Food Tent and Nutrition

ROWER NUTRITION AND THE MCLEAN CREW FOOD TENT

Food…we all love it. We can’t live without it. Most importantly, our rowers can’t row without it. But it’s a big job to provide sufficient quantities of the right food to our rowers at regattas. Here is a new food tent plan for the 2012 season designed to fuel our rowers with coach-approved healthy food at regattas, in a way that doesn’t break a person’s back.

Rower Nutrition

For starters, what should rowers eat? As stated in “Nutrition Strategies for Rowing” (see link below) “Rowing requires a unique mix of technique, power and endurance, utilizing both anaerobic and aerobic energy systems. Rowers have a very high energy and carbohydrate requirement to support training loads and meet body weight and strength goals.” To make it even more complicated, the optimal rower diet varies depending on whether they’re in winter training, or if it’s the week before a regatta, the night before the regatta, or race day.

All parents are encouraged to become knowledgeable about nutrition and training diets for athletes, rowers, and the special needs of rowers on race days. The articles listed below are intended to provide a resource for parents and rowers. Feed your rower at home according to these guidelines and they should at least be nutritionally ready to compete.

Nutrition Strategies for Rowing:

http://highperformancerowing.net/journal/2011/12/18/nutrition-strategies-for-rowing.html

Nutrition Needs for the High School Rower:

http://www.mvcrew.com/Policies/rower%20nutrition.pdf

New Trier High School Athletics Nutrition Guide for Athletics:

http://www.newtrier.k12.il.us/page.aspx?id=8872

U.S. Junior Women’s National Team Nutrition and Training Diets – Important Considerations:

http://usrowingjrs.org/Documents/Nutrition_and_Training.pdf

McLean Crew Food Tent

The primary purpose of the McLean Crew Food Tent is to provide food and nourishment to our rowers at local and out-of-town regattas. Most sports nutritional experts agree that a few fundamental and simple dietary guidelines should be kept in mind on race day:

Eat familiar foods, nothing new or exotic.
Eat moderate carbs that are low in fat and sugar.
Drink plenty of water.

With these basic guidelines in mind, we have devised a new plan for food tent for the 2012 regatta season. The sections below describe the food tent plan for local regattas. The 2012 plan for out-of-town regattas will be available at a later date in the season.

Please note that in estimating quantities of food to be provided at the food tent during local regattas, we have only taken into consideration the estimated needs of our rowers. Parents should bring their own food or plan to purchase food at local regattas. (The arrangement at out-of-town regattas is different and any special arrangements made to accommodate parents at local regattas will be pre-announced to all parents).

The new system will feature a standard local regatta food tent menu that is simple, healthy, and predictable, as follows:

Breakfast:

Fresh bagels with peanut butter, cream cheese, and nutella available.
Instant oatmeal.
Granola bars (low sugar/fat variety).
Fresh fruit and vegetables (advance prepared).
Hot chocolate, water, Gatorade.

Lunch/snacks:

Turkey, ham, and roast beef wraps (advance prepared and purchased).
Peanut butter sandwiches (advance prepared)
Hard-boiled eggs (advanced prepared/peeled).
Three varieties of salad (advance prepared).
Fresh fruit and vegetables (advance prepared)
Granola bars
Cup-a-soup.
Dessert/treats for late in day.

All day beverages:

Water.
Gatorade.
Hot chocolate, tea.
Cup-a-soup.

All fresh food items at local regattas will be advance prepared by parents on a pre-committed, volunteer basis or prepared and purchased in advance from a commercial source. The new food tent system relies on advance food prep rather than weekly donations of food and supply ingredients from parents. As a result, parents will no longer receive a weekly email asking to deliver assigned food and supply donations on race days. Parents who volunteer to advance prepare food items and incur expenses may submit a request for expense reimbursement to the Regatta Chair. The expense reimbursement form is posted on the McLean Crew website. (Please attempt to consolidate expense reimbursements to the greatest extent possible). Non-food and nonperishable supplies will be replenished by the Regatta Chair and Food Tent Captains.

The new food tent system for local regattas will rely on a greater degree of parental involvement than in previous years for the advance food prep and to work the food tent to set up, serve, and clean up in shifts. All families are required to volunteer for at least one food tent assignment or VASRA job at local regattas during the season.

The new system will utilize SignupGenius (www.signupgenius.com) for local regattas to facilitate volunteer sign up, identify specific volunteer jobs and duties, and help everyone understand what their job is at the food tent when they volunteer.

o Parents may sign up for food tent jobs for any local regatta at any time once the season’s SignupGenius website for McLean Crew Food Tent is operational. The SignupGenius for the 2012 season in-town regattas will become operational during February 2012 and parents will be notifed via email.

o SignupGenius will send reminder emails directly to those who already signed up for shifts in the days prior to the local regatta. If you can’t fulfill your obligation, SignupGenius has a feature that helps you find another parent to assume your responsibility.

o Detailed food tent position descriptions for local regattas are listed below. Additional details will be available at the food tent site.

