We train. We fuel. We play. We repeat. It’s more than just this endless cycle, though. How do athletes prepare themselves the night before sports performances? What steps do they take to be successful?
Eating a healthy dinner focused on carbs and lean protein is usually the place to start, providing much needed energy for the next day. Carbohydrates are the body’s main source of energy, and protein helps to build muscle and help them recover.
Vivien Bregman is a sophomore and a cross country, indoor, and outdoor track runner.
Of fueling, she says, “The night before (races) the team likes to have pasta dinners. I think it’s not necessarily what you eat. It’s about keeping your diet consistent. If you aim to do better, you have to do better every day. Don’t try new foods the night before a meet or game.”
Ava Slivka, a freshman who is a swing player for varsity and JV field hockey, says that she tries to eat healthy in order to feel her best in games and in practice.
“I try to think about what I eat and when so that I don’t feel bad. I don’t want to have what I eat affect my performance and serve as an excuse for why I’m not doing well.”
Getting a good night’s rest is also extremely important. The body needs time in deep sleep to repair muscle tissue and let the brain rest. Although this can be difficult to do because of homework, putting sleep first makes a big difference.
“I think sleep, in general, is really important…and if you aren’t rested, you can’t play well. You kind of bring down the whole team. It’s a really important factor, but sometimes you can’t always get it because of school work,” says Katherine Patraitis, a freshman on the varsity volleyball team. She also plays basketball and softball for the school.
Of homework she says, “It’s a lot. I don’t get as much sleep as I should be getting because I get home from practice (or a game), and I have to do hours of homework and study for tests.”
Excitement comes the night before a game, but nerves are there too. What are athletes really feeling and thinking about at that point?
Ava says, “I always feel a little nervous the night before a game. I’m always thinking about that before I go to sleep, but I try to get rid of the negative thoughts and be excited instead. I just think to myself I’m going to do my best and trust my coach and teammates.”
Vivien Bregman shares how she prepares herself mentally: “The night before a race, I’m really thinking about what I’ve done to prepare. Is it normal? Is it the right thing for me? I also think a lot about what the race means and what I need to accomplish…Obviously, the more pressure to do well I feel before a race, the more I can’t stop thinking about it.”
She says that talking to family and other teammates calms her nerves.
“If I know that other teammates are also nervous, that definitely helps.”
Stay tuned for the fourth and final part of the series where we look at mental toughness, effort in practice, and the importance of treating yourself.
