Performance Nutrition Innovation and Analytics in College Athletics for SN 6.0

Q&A for Session #9

• Level of care spreadsheet. I noticed a fee with initial consult, etc. Does LSU Nutrition department charge a service or team?
  • No. That's where you look at an average - local or national average. If you are looking at private practice, what are they charging? Talking in the sense of how the business office looks at our jobs. Amount of service = how my position in comparison to use data for private practice costs. To have a value and make a change.
• Can you share what methodology you use for body fat measurement?
  • DEXA for us here. Other places use info measurements as well. DEXA for body composition overall. Varies from skin fold to DEXA.
• What typef qualifications would you look for in a sport scientist?
  • Great question. Scott Coon and Gabe Marvel can answer that best. They are data analysts. NSCA has sport science information. What is the work that they have accomplished? Computer science or engineer are the premiliary knowledge around it. Code, collect data, organize data. Performance innovation, Jack Ruishi (sp?) technologcal components to look at hand/eye, track coordination... how to use capacity wise to work out and test. He is very intelligent and out of this world. How to reassess and look at interventions. He composes important information to strategize.
• What is your opinion on tracking and measuring energy and nutrient intake? Cost/benefit of it and the viability?
  
  • It's hard to give a detailed information. Depends on culture of the team. and if they even care about this information. Is this data important for you or the team. Is this a benefit? Will they be compliant? How long will it be? If the test takes forever, these kids won't do it. Tavis -- Too much obessesion about macros. Don't want them tracking, weigh, measure.
• What metrics do you find your coaching staff values the most? What area of data are they most frequently asking about?
  • Playing time, availability. Where do they weigh? Timing of catches. Velocity. How fast are they running. What angle are they running. How long to get to angles. Looking at that information. Our info is body composition. How long to get to goal? Care about hydration and electrolyte information. Good understand on how long until cramping?
• How do you reccomend to approach support staff (such as strength and conditioning) to track performance on their end to connect with our data?
  • They care about presence. Care that you are around and doing assessments. You can ask the questions and have conversations about what they are doing. Metrics to look at S&C, player load has been phenomenal bc you see what the athlete is doing. Recovery from yesterday to today. See how practices are doing. Provide more nutrition services for replenishment to get them to the next step. They love those conversations. Recognize the intensity of practice.
• How many people on your staff does it take to collect this amount of data (testing, measuring, data entry, etc)?
  • Myself, assistent, fellow. Sports medicine, type of intervention. Compliance and structuring for education - assistant and the budget as well. He does big picture. Player loads, labs, weights, timing of injury. For his team = 3. 2 people collecting data and running information.  
• What data do you collect on the road, traveling for competition with the team?
  • Collecting of timing of hydration, we are not collecting weight bc that's too much. Collect compliance of supplementation.
• If you can't get to this question that's fine, I've asked a couple all ready. Do you consider weight gain vs sport specific metrics like speed, vertical, etc? If so, how do you balance football coaches wanting extra weight put on and keeping performance metrics improving?
  • We have those conversations. I look at 5 points in the year - body composition. FFM index - what is the typical range in that position. Can we put on more mass? Speed velocity, outputs. Are they increasing the weight and is it affecting their performance. Is the weight affecting/decreasing performance. Are you decreasing perfomrance for a # on a scale.
• Boo Schexnayder works with the track program at LSU. He is very evidence and experimental based, do you work with him on the nutrition side of things? Have you found anything suprosing as you started testing everything with track athletes?
  • My staff does work with T&F. RD on staff for T&F. they are being a little more trusting with the information given. The data and impact, now everyone wants someone involved. Their players are healthier. We want someone like this too.
• Do you assess athletes/players on nutrition education level or even readiness to change BEFORE collecting data on them? In other words, there are some athletes/players who would benefit from their data being monitored vs other athletes/players who simply need to do the simple things (eating breakfast or including fresh product, etc). Do you take this into account? I tell athletes you can't graduate from college before you pass kindergarten. Curious on your thoughts here.
  • We have a nutrition questionarre. We used it last year and we will use it over the summer. We can see what they are currently doing. Great idea. They get tested so much. At what point, are they having assessment fatigue.
• How often do you utilize NoteMeal within the football setting? and what featues do you typically use within it?
  • Trying to improve engagement. Taking a picture and log into app. On the backend, we can log in and show them how much they ate and in theory, what nutrients they are eating. Log x amount of meals a week. If they track every little thing, the more accurate. Realistically, that's not going to happen.
• What is your opinion on sleep tracking equipments? Can this be a good addition in sports nutrition program?
  • 100% a good addition. You are not with them. Is the athlete actually doing it? Consistency and compliance. 1000% it is helpful bc they you can implement to improve sleep.
• Kindly explain about Time restricted eating - hot it can be tracked?
  • That is if you are with them today, every hour on the hour. Or they are very good at reporting. You can assess the schedule - training, classes.