when Tray Dean I got you Billy Napier He was scheduled to take over the head coach of Florida in late November and was immediately excited about the potential of the program.
Senior Safety already knew the track record of his head coach. A Nick Saban His disciple, Napier, breathes new life into the Louisiana program, which has never won more than nine games in a season. But under Napier, Ragin Cajuns won double-digit wins in 2019, 2020 and 2021.
Dean immediately hopes that Napier will bring a similar life to the Florida program, one of the worst seasons in recent history, and will be able to win less than three SEC games for the first time since 1986. I did. He has already seen the program change from organized player parking to a redesigned practice structure. What is another important area for improvement? food.
“110 percent,” Dean said when asked if he had increased dietary and nutritional attention under Napier compared to the past few years.
Dean and his teammates are also grateful to Kelsey Gomez, director of sports nutrition, while Napier is coordinating such changes.
Hired as Florida’s new head nutritionist in December after overseeing the North Carolina School of Sport and Nutrition from 2015, Gomez helped rethink that aspect of the player’s routine.
Some of the highlights: Each player posts a spring weight goal in the locker and has a diet plan that is regularly updated with details to help achieve it. Players are encouraged and rewarded to adhere to Gomez’s hydration guidelines, which include drinking approximately 1 gallon of water per day. On weekdays, the team will be served one meal and two light meals, including what is known as “French Toast Friday”, which is popular in the locker room.
“She gives us a meal plan,” said Nay’Quan Wright. “I want to gain weight, I want to maintain it, I want to lose, they are doing well with it.”
Gomez, a former Division I swimmer at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, has been working in the sports nutrition industry for over a decade. After earning his master’s degree in Florida, Gomez spent two years as a dietitian consultant. At the Traumatic Brain Injury and Rehabilitation Unit at the Au Laundry Regional Medical Center. Hoping to work in her sport, Gomez contacted Ricky Keane, the director of performance nutrition for Orlando City Soccer, where she worked until she took her first big break in the sports nutrition industry in 2011. said.
“I was hired by Tara Gidus, who was doing Orlando Magic, and signed a UCF contract for about 20 hours a week, so I started helping out with consulting over there. That’s what I wanted to do,” Gomez said.
In 2012, Gomez was hired as a sports nutrition coordinator at the University of Florida, where he took over the sports nutrition department of UNC after spending three years there. There, Gomez was part of five national championships: lacrosse (2015), basketball (2017) and field hockey (2018-20). Her work at Tar Heels was also formative in her overall nutritional philosophy.
“I love education,” Gomez said. “I think that’s our job. I want [players] Understand the reason. I could tell you every morning like “Take your vitamins”, and you could be like “Well, what is this going to do for me?” I did. I think it’s always me. I remember the coach actually telling me that once. I said, “Well, I don’t do that.” He said, “Well, if he doesn’t understand the importance of it, he’ll never do it.”
In his second stint with the Gators, Gomez has the opportunity to focus on football nutrition after having been in charge of 28 sports for the past seven years. Gomez, who has two full-time nutritionists on staff, wants to improve the player’s performance by improving his diet.
“I really need to change what we need to change, depending on their goals, whether all foods are suitable for our athletes or have something, we need to change I’m trying to emphasize if there’s something, “Gomez said. He speaks. “
Gomes also aims to upgrade the game day experience for players on the go. She said the team had already traveled to various hotels to stay in the fall to make sure they were fully equipped to handle Florida’s food demand.
And why go so long? Gomez said there were two reasons. One is to make sure that the player is eating the best food possible. Second, she believes that preparing delicious food for the player has psychological benefits. She cherishes their opinion on the process.
“As you know, memories of food, food made by mom,” Gomez said. “So I think it’s really important to do a player satisfaction survey with everyone to get feedback before spring break … they’re asking about what they might want to see on the menu. “
Nutrition is one of many aspects that players have said improved under Napier’s direction, and the process that Gomez said he was “thankful” for being part of it.
Currently, a veteran nutrition expert is working hard to keep her plans in place. That is what she is most excited about her work.
“I love it because it’s part of my education for men,” she said. Doing cool things, when they come back, they’re still doing some of what they were doing, I think it’s just great. “
