The keys to celebrating tomorrow are different for different players.
Arlington, Va. | On the eve of the first playoff experience for the three-year-old 20-Minutemen squad, players are taking different strategies to prepare for the weekend’s slate of games. Many players have never played in a sporting event of this magnitude before, while others haven’t done so in decades.
Some of the team’s “elders” are taking a preventative approach. Chip Porter said he will spend the night gathering five forms of identification and undergoing fingerprinting to ensure that he can play despite the league’s strict ID policy. “I’m all ID’d up,” Porter said. “I’m ready to forfeit all personal liberties for the playoffs.”
Dan Caccavaro, who hasn’t played since becoming a father midway through the season, is icing his back and knees while spending hours at a time stretching and doing yoga. “Unfortunately, my muscles have atrophied after months without any time to go to the gym,” he said.
For the team’s youngsters, the idea of stretching is passe. Many of them have focused on eating right and some are throwing in a light to moderate workout, a risk Andy Bonior called “stupid and unnecessary.”
“I’m not going to do much tonight,” said sports intern Joe Bubar. “Just a 5-mile warmup run, followed by a pyramid set of sprints, some chest and back sets and, of course crunches.”
Most of the 20-Minutemen have vowed to hydrate on Friday night instead of indulging in the daily binge of booze they have become accustomed to. But Amanda Erickson has volunteered to head to 51st State, a bar frequented by CNN, the day’s first opponent. She is taking her $250 “health and fitness stipend,” given to all company employees, and will use it to buy rounds of beer for CNN players. “I’m even willing to dip into my personal savings if I’m there late with one of CNN’s best players,” Erickson said. “I think this strategy even has the potential to win us some sportsmanship points.”
That’s a different approach from the one taken by Ryan Derousseau, who said the playoffs are not the time to worry about sportsmanship. Derousseau said he planned to bring a spread of bagels and tainted cream cheese to the game in the morning, to fill CNN’s dugout with water to slow the players down, to slash the tires of the team’s superstars and to toilet paper their houses. “I don’t know what that last one would do to help us,” Derousseau said. “But I think it would be funny.”
Asked for a comment, manager Ian Herbert said he did not condone Derousseau’s plan, but he fully supported Erickson’s endeavor.
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Herbert gave his own tips for what people should do to prepare for the game. Here is some of what he said:
-Hydrate: The best idea is water, Herbert said, but low-fat milk, sports drinks and iced tea are OK. “Drink at least 128 ounces of water during the evening tonight,” Herbert said. “There are bathrooms at the fields, so don’t worry about that.”
-Eat a familiar meal: The old theory of carbo-loading has been mostly de-bunked, Herbert said. Eat a normal meal with the same amount of carbs and protein you normally eat — maybe just slightly more. “The problem with carbo-loading is that some people have trouble sleeping after a meal that is vastly different than their normal meal,” he said. “Five-time New York marathon champion Alberto Salazar taught me that in one of his educational videos.” Herbert said he’ll be eating a bowl of whole wheat pasta with tomato sauce and a large salad with halloumi cheese.
-Relax: Getting a good night of sleep is most important. Watch a cheesy movie, read a book and head to bed early — but not so early that you struggle to fall asleep. “Nothing scary, nothing too funny, no musicals that might get stuck in your head,” Herbert said.
-A good breakfast: Make it a mixture of carbs, protein and simple sugars. Oatmeal with some skim milk and a banana is Herbert’s choice. Also, bring plenty of water, sports drink and food to last you through the day. “If we get through the first game, we could have a long day of activity. For many of us, it’s the most we’ve exercised for months. Your body needs fuel even if you don’t realize it,” Herbert said.
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