The sections below describe each food tent volunteer position listed on the Signup Genius website for McLean Crew local regattas. Parents are asked to review the descriptions of the positions they sign up for carefully. Please email the Regatta Chair at Barbara.ryan@verizon.net with any questions and note that additional details and instructions will be available at the food tent on race day if needed.

Local Regatta Food Tent Volunteer Positions

1. Race Day Captains: (Points will be given for these oversight positions only.) There are two Race Day Captains for each local regatta. The Race Day Captains provide general oversight of all Food Tent activities throughout their respective shifts. The morning Race Day Captain works the 6:00am-11:30am shift and the afternoon Race Day Captain works the 11:30am-4:00pm shift. Each Race Day Captain is responsible for overseeing and making sure the food tent operates smoothly. The Morning Race Day Captain is responsible for delivering ice and the hot and cold water coolers (**note that it will be the responsibility of the Regatta Chair or his/her designee to stock the food trailer with sufficient quantities of bottled water prior to each local regatta**), overseeing the setting up of Food Tent in the morning, and restocking non-perishable Food Tent items identified as needed from the previous regatta. The Afternoon Food Tent Captain is responsible for overseeing the breakdown and cleanup of Food Tent and identifying Food Tent items that need to be restocked at the end of the day and providing that list to the next week’s Morning Food Tent Captain and/or Regatta Chair early the following week. Expenses are reimbursable by filling out the Reimbursement Form (located here [link to MCC website]) and providing it to the Regatta Chair along with any receipts. Each Race Day Captain has the following additional specific responsibilities:

i. Morning Race Day Captain: Arrive at Food Tent at 6am on race day. Deliver 6 bags of ice, and large, filled hot and coldwater containers. Bring printout of SignUpGenius Tent Volunteer and Advanced Food Food Prep signup lists for the regatta and Race Day schedule and post at Food Tent. Oversee tent, table, and food set up for morning shift. [Note that Regatta Chair is responsible for stocking the food trailer each week with a sufficient quantity of cases of bottled water. The Morning Food Tent Captain should unload the bottled water at the Food Tent site.) Receive food items delivered by Advance Preparation volunteers. Fill and organize coolers. Set up tents, tables and garbage cans.

ii. Afternoon Race Day Captain: Arrive at Food Tent no later than 11:30am on race day. Coordinate hand-off from Morning Race Day Captain. At end of the day, oversee food tent breakdown and cleanup, identify any non-perishable Food Tent items that need to be restocked (plates, water bottles, Gatorade, cups, condiments) and provide that list to the next weeks’ Morning Food Tent Captain. Coordinate removal or disposal of leftover perishable food items. Ensure food trailer is organized and closed up properly when clean-up is finished, assist Food Trailer Hauler in connecting the trailer to his or her vehicle, and remove/dispose of trash. Collect "lost" items and store in trailer.

2. Food Trailer Hauler: There are two Food Trailer Hauler volunteer slots per local regatta. The drivers use their personal vehicle to tow the food trailer to or from the race site. The tow vehicle must have a standard 2” hitch ball and a 4-pin light connector. Between regattas the food trailer is located at McLean High School. The morning and afternoon Food Trailer Haulers have the following responsibilities:

i. Morning Food Trailer Hauler: The afternoon or night before the regatta, hitch the food trailer to your vehicle, ensure that lights are connected, and park both in a safe location near your home. Drive the food trailer to the race venue, arriving no later than 6:00am on race day or alternatively arrange for PM afternoon drop-off at Sandy Run the day before. Meet Morning Race Day Captain, ensure you are at the proper location, position it in the proper location, and unhook the trailer from your vehicle. Assist Morning Food Tent Captain with set-up of tents and tables and hang McLean banner. If you have not signed up for another shift, you are free to leave.

ii. Afternoon Food Trailer Hauler: Arrive at the food tent site no later than 3pm (or at the arranged time) on race day. Assist with food tent breakdown and clean-up as necessary. When clean-up is finished, hitch the food trailer to your vehicle, ensure that lights are connected, and drive the food trailer back to McLean High School, making sure to leave it in the proper position with the wheel checks in place.

3. Advance Food Prep: There are ten Advance Food Prep volunteer opportunities per local regatta. Each opportunity involves picking up, purchasing, and/or preparing healthy food selections for the rowers in advance of the regatta and delivering the prepared items to the food tent at the race site either by 7am or 9am on race day. ***Amounts of advance prepared foods will be monitored closely and adjusted as necessary for subsequent regattas. *** For expense reimbursement, fill out the Reimbursement Form (located here: [link to MCC website]) and provide it to the Regatta Chair along with any invoices. Consolidation of expense reimbursement requests is appreciated in order to minimize the burden on the Club Treasurer.

