Originally Published by Sodexo.
Sodexo, a food and facilities management company committed to improving Quality of Life, announced a new pilot program called The Circuit designed to equip college athletes with the proper nutrition, game-ready facilities and opportunities for professional growth and advancement.
The pilot, which runs through June, will be available through the athletic programs at four universities and colleges, including West Virginia University in Morgantown, University of Tampa in Florida, William and Mary University in Virginia, and Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash.
The program includes new training table menus, fueling stations and travel meals, as well as partnerships with celebrated nutrition consultant and author Leslie Bonci and 35-year culinary veteran and athletic performance expert Chef Andy Williams, who will create menus and food offerings to support the needs of athletes.
“It has been informative for Gonzaga to be part of The Circuit pilot and understand the journey of our student athletes through their day,” said Bill Drake, Director of Performance and Wellness, Gonzaga University. “From performance during the NCAA tournament, to summer training and conditioning, it’s great to have the support of a partner who is looking at each athlete’s needs from game day to training day and beyond.”
“College athletes are often faced with the challenge to deliver success in the classroom and the playing field simultaneously, which can be mentally and physically exhausting,” said Kevin Rettle, vice president of global offer development for Sodexo Universities. “We wanted to create a program to help athletes make choices that will help sustain them on and off the field.”
There are three components to The Circuit. The first part of the program focuses on food that fuels athletes’ training in pre-, during and post-season, including healthy meals for the road, on campus and refueling snacks. Secondly, the program ensures that all sporting facility and management needs are ready for play from cleaning and maintenance to overseeing all grounds, turf, courts, pools and equipment year-round. The last component of the program supports the professional growth and career aspirations of athletes with opportunities ranging from class planning to personal development to internships.
To develop The Circuit, Sodexo combined its 50 years of experience feeding athletes of all ages with experts Sports Nutritionist and author Leslie Bonci and Chef Andy Williams. Bonci is a nutrition consultant and sports dietitian for the Kansas City Chiefs, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and Carnegie Mellon University. Williams, a 35-year culinary veteran and professional Chef, teaches and coaches athletes on fueling properly on and off the field to maximize performance. He has worked with NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan, Major League Baseball’s Carlos Gonzalez and Golf Pro and Three-time PGA Tournament Winner Chris DiMarco.
“With The Circuit, the on-site culinary team becomes an integral part of the training team, understanding that food is fueland an important part of performance and recovery,” says Bonci. “The philosophy of The Circuit differentiates itself from other nutrition programs by integrating throughout the student athlete’s daily life.”
Sodexo provides food services at more than 625 colleges and universities and employs 47,449 across the U.S. Sodexo Universities focuses on optimizing each clients’ physical, social and academic environment to help create the best possible student experience. For more information, visit sodexoinsights.com.
