Williams Spurred Summer Breakfast Solution

By Rhiannon Potkey, special to UTsports.com

One of the first things Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics John Currie did when he arrived Tennessee was give out his cell phone number to the student-athletes.

Currie wanted them to know he was accessible as a conduit of support if they had any issues or concerns.

Grant Williams took Currie up on his offer this summer.

The rising sophomore basketball player noticed how much of a struggle it was for some athletes to get a nutritious breakfast during the first session of summer school.

Unlike during the fall and spring semesters, Smokey's Sports Grill in Anderson Training Center wasn't open during the summer. The dining facilities in brand-new Stokely Hall also ceased operation in the summer, creating healthy-eating challenges for athletes on campus training during those months.

"Guys were not doing well maintaining their diets. They were skipping meals and not eating breakfast before practices or workouts," Williams said. "Many of them don't have access to vehicles to get food and it cost money to eat out. They were not eating the best food. It was just not good."

Williams, a member of Tennessee's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), wanted to make sure it wasn't just the basketball players having this problem.

He talked to athletes from every team, and realized many were experiencing the same plight.

Williams asked his head coach, Rick Barnes, for permission to arrange a breakfast meeting with Currie, during which he explained the situation to the Vols' new AD. Recognizing that an "operational gap" did, in fact exist—stemming from a new facility (Stokely Hall) coming online—Currie asked his senior staff to find a solution.

Within a few weeks, Smokey's was open to all athletes and serving a grab-and-go breakfast snack each morning from 6-10. The cost to institute the change was $12,000.

"That is money well spent. It's money directly invested into the nutritional welfare of our student-athletes," said Currie, who plans to continue funding the summer meal program. "Everyone works hard to develop strength, and then if you don't eat right over two months, it can go the wrong way and a lot of the progress you made during the year is gone."

Student-athlete welfare has been at the forefront of discussions at NCAA institutions around the country the last few years.

In 2014, the NCAA passed legislation allowing Division I student-athletes to receive meals incidental to participation and snacks at any time. The provision was in addition to the meal plan provided as part of a full scholarship.

Stephanie Horvath, the Director of Sports Nutrition at Tennessee, has taken full advantage of this change by providing as much food to UT athletes as possible.

Horvath was thrilled when she found out Smokey's would be open during the summer to fuel the Vols.
'It goes without saying that breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day for these athletes," Horvath said. "As with anyone, breakfast lowers cortisol levels, gets carbs and calories in for energy before training and nutrients in after training. It puts them in the right mindset as well as develops a habit pattern for good fueling throughout their day."

The benefits also extend into the classroom, leading to heightened alertness and concentration levels.

Tennessee junior volleyball player Erica Treiber has already altered her meal schedule from the previous two summers she was on campus.

"I am a person who tends to skip breakfast if it's not convenient for me, so it has definitely given me a lot more energy for our morning workouts," Treiber said. "This makes it so much easier to put the right things in our body every day."

Trying to eat enough to fuel their performance can be costly for a college athlete.

Williams is on a carbohydrate-restricted diet and was spending an average of $17 per meal to eat out at healthier establishments.

"That is a lot of money from my bank account every day during the week," Williams said. "Some guys are going to different places that are cheaper and putting stuff in their bodies that might be the worst food for them. They just need to get calories, but it's not the right kind."

Since the breakfast snack was added, Williams has already noticed an improvement in his performance. He has gained eight pounds while losing body fat.

"It's been huge and I can see it translate on the court," Williams said. "A lot of guys on our team are gaining a lot more muscle and you see with it with the other sports around campus. People have more energy to get through the grind."

Involving every sport at Tennessee to help enhance meal options for athletes was important for Williams.

"They are putting in the time to get better every day just like we are. I respect all of them and what they are doing," Williams said. "They are fighting just as hard to have winning seasons and become championship-caliber teams. I want us to be in this together rather than have separate groups."

Currie is glad Williams felt empowered to approach him directly about an issue he felt was important.

"Grant saw this need that was unmet and wanted to advocate for his fellow athletes. He took it upon himself to let me know about it, and that is what I want all of our athletes feeling comfortable enough to do," Currie said. "Now, there are certain issues they need to work through with their coaches, but we want an environment where collaboratively we can figure out solutions to help enhance our student-athlete experience."

Williams wasn't sure what to expect when he met with Currie. He figured something that will benefit Tennessee student-athletes for many years to come may take time to implement.

"I had no clue it would happen this fast. Mr. Currie did a great job reaching out to people in charge," Williams said. "That's a credit to him. He is the one who did the behind-the-scenes work to make it happen. All the athletes are very grateful. It's been a great thing to see how many are taking advantage of it and showing up to eat every day."

University of Tennessee Athletics

Players Mentioned

Grant Williams

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