Pitt athlete’s gameday diets, from intramural to varsity athlete

It’s no secret that competitive athletes require a strict in-season diet. At Pitt, students have a variety of athletic opportunities — some more demanding than others. From varsity to intramural, every athlete is fueled by what they consume, and each sport calls for different diets to stay apt for game days and training. 

Varsity 

The varsity athlete is at the top of the athletic pyramid in the Pitt sports universe. Whether preparing for a preseason Blue & Gold scrimmage or a nationally broadcasted Final Four, Pitt athletes need to peak at the right time to play their absolute best.

Torrey Stafford, a sophomore Pitt volleyball outside hitter and Third-team All-American, doesn’t mess around when it comes to game day meals.

“[Pitt volleyball head coach Dan Fisher] has a strict schedule,” Stafford said. “Once we’re done with our practice session in the morning, we have a specific time we eat things during the day. So it’s the same every time.”

Although the schedule is stringent, it works for Stafford and the Pitt volleyball team — just look at the Panthers’ dominating performance in the last three seasons. Stafford recognizes the difference the meals make in her playing style.

“[Without planned-out meals I] probably wouldn’t perform my best,” Stafford said. “I don’t know the science behind it, but [Pitt sports nutrition] always talks about how we’re eating things, even the consumption of coffee and caffeine, and how it will help us perform at the right time — peak at the right time. We talk about peaking at the right time a lot. I feel like now I’m more aware of when I’m eating, and what I’m putting in my body, so I can perform well.”

Stafford knows when she eats and what she eats on game day because of the resources Pitt offers for the volleyball team. It’s far from what she used to have to do when she played long grueling club volleyball tournaments in high school.

“When I was at club, it was like, the parents would come together and give us meals,” Stafford said. “But it was very different [foods] — sometimes people wouldn’t [even] eat it.”

The standard chicken, potatoes and salad that Stafford eats on most game days with Pitt is far more appealing to her than having no clue what the club volleyball parents might cook next.

Club  

Next is the club athlete. Though still taxed with practices and traveling, club athletes must figure out their meals on their own. 

Junior Aly Stauffer, co-president and co-social chair of the women’s club basketball team at Pitt, gave insight into how she and the rest of her team prepare for game days and the season through meals.

“I usually eat at least two to three hours before games or practices,” Stauffer said. “If we are at a tournament with games all day, I try to eat breakfast, a healthy snack between games, and a bigger dinner after games are over.”

Unlike Stafford and the volleyball team, Stauffer and her squad don’t adhere to dietary oversight from their coaching staff.  

“We just try to just hold ourselves accountable and have a good diet so we can stay in shape and be ready for games,” Stauffer said.

Club players also do not have access to private chefs and dining areas. Most of the time, Stauffer said the teammates roll on their own, frequently hosting potlucks and group dinners, or utilizing campus dining halls. 

“We have to be a little bit more selective because a lot of us — like half of our team — are probably going to be underclassmen, still on a meal plan,” Stauffer said. “So that’s another level of ‘Okay, we need to be kind of conscious’ … Pitt dining isn’t a full-course meal, it’s not a private chef experience. I think trying to be conscious in the Pitt dining halls and choosing relatively healthy food with unlimited Meal Swipes is also important.”

“If traveling to an away tournament, we try to eat like a good breakfast at a hotel. We try to get some fruit,” Stauffer said. “Definitely hydrate, but we just kind of eat, I guess, whenever we can before a game, and then sometimes in between games, we do like a snack, or we’ll go out and get a sandwich or a hoagie or something to hold us over until the next game.”

Stauffer mentioned that her diet differs during the basketball season compared to the offseason. 

“I would say eat a little bit healthier, like, a lot of fruits and veggies,” Stauffer said. “I think a big thing is like staying hydrated, so when we’re in games, we’re in good shape and we don’t need to come out for a lot of water breaks.”

Intramural 

Last but not least are the students involved with intramural sports. Here for a good time, not a long time, these athletes are tasked with the hardship of seasons that can last upwards of five games. 

From pickleball to esports, players must make a conscious effort to keep their bodies right for the trials and tribulations ahead. Junior Veer Patel, a two-sport athlete in soccer and flag football intramural sports, described his dietary routine for game days — which lacks a pre-game meal and focuses on foods that will help restore his energy afterward. 

“Before [games] I try not to eat just so I don’t cramp up,” Patel said. “But after, I eat dinner, something high in protein and I try to get electrolytes afterwards.”

Patel does not necessarily hold a special diet during the season, instead focusing his preparation off the plate in the gym, something he knows is different from the life of a varsity or club athlete. 

“It’s definitely more rigorous [for them],” Patel said. “They probably have to really keep a strict diet and training plan. I’m sure their coaches also really get on them to keep them more responsible with that.”

In intramural sports, athletes are accountable for themselves and not held to the standard of a coaching staff. They balance the difficulty of requiring a conscious effort to stay in shape, but the luxury and leniency to eat what they want.

Whether it’s the big shot quarterback on campus or a local kickball celebrity at Trees Hall, athletes across Pitt’s campus cook up greatness — whether they’re eating nothing before games or a meal prepped by a private chef.