Interview The Head Coach Of The Track Program

Results

Task 1. Reflect on personal experience.

I have had personal experience with changes in nutrition and athletics. I frequently became dizzy during intense workouts at track practice and asked my coach, Kirk McLaughlin, what I could do to fix this problem. We determined that I already had sufficient water consumption, so he helped me build a schedule which determined when I needed more protein throughout the day. In addition he told me to focus on getting more magnesium and iron in my diet.

After making these changes I found that I no longer became dizzy at practice. I also found that I could push my body farther during practice and meets. I did not have to worry about becoming feeling sick during practice, and I felt more energetic

Interview the head coach of the track program.

When I interviewed Kirk McLaulghin, the head coach, I inquired about his opinion on the missed opportunity. Overall I wanted to find out if he thought having a nutritionist talk to the athletes was a good idea, and if he would be willing to accommodate it.

His response to my first question, if having a nutritionist talk to the athletes was a good idea, was very positive. He thought that is was a fantastic idea, and he stated “nutrition is so important to an athlete’s performance, but often gets overlooked because of the schematics and technique of the sport” (McLaughlin).

When I asked if he believed that this opportunity would help athletic performance of the athletes he revealed he thought that it would. However, in order for this opportunity to actually be beneficial the athletes have to follow the advice given by the nutritionist. But with that in mind, he did say that any individual that makes an improvement in their nutrition would increase their athletic performance

Interview a Nutritionist.

The purpose of interviewing Georgia Boley, a nutritionist, was to collect information on what high school athletes should know about nutrition. After gathering that information I also inquired about whether she would be interested in talking to the track athletes of Big Horn High School.

When I asked what nutrition information should the athletes know, she replied by saying that nutrition can take you to the next level in athletics. Simply just trying to eat healthier can help improve athletics. But you can increase nutrition from there all the way to planning meals out and taking nutrition supplements (Boley).

I then asked about specific nutrients that athletes should be aware of. She said one main nutrient that many high school athletes are lacking is iron. There is a great risk of anemia in high school athletes due to this occurrence. She also revealed that there are many other nutrients that aid athletes: folic acid, creatine, magnesium, potassium. However, she did say that it ideal to get these nutrients in food rather than take supplements; however, it is ideal to have a professional aid with these supplements and dosage to ensure safety