Across The Board

Across the Board

Fall 2022

Letter from the Editors

Hi Readers!

We are the writers and editors of Across the Board! We spent lots of time curating this magazine filled with interesting topics that you might not find in any other sports magazine.

Our first topic is about nutrition. We go in depth about how the relationship of an athlete and their diet can waver and could be detrimental to the athlete’s body if not looked after. Athletes’ diets have been a misconception for so long, and we are trying to help put it straight. We don’t want young students to believe that they need to limit or regulate their intake, because it is quite the opposite.

The second article focuses on athletes’ mental health, on and off the court. We invalidate the stigma behind mental health and give examples of athletes who have struggled with having a healthy mind throughout their career. We are determined to inform athletes that their mental health is more important than their performance on the court.

Our third article is written about injuries and the recovery process of athletes. We focus on a few specific athletes who have dealt with major injuries and how they are coming back from them. We want to shine light on the fact that taking a break to let yourself heal is very important to continue your career in the future.

The fourth topic goes in depth on the extents that athletes with disabilities go through. We write about the opportunities and accomplishments of athletes, as well as some obstacles. The purpose of this article is to spread awareness to what adaptive sports are for some who aren’t familiar with them.

The fifth topic is sports in college. We focused on the lifestyle and routines of athletes while they are in college. We include interviews with athletes who are currently student athletes as well as some graduates. The application process and choices in becoming a student athlete can be difficult, so we provide insight from people who have gone through it.

The purpose of our magazines is to bring awareness to the hidden parts of being an athlete as well as bringing awareness to college and adapted sports. We hope that you as an athlete can gain insight and knowledge on the topics that we cover in this magazine.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Starting Lineup

ANNA UGARTE

She attends the Liberal Arts and Science Academy as a Freshman. At first Anna wanted to write about the lifestyle of sports while dealing with fame, but she changed her feature idea to be about playing sports with a disability. Some of her hobbies are playing tennis and running track. She enjoys these things because she gets exercise and is with her friends at the same time.

KYAN GLASER-GUESS

Kyan, a Freshman at LASA High School, has chosen to concentrate on mental health in an athlete’s life for the Ezine project he is working on this semester. He selected this subject since it interests him and he is unfamiliar with it. Kyan enjoys playing hockey for the Jr. Stars and hanging out with his friends. In the future, he wants to attend Michigan University.

JADE CUBBIN

She is a Freshman at LASA High School. For her Ezine project this semester, she has decided to focus on nutrition in an athlete’s lives. She chose this topic because it is unknown to her and she finds it important. In her free time, Jade likes to hang out with her friends and go to fun places with them, like the mall. After she graduates she wants to go to college at Cornell, and study design.

JOSE GONZALEZ-GARCIA

Jose is currently a freshman at LASA highschool. For his ezine project, Jose wants to write about athlete’s daily lives and their past. His main hobbies are playing soccer and drawing. He enjoys these because they are fun to him. When Jose graduates, he wants to be a Japanese manga artist. The weirdest thing about him he said is that he likes turtles and he owns a lot of felines.

SEBASTIAN OSORIO

Sebastian is studying at LASA and is a freshman in the program. He wants to create a story that explains about sport player’s injuries and their recuperation. When Sebastian grows up he wants to be a professional soccer player. Something interesting about Sebastian is that he likes rap.

Slam dunk

Austin Rec’Ers represent Central Texas in Wheelchair

By Anna Ugarte

Members of the ATX Rec’Ers team during a practice. Photo courtesy of Anna Ugarte

heelchair basketball has become more and more relevant in the past few years. People with disabilities have been reaching out to others in their cities to find a group to play sports with. In Central Texas, we have the Austin Rec’Ers to represent the abilities of athletes in wheelchairs. “[There are] four teams in Texas;

kids, it can be a lot more for just general chair skills, getting a feel for the chair. And as they develop, we try to incorporate different chair drills, like layup lines.” Wheelchair basketball uses different chairs than a day to day chair. For basketball, the wheels are turned out, more at a diagonal, to help give more stability and ability to turn quickly. The wheels are also larger to decrease the amount of force

For us, and many other families, it’s more than the sport but the community.

