By Julia Wick
Itâs Friday afternoon and Chalmers West has turned red and white. Neat rows of tables line the room, each packed with a dozen or so raucous football players clad in full uniform.Â
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Per tradition, varsity and junior varsity football players gather before every game for a team dinner directly after school ends. Football is âa very routine-oriented sportâ according to head coach Vic Eumont and eating a communal dinner is just âa part of the whole routine.â
The meal is served in the cafeteria and the players are billed at the end of the year for its costs.
Thiak Lor, manager of the Wolverine Den Café, said that because the cafeteria always stops serving hot food at 3 p.m. anyway, it is not an inconvenience. The team management dictates the menu, which Wood said is designed to include complex carbohydrates to optimize performance during the game. The meal typically consists of baked penne pasta, grilled chicken, some form of fruit (usually a salad), bread, cookies, milk and Gatorade.   Â
Though a few players grumble about eating the same fare for dinner every week at such an early hour, Jonathon âMooseâ Martin â08 said he doesnât mind âbecause I could eat all day.â Players are welcome to bring additional food. Harley Parker â07 and Ross Gruber â08 choose to supplement their suppers with an entire chicken that Parker buys eighth period at the Ralphâs on Coldwater.Â
âIf you see Harley or Ross eating a whole chicken, you know its game time,â Andrew Pattison â07 said.
âBecause of the dinner, weâre a team for about five hours a night, instead of just during the game,â Captain John Howe â07 said.