By Cosy Burnett

Cosy Burnett is a junior outside and opposite hitter at La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad, Calif.) who also plays for Coast Volleyball Club in San Diego, Calif. Her high school team competed in the state finals for Division II last season and she has competed at nationals five times with her club teams. In the latest installment of her blog, she shares her tips for snacking smart on game day.


It’s tournament day, which means you will get up at about 5:30 a.m., caravan to your mega volleyball industrial center, walk around wrapped in your polar fleece blanket in the early cold and navigate your way through a bunch of fired-up moms holding Starbucks cups to find your makeshift campsite for the day. The big question is what to eat all day so that you'll perform at your peak level. It's going to be a long day, and volleyball players eat A LOT. So here are my food ideas for the big day:

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate
Water is the best possible drink, and it’s great to start hydrating one or two days before your tournament. Start by doubling your normal water intake; your body will need that extra liquid come game day. Some athletes love sports drinks or electrolyte powders; just make sure you take in whatever you'll need to stay hydrated. Always have a full, clean bottle nearby -- and drink, drink, drink!

Start with a healthy breakfast
My favorite thing to eat when I first arrive at the tournament site is a carton of greek yogurt mixed with blueberries and a little granola crisp. I like to eat protein and good carbs to keep my sugar level even. I try to eat something that is light and easy to digest. You don’t want to feel it on the court.

Build a great sandwich
After my team's first match, I start to “build” my sandwich. I start with hearty whole-grain bread (my fired-up mom actually makes it) a good seeded mustard, sliced turkey, cogswald cheese, jicama slices, sliced tomatoes, shaved carrots and a whole pile of fresh spinach. The sandwich is so huge and crunchy and sweet. I cut it in quarters and eat it throughout the day.

Avoid the sugar lows
Pass on the cookies, donuts and mini brownie muffins. Try not to eat anything high in sugar, which will cause spikes and lows. Mix your high sugar fruits with fats and protein.

Recovery Drink
During my freshman year, I went on a recruiting trip to a top volleyball program and the team's trainer told me that after significant research, she discovered that chocolate milk was the best recovery drink. It has the right amount of fat, protein and carbs. I don’t know if that’s true or not but it sounded good to me! So, since then, chocolate milk has been my favorite drink at the end of a long day.

Read the previous installment of Cosy's blog -- about her favorite “pregame pump-ups” -- here.