Specific instructions for the ten Advance Food Prep volunteer opportunities are listed below:

i. Advance Food Prep – Bagels: By 6:30am on the morning of the local regatta, pick up the McLean Crew Club advance paid bagel order (approximately 6-8 dozen sliced assorted bagels) at Chesapeake Bagel Bakery located at 6815 Old Dominion Avenue, McLean VA 22101. The order includes two tubs of light plain cream cheese (also prepaid). Deliver the bagels and cream cheese to the Food Tent no later than 7:30am on race day.

ii. Advance Food Prep – Wraps and sandwiches:

1. Purchase three large loaves of bread and one 32 oz jar of peanut butter. Assemble peanut butter sandwiches at home the night before the regatta (do not cut sandwiches) and store in the plastic bags that the bread came in and additional bags as necessary.

2. No later than 7:30am on the morning of the local regatta, pick up the advance paid wrap sandwich order for McLean Crew Club at the deli department at Giant Food, 1454 Chain Bridge Road, McLean, VA 22101. Giant Food will store the wrap sandwiches in multiple boxes (use a cart, it will be a large order).

3. Deliver all sandwiches to the Food Tent no later than 9am on race day.

iii. Advance Food Prep – Fruits and Vegetables (2): There are two Advance Food Prep - Fruit and Vegetable opportunities per regatta. During the week prior to the local regatta, each volunteer should purchase three large bunches of bananas, one large bag of apples, two large bags of oranges, one large (32 oz) bag of baby carrots, one bunch of celery stalks (wash, slice in half and wrap in aluminum foil), and your choice of additional fresh fruit (strawberries, melon, grapes) or vegetables. The night before the local regatta, wash and prepare all fruit and vegetables as necessary and deliver to the Food Tent in plastic bags no later than 7am on race day.

iv. Advance Food Prep – Salads (3): There are three Advance Food Prep – Salad opportunities per local regatta. Salad volunteers are encouraged to coordinate with each other to ensure one salad is gluten-free (a rice salad) and to avoid duplication. During the week prior to the local regatta, each volunteer should purchase or prepare a healthy ready-to-serve salad of their choosing (one large bowl) and deliver it to the Food Tent no later than 9am on race day. Bowls should be disposable or labeled with the owners’ names and retrieved by owners at the end of the day. Salad ingredients may include pasta, vegetables, beans, or rice with light and healthy dressings, if any. Please avoid mayonnaise or strong spices.

v. Advance Food Prep – Hard Boiled Eggs (1): During the week prior to the local regatta, prepare ***and peel*** two dozen hard-boiled eggs. Deliver to the Food Tent in a disposable container (original egg cartons are acceptable) no later than 9am on race day.

vi. Advance Food Prep – Surprise Item (2): There are two Advance Food Prep – Surprise Item opportunities per local regatta. During the week prior to the local regatta, purchase or prepare one surprise food item sufficient to serve at least 50 that is healthy and likely to be coach approved (i.e. low fat muffins, banana bread, other healthy dessert) and deliver it to the Food Tent no later than 9am on race day.

4. Food Tent Worker: There are eight Food Tent Worker volunteer opportunities per local regatta – four parents work from 6am to 11:30am and four parents work from 11:30am to 4pm (or until the clean-up is finished). Morning Food Tent Workers assist with Food Tent set-up (tents, tables) and afternoon Food Tent Workers assist with Food Tent breakdown of tents and tables and clean-up. Each Food Tent Worker has primary responsibility for one of four Food Tent areas and should assist other Food Tent Workers when necessary.

i. Food Tent Worker – Beverages: This Food Tent Worker has primary responsibility for beverages, making sure there are adequate supplies of water and Gatorade, setting water and Gatorade up in the coolers with ice, assisting with the setting-up of the large hot and cold large water containers and hot chocolate/cup-a-soup supplies, replenishing the stock of beverages throughout the day, and breaking down and cleaning up the beverage areas at the end of the day. This volunteer will also set up/take down the recycling bin (white square recycling bin with clear plastic bags) and take out the recycling as necessary -- putting the full bags next to the full trash bags during the regatta.

ii. Food Tent Worker – Sandwiches/Bagels: This Food Tent Worker has primary responsibility for setting up the bagel station in the early morning and the sandwich station in the late morning and serving prepared sandwiches. If the supply of sandwiches runs low, the Food Tent Captain should be alerted so that additional supplies can be purchased during the day if necessary. This volunteer will also set up the cream cheese and sandwiches in containers of ice for food safety and replenish the ice when necessary.

iii. Food Tent Worker – Fruits and Vegetables: This Food Tent Worker has primary responsibility for cutting and serving prepared fruits and vegetables and condiments and dips. If the supply of fruits and vegetables runs low, the Food Tent Captain should be alerted so that additional supplies can be purchased during the day if necessary.

iv. Food Tent Worker – Salads, Snacks, and Supplies: This Food Tent Worker has primary responsibility for the serving of prepared salads and ready-made non-perishable snacks (granola bars, etc.) and ensuring that there are sufficient dry good supplies (cups, plates, utensils) in the Food Tent area. If the supply of salads, snacks, or supplies runs low during the day, the Food Tent Captain should be made aware so that additional supplies can be purchased that day if necessary or added to the list of items needs for the following week. This volunteer will store salads in coolers with ice prior to serving and set up salads in trays of ice for food safety.