- Dawn McKeag, Parent

Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio,’’ Lee Brown and Joe Fischer, the co-founders of Austin Rec’Ers explain. Brown explains that the reason they started the basketball team is because kids didn’t have access to sports. “We [knew] kids who weren’t getting physical education or any help” Brown elaborated. Both founders played wheelchair basketball in the NWBA (National Wheelchair Basketball Association) when they were younger and were able to find themselves surrounded by people who understood how they were feeling. They wanted to give others the opportunity to find passions and hobbies which help them in their day to day lives.

The Austin Rec’Ers meet Thursday nights in Manchaca, Texas to practice. Fischer explains what a practice usually consists of. “For some of the younger

needed to go a further distance. These differences obviously take time to get used to, so the Austin Rec’Ers focus on teaching young athletes how to maneuver themselves using their chairs.

Dawn McKeag, the mother of Finley on the basketball team, describes the difficulty with having different chairs for different sports. “We use his basketball chair for tennis. He has a different chair for track and field. He also has an ‘everyday chair’ for bigger trips when legs can’t get tired. it’s a lot of equitment but thankfully we have a mini storage systme to hold it all. I joke that we have our own ‘equitment closet’.” Adapted sports equitment can be costly with chairs costing up to $3,000. “We are grateful for the various charities and groups like ATX Rec’Ers that fundraise to offset the costs of the equitment

Top Left: Austin Rec’Ers practice by playing in scrimmages.

Top Right: Coach Lee Brown smiling for a picture.

Bottom Right: Will Allen steals the ball and dribbles across the court.

ACROSS THE BOARD

Photo Courtesy of Anna Ugarte

and travel so physically disabled kids have a chance to compete in sports too. They are just as competitive as ablebodied kids. They just need more equitment to make it possible.” McKeag explains.

Brown proudly said, “We’ve had a Junior Varsity team qualified for every NWBA Nationals since we started. Which is kind of unheard of, not kind of, it is unheard of. We went from not having a program to being one of the top teams.” Austin Rec’Ers has had lots of success. Not only have they gone to nationals every year but, Fischer explains “One of our girls that we coach, she just made Team USA. It’s not the under 18, she made the legit Team USA.” They have sent seven athletes to college, including the University of Illinois and the University of Arlington, Texas. Elias Brown, a senior at Akins High School, will be number eight. He has gone on many college visits throughout the country to find where he wants to continue his basketball career. He decided that the Univeristy of Arizona is the place for him.

Austin Rec’Ers is a great basketball team with lots of talent, but even more so, its a community filled with loving people. Many kids who have disabilities have

struggled with feeling different than other kids, so having a group of people who you know and can relate to, can do great things for athletes - both on and off the court. McKeag says “For us, and many other families, it’s more than the sport but the community”. Brown and Fischer have worked together for eight years and have created a safe space for kids to learn and strive in what they love doing. Fischer said, with a smile on his face, “I think what we love most is just the fact of being able to see these kids reach potential that maybe they didn’t

think possible, or maybe they did and …[we helped them] get them into school.” Austin Rec’Ers is a team filled with talented and capable athletes accompanied by a loving community, there with them every step of the way.

We’ve had a Junior Varsity team qualified for every Nationals since we started.

Which is kind of unheard of, not kind of, it is unheard of. We went from not having a program to being one of the top teams.

- Lee Brown, Co-founder

Graphics by Anna Ugarte

All throughout the world, people play different sports. Soccer is a worldwide sport, enjoyed everywhere you go! Other sports are more specific to where you are geographically and culturally. Check out this map to see who plays what.

