Kelly Hansen
Staff Writer
It's four hours before game time and Warren Fortier approaches the Residence Dining Hall.
The pre-game meal, designed to propel a team to victory, awaits.
Waiting inside are steaming containers of steaks and vats of spaghetti - not a likely combo by most standards.
However, every day is not game day. The California State University, Fresno football team devours only one programmed meal each week during the season.
The problem is what these athletes eat when they're not being watched.
Good nutrition is a year-round issue that faces almost all Bulldog athletes. Some find nutrition a positive idea, while others consider it a big hassle.
While some coaches on campus set strict guidelines for their athletes, others don't.
Allowing athletes to police themselves is a potential hazard, according to Brandon Molale, student assistant to Steve Sabonya, Fresno State strength and conditioning coach.
"Anybody can eat right," Molale said, "but they [athletes] make all kinds of excuses. What it boils down to is that they're basically lazy."
From Taco Bell to power shakes, the tastes and habits of Bulldog athletes cover a wide range, according to Fortier, 22, a junior tight end on the football team.
"I think it's definitely spread out across my team," Fortier said. "Some are more diligent about it. Some just don't care."
Josh Kobdish, 20, a redshirt offensive lineman, battles with his eating habits.
"Some of those little receivers can eat like five double cheeseburgers, and I'm over here busting my ass to stay under 300 pounds," he said.
Fortier said he eats well because it gives him more energy and provides a boost to his self-esteem. He often cooks for himself because it's cheaper than supporting a fast-food diet.
Lindsay Parker, 18, is a freshman pitcher on the softball team.
She does not enjoy the liberties that Fortier and Kobdish can take. The softball team follows strict guidelines and a basic diet regimen.
"It's not a diet so much as it is just a stress on nutrition," Parker said. "I knew ahead of time what it was going to be like, so I just limited myself."
She and her teammates are expected to cut out red meat and seriously restrict their intake of junk food and fried foods.
While some coaches like to implement their own ideas, the strength and conditioning team works with almost every athletic team on campus.
Molale, who works along with five other student assistants, is currently enrolled in the class "Nutrition & the Athlete." He thinks the class should be a mandatory part of every athlete's curriculum.
The course, taught by Marie Dunford, addresses nearly every sport. However, for purposes of dietary requirement, distinctions are made between the "strength" athlete and the "endurance" athlete.
Strength athletes include sprinters of any type, football players, gymnasts and body builders, while endurance athletes range from distance runners to swimmers and soccer players.
Dunford said that a concern of hers is calorie intake among athletes, which is the basis for maintaining proper nutritional health.
In cases where athletes are trying to cut out fat or drop weight, Dunford said, a common occurrence is that they don't take in enough calories. Consuming too few calories can cause fatigue and deplete the athlete's energy supply needed to fuel activity.
Dunford also said that many athletes who take her class realize that they have engaged in poor eating practices in the past.
"The most frequent comment I get," she said, "is 'I wish I had this information before.'"
While the nutritional requirements of the strength athlete are about 5 percent different from those of the endurance athlete, the basic dietary format for athletes stays the same.
Typically, the diet consists of high carbohydrates, moderate protein and low fat.
Bulldog athletes may watch what they eat more carefully than the average student, but they have a greater need for caution.
"I feel that the nutritional needs of an athlete far exceed those of the average student," Fortier said. "I feel that since I have started here, my diet has transformed. I am ten times better off now than I was when I came in."