By: Jake Spitz – Media Relations Student Assistant
When the Maryland football team hits the field on Saturday's, there has already been a full week of preparation. Scouting reports, offensive and defensive schemes, and playbook design have all been addressed. But there is another component to the weekly preparation that is just as essential as everything else: their diet.
Every day the team works with Assistant Director of Sports Nutrition, Jordan Jennewine, to create a different kind of game plan that is going to help the Terps win on the field.
“Every single day I work with our kitchen staff at Gossett to plan every meal the team is going to eat,” Jennewine said. “We have breakfast, lunch and dinner in here for the majority of the year. We also have the 'fuel station' in our dining hall that is available to the student-athletes 24/7. I'm responsible for keeping inventory, stock, and working with distributors to make a plan for how much we're going to need.
“Obviously the biggest part of my job is working with the players,” she continued. “We create plans for them and plan diets based on the time of year and where we are in relation to football season itself.”
But when the season ends, Jennewine and her staff move into what is possibly the most important part of the calendar year. Working with the strength and conditioning staff, as well as the coaching staff, Jennewine and the players put together individual plans for the players to follow in order to meet their offseason body composition goals.
“I get to sit down with each of our student-athletes and talk about where they have been and what the plan is going forward,” Jennewine explained. “We then come up with an idea of what to do during the months we have to help them meet the goals we've all set as a group.”
However, that task isn't always easy. While the majority of the upperclassmen on the squad are well aware of what they need to be putting in their bodies to get the most out of them, that message may take some time for freshmen players and other newcomers to the program.
“A lot of what we do depends on the level of nutrition education players have coming in,” Jennewine explained. “We also look at how they are eating coming into our program. Some guys may eat incredibly well, and others may have just never been instructed as to what to eat. Making it individualized is our primary emphasis, because that's what makes them want to do it.”
The dining hall at Gossett provides Jennewine and her staff with the unique opportunity to give the players a hands-on experience with making proper selections and plates for their meals.
“Rather than telling them what we want them to eat and how much of it they should have, I can physically go in there with them and give them a better idea of what their plates should look like,” she said.
But it doesn't stop there. The team has become so focused on their diets, they are constantly reaching out to Jennewine when they aren't at the team house.
“Guys will text me during dinner and over the weekends and ask me what and where they should be eating during their free time,” she said with a smile. “Guys will send me pictures of things they are making on their own and it's pretty impressive to see what they've been able to do!”
And every so often, Jennewine finds herself roaming the aisles of a local supermarket with a couple hungry football players looking for something good for that night's meal.
“I get to take these guys to the store and interact with them when they're not focused on just football,” Jennewine explained. “One player told me that he had never been grocery shopping before so he came with me and I thought 'Wow! This job is pretty cool!'”
Her job would not be possible without the support of the entire Maryland football staff and community.
“Something that I think is very special here at Maryland is that the communication between the players, football coaches, strength and conditioning coaches, and my staff is very strong,” Jennewine explained. “Everyone in the building emphasizes nutrition, which makes my job a lot easier. The guys understand what they need to do in order to put themselves in the best position to succeed on and off the field.”
So next time you see Lorenzo Harrison burst through the tackles for a touchdown, or DJ Moore leap into the air to make a one-handed grab in the back of the end-zone, be sure to think about Jennewine and the Nutrition staff. They'll probably be getting the postgame meal ready!
-Terps-
