Sooners Power Up with Green

Popeye had his spinach and the Sooners have the “Hulk.”

That is just one of the many smoothie options available for the University of Oklahoma track and field team at their new nutrition and refuel station.

In its first year of operation, the nutrition station is a place where all the event groups come together for their post-workout power up.

“One thing that was coming up a lot in studying nutrition is that for an athlete the 30 minutes after the workout is the most critical,” said Jim VanHootegem, track and field head coach. “We'd prefer to do things with whole foods rather than processed foods that might be easier to hand out. In this case, we built something where we could prepare food.”

The biggest thing is if you just start becoming aware of what you're eating, then you start to be able to make better decisions as far as nutrition that can impact your overall performance.
Jim VanHootegem, OU head coach

Smoothies are not the only option, but their ingredients can be personalized for each member of the team. Put together by student managers working behind the counter with options selected by the athletics department's director of nutrition Tiffany Byrd, smoothies are available Monday through Wednesday. The nutrition bar also offers everything from nut butters and fruits to coconut water, power bars, and cheeses. Want Greek yogurt? That's available, too. The variety is not in any way excessive. Rather, it is strategically chosen according to Byrd.

“With track and field being such a large sport, similar in numbers to football, you don't have linemen, you have throwers, and then you have sprinters, cross country, distance, and a wide variety of everything in between. Everybody has different needs,” said Byrd, a former NCAA champion gymnast. “Then you throw in their food allergies or intolerances and you've got to adapt everything to make it work.”

And has that strategy worked! Unlike the painstaking efforts of parents trying to get their children to eat broccoli, the student-athletes are singing their praises about what they call “the juice bar.”

“I visit at least twice a day,” said Julia Reedy, who competes in several of the throwing events for OU. “Right after we get out of the weight room or practice, we can just go there and get everything we need to refuel. It's been really nice having that available.”

It is all in an effort to give Sooners a competitive edge.

“I think they appreciate that we're trying to do everything we can to give them an advantage,” said VanHootegem, who says that all of his coaching staff have talked to their student-athletes about nutrition. “I think the key isn't to do the latest thing that somebody is saying, although we're trying to always improve, but to find what works for [student-athletes] nutritionally.”

According to Byrd, the Sooners are ahead of the curve with their installation of the nutrition bar as the only university in the country to have “an advanced fueling station” dedicated for use by the track and field program.

“We're the only one that has a specific track and field fueling station in which smoothies are made,” Byrd said. “We've got all different recovery options for pre, post, during workouts. Coach V is building a culture in this program. It includes nutrition, which is crucial because they are so in tune with their bodies and every little bit matters.”

The idea was initiated by VanHootegem, now in his second year at OU. He enlisted Byrd's help and expertise to stock the bar once the facility was built. And since the nutrition bar's door opened, the entryway of the Mosier Indoor Facility (where the bar is located) has been full.

It also helped that the track and field donor club, The Spike Club, was willing to provide the financial resources to create the nutrition bar.

Coach V is building a culture in this program. It includes nutrition, which is crucial because they are so in tune with their bodies and every little bit matters.
Tiffany Byrd, director of nutrition

“It is a good gathering place as well, particularly in a sport like track and field where you don't always have events that are training with each other,” said Coach VanHootegem. “It's a place where people can get some mingling in as well.”

While socializing has been an added bonus, the refuel stations intended benefits have been noticed.

“I've seen an improvement in my energy levels as far as coming right after a workout to get something. I can power through the rest of the day,” said Reedy. “I have a better recovery the next day and feel like I can get back faster.”

Reedy, who is an OU record-holder for the hammer throw, says that she has enjoyed everything from customized spinach-based smoothies to chocolate milk. She has even noticed her teammates making healthier choices at home.

“We're getting taught about making healthy choices by our whole staff,” Reedy said. “When you go home, you're like 'oh I can make these same choices.'”

The benefits have extended beyond competition performances for some.

“It's helped me save some money,” said distance runner Brandon Doughty, who favors the Hulk smoothie. “I used to always have to bring some fruit and stuff for after practice.”

Doughty, who is fifth all-time at OU in the 5,000-meter run, also credits the juice bar for his teammates' improved diets.

“I know that there are a lot of guys buying the coconut water because they're hooked on it,” Doughty said. “All around, [the juice bar] brings a better energy level to the team.”

Sooner performances have shown improvement this season as well. At the Big 12 Indoor Championships, the OU women doubled their team score from a year ago. More than 30 career bests were posted during the recently completed indoor season. At the 2015 Texas Relays, 11 Sooners competed on the final day. A year ago, it was one student-athlete competing on Saturday. PRs and career bests have improved in every outdoor meet to date.

“The biggest thing is if you just start becoming aware of what you're eating, then you start to be able to make better decisions as far as nutrition that can impact your overall performance,” VanHootegem said.

Much like the ingredients of the Hulk (which was described as “everything plus spinach and avocado), the potential for Sooner track and field student-athletes is endless. Nutrition, according to Byrd, can play an integral role in that.

“We're better, we're stronger, we're more fit and nutrition plays a piece with that. It's absolutely a collaborative effort,” Byrd said. “It's been really beneficial and I have gotten really great feedback from the student-athletes. They like it a lot.”

Make it a double Hulk.

By Akilah Laster, Athletic Communications GA