UTA student-athletes are fueling up for success.
The UTA Athletics department unveiled its first fueling station in the Gilstrap Athletic Center at Maverick Stadium, a significant upgrade designed to enhance student athletes’ performance through nutrition.
Ira Childress, senior associate Athletic director for development, said the initiative was made possible through fundraising, a crucial step in the program’s commitment to providing essential resources to its athletes.
The program has done several things, but the fueling station was the most important because nutrition is at the top of the list for student-athletes, Childress said.
The fueling station is the first of four, with three more coming to College Park Center at a later date. Gilstrap was the first to receive a station because a bulk of student-athletes are located there and it was an opportunity to present something nice, he said. Funding was fully provided by donors.
“We had the greatest year in fundraising history this year,” Childress said. “These are the types of things you’re able to do when you have people in the community, alumni and donors willing to step up for UTA Athletics.”
The fueling station boasts a sleek design with a new aesthetic look, modern amenities and new flooring, he said, something their athletes were excited for and appreciated the investment of.
Nutrition is critical to athletic performance, Athletics director Jon Fagg said. The idea of fueling athletes for elite competition is important to the program and directly tied to winning.
“Several people in the world say, ‘You look good, you play good,’ and so this is about looking good,” Fagg said. “It makes our student-athletes feel more dialed in, more cognizant of their surroundings, more anxious to do well.”
Athletes training away from Maverick Stadium have to remind themselves to grab food before heading to College Park Center, Fagg said. With more fueling station implementations planned, it’ll provide opportunities for student-athletes to fuel their bodies the way they want.
Fundraising is critical for Athletics, and the program doesn’t like relying on student fees and university money, Fagg said. Extra assistance not only helps with nutrition, but with scholarships, equipment and travel expenses too.
Days like this are fun for the entire program because students physically see the support, he said. Fagg said Athletes were complimenting the look, saying it was similar to going to a restaurant with a nice ambiance where the food’s better and it feels better.
“We’re just trying to show them that we care about them and that there are people out there that care about them, and we all want them to be great,” Fagg said.
Seeing the upgrade put a huge smile on sophomore track runner Indyia Walton’s face. Seeing the effort and hearing about future upgrades to Maverick Stadium like a new track and scoreboards is exciting, she said.
The presentation is crucial in showing support. When athletes feel discouraged, seeing how much effort the department pours into players makes them happy, Walton said.
“Just coming into the facility day-by-day and seeing the different changes they were making, it just makes me feel proud and makes me feel appreciative of the hard work that I give every day,” she said.
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