Is a shorter (or no) water break cramping your style?

Have you ever experienced muscle cramps during a game or on the way home? A charley horse in the middle of the night? You learned after that experience that hydration during intense activity will help to prevent those painful cramps. 

Now that sports competitions in the Covid-19 era mandate different protocols and restrictions on movement and what you can and cannot touch, some water breaks might be cut short, or cut out completely. But your need for water has not changed. Avoid the painful reminders by maintaining your required water intake levels.

The New Water Break

Previously, a school staff member would come out on the field and hand you a water bottle to drink. Not so in today's environment. 

Today, you are most likely going to encounter a self-serve water system, where your personal water bottle can be kept in the endzone, on the sideline or in another area where it may be hard to reach when you need it. Unless you have had several years of FSE speed training (😀), you might have difficulty grabbing a drink and getting back into position in the time allowed between plays. 

So what can you do? Consider these ideas that I have gathered from talking with officials about this issue.

• Meet with the school's administrators before the game to discuss all the protocols, including: ensuring that water bottles are clearly labeled for each official.
• Ask the school's sports administrators how water will be provided to you during the game. Negotiate the most efficient method that will serve your hydration needs. 
• Make adjustments to increase your water intake during pre-game, at halftime and post-game, if you find that it has become difficult to drink at regular points during the game. 

Sports administrators and officials have a common goal: to prevent or reduce the spread of Covid 19 at sporting events. Stay Covid Safe. Stay Hydrated. Stay Game Ready. FSE GameReady.

The Sports Officials Halftime Show

Halftime is the time for a little rest, a little mental break and a little mid-game recap---and a little time is the key.

As you already know, your halftime can last anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the sport. You cannot control how long the first half of the game will last, but you can take control of and organize your halftime to suit your needs. 

Second Half Refuel 

Prep for the second half by refueling on some favorites:

• Carbohydrates - banana, apple, orange
• Protein - protein bar, granola bar, granola, chicken or turkey wrap
• Hydration - water or electrolyte sports drink 
• Both carbs and protein, depending on your nutritional needs and preferences

Have your mid-game snack ready to eat when you arrive in the locker room. Minimize the snack preparation time and maximize the time to consume and digest your food. 

Second Half Warm-up

After you finish all of your officiating duties, take five to seven minutes to complete a second half warm-up. 

• Lightly stretch out the main muscle groups, including your quads, hamstrings,  hips, calves, and lower back. 
• Add any other pre-game stretch that you normally do.
• Jog out to the field or court. 
• Perform your traditional drills and officiating movements.

If, for some reason, you are stuck in the locker room longer than expected, use that time to do some stationary movements, such as:

• Jogging in place
• Jumping jacks
• High knees
• Squats 

Your preparation at halftime is as important as your pre-game.

Get Refueled. Get Ready. FSE GameReady.

Big Ten Football is Moving Forward

I am sure you have already read the news or heard about it from a colleague. The Big Ten is the latest conference to announce that they are moving ahead with a fall season. 

According to the article by Sports Illustrated, there are "new medical protocols and standards put into place by the Big Ten Return To Competition Task Force" that are designed for the safety of everyone involved.

The universities and administrators are readying for their opening date on October 24 and all the officials in the conference are also preparing. 

Good luck to all the officials already back at work and to all those who are getting scheduled. Your time has arrived.

Get.Game.Ready. FSE GameReady. 

What's the "look" of a typical Sports Official?

When I competed in my first international track meet, I had some ideas about how a typical long jumper looked--tall, thin, lean muscles (kind of like me!). Before the meet, I sized up my competition based on their looks and how I thought they would perform. 

Needless to say, I was mistaken. One jumper that I misjudged was 6'1" and 225 lbs. He looked more like a rugby player than a long jumper. However, this guy ended up winning the entire competition and placed in the top 5 in the Track & Field World Championships the following year. That taught me an important lesson: don't judge athletes merely by their looks. 

Sports Officials Look

One of the recruiting criterion to be promoted to a higher level of officiating is the look of an official. Does the official appear fit or athletic? Thinking about my experience above, my question instead is, 'is the person athletic?'

An individual's athleticism---speed and agility capabilities--does not necessarily depend on gender, body shape or type. This is especially true for women, who can be overlooked because of their physiques, which differ from those of men. 

Women typically have a more pronounced lower body (hips and thighs), which might be viewed as less fit or non-athletic. One solution to overcome visual assessments is to conduct comprehensive physical assessments. 

Physical assessment tests are needed to prove agility and speed capabilities. Where might this activity take place? You guessed it -- at a Sports Officials Combine!

Sports Officials Combine

I have organized Sports Officials Combines at several different clinics. The assessment results proved that body type and gender didn't matter much because the women performed as well as the men. The supervisors present at the combine took note.

Thinking about this further, we have to recognize that body type is defined by genetics as well as environment (physical condition, illness, pregnancy, injury). Everyone has a story. If we take into account the fitness journey of the individual and test their capabilities and performance, then we can look for the best officials to be recruited. 

Be Ready. FSE GameReady.

Covid-19 Safety Tips: Are you Gym Ready?

You want to maintain, or start, a fitness regime but you are still concerned about the risks of compromising your health due to Covid-19. You're not alone.

There has been a lot of debate about gym safety since fitness and training centers started reopening over the past few months. As a gym owner, I never would have imagined that anything would force the closure of fitness and training centers but Covid-19 surprised everyone, and in all industries. 

Questions arise about the distance, air quality, equipment cleaning and number of patrons: 

• Are machines and people at least six feet apart? 
• Is there adequate air circulation? 
• Is there easy access to sanitation stations? 
• How crowded is the facility? 

During this time, I had to make some important decisions regarding the space that houses my personal training studio. I considered the upgrades and supplies that would be necessary to meet the state health and safety standards that were under development. One major decision was to move my company into a new facility. 

The new facility meets spacing and capacity requirements. The machines are placed at the proper distance. There are sufficient sanitation stations. The space has good air circulation and ventilation, and has windows than can be opened. There is also an outdoor grassy area where clients can do sprints, technique work, and other exercises. 

FSE is open and ready to receive more clients at the new, Covid-19 safe location.

If you're in the NE Ohio area and searching for a place to train, contact me regarding a facility tour and signing up for GameReady Sports Officials' training.