of the US adult population watches the NFL

Grand Slam events are held in Europe

of African nations are recognized as rugby playing countries

countries in South America have soccer teams

Sports Sports

Introduced by Canada, the cold climate helps with ice hockey

300m

people play table tennis in China

Australia has the largest surfing competitionNoosa Festival of Surfing

Bring Home

By

Nutrition is an important aspect of an athlete’s career and lifestyle. Playing sports can be very physically demanding and athletes tend to restrict their intake of food with the misconception that it’s healthier. It’s quite the opposite. Diet culture has been looked upon positively for many years. The health of an athlete was determined on the appearance of their body. This creates a community that relies on perfection and control over your caloric intake. Bodies are built to let us know when we need water, rest, and food. When you constantly ignore these signs, you stop hearing them. Everyone’s needs and performance levels differ so it’s not sustainable to hold the same athletic standards for everyone. Although it’s important to eat ‘healthy”, dietitians are advising athletes not to restrict food intake. It’s better to maintain a healthy relationship with food, rather than regulating to have an “athletic body”.

“Respond to when you’re feeling hungry and respond when you’re feeling full. Think less about specific number of calories or grams of nutrients and think

more about if you’ve been eating enough, responding to your hunger, stopping when you’re full, because if the answers yes then there’s not a need to track all of those calories and all of those numbers.” says Kamran Khan, a local Austin dietitian nutritionist. Khan explains the ideal way to treat your body and manage your nutrition as an athlete. Tracking numbers can become obsessive and result in disordered eating or body image distress.

is why going on a diet is not always good for you. Just because a specific diet was good for someone else, that does not guarantee it will be good for everyone. “There’s a huge variety in people’s needs nutritionally. A super small gymnast will need a lot of different foods and quantities of foods than a lineman on a football team. Different athletes have such different needs, not only different based off of their sport, but also the individual. There’s so much variety that goes into it and there’s not one solid approach for anybody.” Khan says.

Diets can be unhealthy and inaccurate because nutritional needs vary so much between each person. One diet doesn’t fit all. This

Many athletes are also enrolled in school. This adds another layer of stress around getting assignments in on time and balancing all necessary responsibilities. This can have a huge strain on mental health for athletes. “Nutrition is more mental health and about the relationship you have with food and your body then it is with the actual food that you are eating. I’d say food is more mental health than anything.” Khan says. If you control your food intake so much to the point where it’s all you think about, the other important

There are no good or bad foods, allowing yourself access to a healthy relationship with all foods is the most important thing for athletic nutrition.

- Kamran Khan, Dietitian

Steering athletes in a different nutritional direction to improve the aspects of their lives. Stop stigmas and start change.

Jade Cubbin

the Bacon

Taken In Italy on October 3rd 2017. Curtesy of Jade Cubbin.

Taken in Downtown Berkely on July 12th 2021. Curtesy of Jade Cubbin.

It’s a lot to manage as a student athlete but I think its all worth it to have that experience - Christain Vazquez, Coach

responsibilities in your life will be affected. Athletes could stop being as social and slack in school. While these two things aren’t necessarily related to sports, eventually the buildup of stress will affect the athletes performance. In order to keep up with your sport, it’s important to stay on top of everything else.

Christian Vazquez is a former coach and athlete. He played soccer in college and coached women’s volleyball, so he has lots of experience about dealing with the responsibilities of an athlete and managing them efficiently. He met with a nutritionist while playing soccer to make sure he was staying healthy. It can get stressful during the school year while also playing a demanding sport. He recommends utilizing your tools as a student; tutoring, office hours, and communication with professors. “Those resources will help you prioritize what’s important and what you need to do. Just like you find time for sports, you should also block out time for homework. It’s a lot to manage as a student athlete but I think its all worth it to have that experience.” Vazquez says. If an athlete dealing with school stress starts worrying about their diet, mental health can be effected and the consequences will catch up. Constantly tracking what you eat takes your focus off of more important priorities. If an athlete is restricting their food for other reasons it’s still important to give yourself a break. “It’s important, within moderation, to have your cheat days with food. Giving yourself a break will improve your mental health.” Vazquez says.

Taken in Austin TX on March 26th 2022 at Two Hands restaurant. Curtesy of Jade Cubbin.

Although athletes shouldn’t make their main focus nutrition, it’s still important to make sure you’re eating enough to support the energy you are using as an athlete. “If you’re doing more activity, you should be eating more to support that use of energy.” Khan says. What each athlete is putting in their body depends on their specific needs, but “There are no good or bad foods, allowing yourself access to a healthy relationship with all foods is the most important thing for athletic nutrition.”Khan says.

