Staples sports are full of traditions; one which is almost universal among all of the sports is pasta dinners. Carb-loading the night before a game is not just a way to stock up on energy for the following day, but also one of the most treasured ways of spending valuable time bonding with teammates.
While these post-practice dinners have a place in most teams, each team puts in their own unique elements that transforms a regular dinner into something much more meaningful. Baseball player Phil McGovern ’15 says the dinners “do a good job of building team chemistry.”
The night before a big game can be stressful, but the baseball team knows how to handle the pressure. “Last year at Adam Dulsky’s ’14 house, we ate and Ryder Chasin ‘14 made us all laugh by doing impressions of Peter & Joe from ‘Family Guy,’” McGovern added.
Some teams, such as football, have more formal customs. “One tradition we have is making sure that every senior has their food before any lower classman can even get a plate,” Paul Tricarico ’16 said. “This tradition shows respect to the the seniors because they are going to be the ones working hard the next night.”
While pasta dinners are a fun way to get revved up for a game, “It’s also good physically because eating pasta the night before a game is really good for your performance and it’s a healthy meal the night before you play,” soccer player Charlotte Rossi’ 17 said.
The girls’ swim team has an addition to the usual entrée: chocolate milk. “We always have chocolate milk at our pasta dinners… it’s a requirement,” swim team Captain Malin Hovstadius ’15 said. “My coach doesn’t like them because he thinks we eat too much (which is 100% accurate).”
Whether it is team bonding or just plain energizing, pasta dinners are beneficial and a large part of sport teams’ traditions. After all, the quickest way to a team’s heart is through its stomach.
As athletes know all too well, fueling up the right way is a game changer. As McGovern said, “It’s incredible what a bit of penne can do to a team.”