According to Urban’s website, sixty percent of the student body plays an Urban sport. But what do Urban athletes eat before games and meets?

  The results were varied: Lucas Lepinard (’17), a cross-country runner said that he usually eats “carbs, a lot of meat, no vegetables, no vegan or vegetarian meals, mostly pasta.” On days leading up to races, Lepinard restricts himself to only bananas, oatmeal, peanut butter, pasta, chicken and turkey, because he doesn’t want to get cramps. When asked if he found it difficult to eat in this way for cross-country, he replied “Yes. It’s terrible. It tastes bad. I hate it but I … have to force myself to do it.” But not every Urban athlete maintains a diet as clean as Lepinard’s.

  Cyrus Rosenberg (‘16) said that “for breakfast I’ve had the same bacon and eggs sandwich I’ve made everyday since freshman year, so that’s good. For lunch, I’m really into Street Taco, but other restaurants on Haight will suffice.”

  He also stated that because of the swim practice schedule, he doesn’t get to eat dinner. Unlike some other athletes interviewed, Rosenberg commented that his diet is “pretty consistent” in that it does not change for swim season. On game day, Rosenberg eats more because “the whole team gets all intense and goes, ‘you gotta eat protein.’” He added that his ideal game day meal is a “sandwich made by Lars Archer (‘16).”

  Not all Urban athletes fit what is considered the traditional dietary mold. Cross-country runner Katie Sierchio (‘17) is a vegan, “In general I tend to do high-carb and I get my protein in,” said Sierchio. For breakfast, Sierchio will have a big smoothie, with six bananas or that equivalent,  oatmeal, or avocado toast. For lunch, she said, “I’ll probably have sushi, obviously no fish, or lentils, whatever. Just protein. And nuts and stuff, like trail mix.” For dinner, “a pizza or rice and beans, or a complete protein source.” The only significant change in her diet was that she eats a lot more because she is hungrier. Despite the fact she is vegan, Sierchio eats “extra carbs” in the time leading up to a race. Eating additional carbs in preparation for a game was a common practice among other athletes interviewed.  

  The disparities in diets of athletes who play different sports may suggest the range of physical and cultural intensity of various Urban sports teams. Based upon the sample of students interviewed, those who play more intensive sports tend to eat more purposefully than those who do not. The overall impression of student-athlete diets is that while they may struggle to eat what their teams or coaches encourage them to, many Urban students make a conscious effort to eat well during their sports seasons, an admirable trend which will hopefully allow Urban’s athletes to perform better on the track, the pitch, or in the pool.