreciative of that.”

Athens Christian coach Rickey Bustle recalled that when he played at Summerville High in South Carolina, the pregame meal concept had not yet reached his school.

“When I was in high school, my mother fixed my pregame meal – it wasn’t a team thing then,” said Bustle, whose career includes coaching on the prep, college and professional levels. “You went home in the afternoon and had that skinny steak and potato and then went back to school for the game.”

The pregame meal has without question come a long way from sandwiches and chips and an even longer way from Mom’s home-cooked repast. At Athens Academy, Athens Christian and many other Athens-area schools, parents work with each other and with caterers to ensure their respective teams have plenty of fuel for the night ahead.

“We want to give them something that burns fast,” said Bustle. “We want to make sure we give them a good meal to play on.”
“We make sure we’re feeding our guys the right meal – proper nutrition, lots of color, lots of hydration,” said Alexander. “We put a lot of thought into what they’re eating. There are different meats, lots of carbs, fruits and desserts. Our kids are very appreciative for what our parents do.”

When asked if the Athens Christian crew has a dessert option with their Friday meal, Bustle quipped, “Dessert? If there was dessert I’d be getting it, so I don’t think we have dessert on there.”

Fueling the body and the mind

While the pregame feast is designed to fuel the body, there are other aspects to the meal that both Alexander and Bustle feel are just as important as the food itself.

Alexander said that after the Spartans’ pregame dinner (which is held in the football team room of the new Farmer Field House) they’ll hear from team chaplain Jerry Varnado, and Alexander himself brings the proceedings to a close with a pep talk for the team. Bustle said the Eagles have a devotional prior to the meal and also have time for a little pre-kickoff fellowship.

“There’s definitely a team-building aspect to the meal,” said Alexander. “We talk about the five things we can control – hydration, nutrition, sleep, rehab and our mindset. With our pregame meal we get nutrition and mindset, which are the most important things two or three hours before a game.”

“It gets everybody together for a few minutes of devotion and then to eat,” said Bustle. “The players sit with their buddies. Back in the day, I worked for some head coaches that didn’t want anybody to say a word during the pregame meal. But I don’t worry about that – they enjoy themselves and they enjoy each other. I just don’t let it get too loud.”
COVID-19 and road games – especially during the playoffs where teams might have to travel to the other side of the state for a postseason battle – often require some improvisation when it comes to nutrition but the parents who supervise the pregame meals for Athens Academy and Athens Christian have proven to be up to the challenge, with box lunches serving as the order of the day.

When The Spartans traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina, in late August, Alexander said the players were the beneficiaries of their parents’ long-range planning skills.

“COVID has changed the way we do a lot of things,” said Alexander. “You can’t just call ahead and take a huge team into a restaurant now. A lot of restaurants aren’t really interested in hosting a big group of people at this time.

“When we went to Charlotte. We fed the players a box lunch at 12, put them on the bus with snacks and drinks, and when we got there, Charlotte Country Day allowed us to use their cafeteria and we catered the meal in. The parents worked really hard on getting that set up.”

A parent’s perspective

At Athens Academy and Athens Christian, the key to a successful pregame meal depends on the diligence of those involved. Both Alexander and Bustle were appreciative of the lengths parents go to in order to make sure their sons are properly fueled for the evening ahead.

“We have our pregame meal in the dining hall, prepared by parents,” said Bustle. “Carrie Martin has formed a group of anybody and everybody that can help, cook food, donate money, that type of thing… It’s hard to please everybody but these families that are doing this are awesome. After the game, that same group provides sandwiches, chips and drinks to the players.”

“A lot of parents like to be involved in the pregame meal, to see the tradition of it,” said Alexander. “They want to make sure their boys have the right food and proper fuel to play the game.

“There’s anywhere from eight to 12 moms involved – it looks like a wedding. It’s the darndest thing you’ve ever seen. Our boys eat very well and our parents work hard on it and take great pride in it.”

Catherine Warner has worked on the pregame meal committee at Athens Academy since she was recruited by a “senior mom” when her son Will was a freshman on the team. In the time she’s been involved in the dinner, the numbers of dinners has increased from about 50 to nearly 100.

“It’s a crowded room but it’s a great day on game day,” she said. “I wouldn’t be any other place.”

The Spartans enjoy a variety of culinary offerings through the season and Warner said she surveys the senior players when creating a menu. While much of the meal is catered, Warner said she and other committee members whip up a few homemade treats on a regular basis.

“Last year, the first meal I made my spaghetti and we had three moms prepare chicken tetrazzini and we’ll have one or two meals where moms will do that,” she said. “I have a green bean recipe I prepare for all of them, and last year I made the mac and cheese for three different meals. We also do the fruit and I make my homemade poundcake and we have brownies and cookies. We’ll often make the vegetables, but we usually have the main meat course catered.”

Warner said she keeps two objectives in mind while she and her committee – plus several other Athens Academy moms who roll off and on each week – plan and execute the meal.

“The food is very important because we’re fueling their body not just filling their belly,” she said. “We work with a caterer to make sure we have the right amount of protein, carbs, fruit and veggies, water and hydration. And we want to have a nice atmosphere for the team and the parents – we have a real community and I feel the pregame meal solidifies that and really brings the team and the parents together.”

Her son will graduate in the spring, so Warner’s tenure in the pregame meal world will soon be coming to a close. She said she’ll be close by to lend a helping hand, offer counsel and provide the occasional poundcake.

“It’s a special time,” said Warner, who added one of her favorite moments in each pregame meal comes when the team sings the Johnny Appleseed Prayer. “I had a mom who worked the pregame meal for the first time this week and she came to me and said, ‘I will help you any week that you need. It was so awesome to be with the boys.’ It’s a real special time to see the team together and enjoying that downtime.
“It’s every Friday and it’s a lot of work, but I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else on Friday afternoon. …The tradition will continue.”

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