Graphic byJadeCubbin

BY JADE CUBBIN

55% 25% 20%

CARBOHYDRATES PROTEIN FAT

The more an athlete excersises, the more carbs they should be consuming.

Carbohydrate food groups are a great source of energy for someone that has a demanding sport. During digestion, carbs are broken down into glucose which is the main source of energy for an athlete

Protein is an important part of a training diet and plays a key role in post-excersise recovery and repair. If there is an efficent intake of proteins, an athlete can meet and suceed the need for proteins. The amount of protein recommended for an athlete is slighty higher than the general public.

The reccomended fat intake for an athlete is similar to that required of the general public. Athletes should be getting their fat needs met by primarily olive oils, avocado, nuts, and seeds. Although, Athletes should never restrict their intake of a certain food group.

GRAPHICS

BREAKFAST: If an athletes schedule requires excerise early in the morning, athletes should always have a pre-event meal to meet their energy needs for the following workout. A high carbohydrate meal 3-4 hours before a workout has a positive effect on preformance. Athletes should always be listening to how their bodies feel and get the required nutrients before an event.

LUNCH: Many athletes eat inbetween workouts. An intake of carbohydrate is required to gain glucose levels back. 30 to 60g of carbs is reccomended. it is important to maintain level intake throught the excersis period. It is also extremely important to consume regular fluid to avoid dehyration and fatigue.

DINNER: If an athlete is eating after excersising, it is important to approriatley replace the energy that they lost. Carbs and fluids should be consumed in the first 1-2 hours after excersise. If the athlete is excersising less than eight hours later, its important to choose carbohydrate sources with a high GI.

Getyourheadin thengame

By Kyan Glaser-Guess

Athletes have society’s input on their every move at all times. They have to balance playing a sport at the highest level with having their own personal lives. On top of that they also have to worry about the judgment of others who could never be capable of the athletic abilities that these professional or collegiate athletes have. Society’s view of mental health is a stigma that has affected all athletes in a negative way and it needs to be changed before it becomes a detriment to the next generation of athletes.

Athletes have to leave their human rights on the bench while they compete, which is toxic and can be detrimental to their mental health. Some athletes feel the need to hide their real emo

Mental health needs to be recognized in sports and the stigma around it needs to become a more talked about topic. People need to realize that apart from the extraor-

It just gives them an outlet, a lot of the time they don’t have an outlet because they are on the road, traveling for games - Chance Kittle

health in in pro-sports has become more talked about and more resources have been given to elite level athletes. In football, one of the United states most popular sports, players are now mandated to see a sports psychologist

dinary performance on the field. Athletes are no different than anyone else and go through the same struggles as us.

Over the years, mental

“It just gives them an outlet, a lot of the time they don’t have an outlet because they are on the road, traveling for games and stuff and they have to deal with practice, games, recovery and all that.”

Chance Kittle said how providing the proper resources to athletes can completely benefit their mental health.

Not only is mental health an issue in professional sports, it’s very relevant in college sports. Future Michigan track athlete Kepler Huntress, opened up about some of his own struggles and said“It takes a lot of mental battles up there, you gotta fight for it. It’s a struggle, you have to just believe in yourself, believe in the people around you that help you achieve your goals and you just have to persevere.” When he was asked if he had any advice for younger athletes who are going through the same struggles he’s been through he said, “It’s gonna be a hard challenge but you just gotta know that you have to work harder

than everyone else around you and you gotta work harder mentally and physically, that’s what makes you a better athlete.” Mental health can be detrimental to an athlete’s mental game, but it can affect their physical one just as much if not more. When people go through mental health issues, they tend to neglect to take care of themselves. This can be not eating properly, lacking hygiene, or even sleep deprivation. Athletes go through these same symptoms and in a profession where you have to keep your body in peak condition, this can lead to performance issues and make you more prone to injuries. Former Boise state track runner Chance Kittle talked to me about his coaches unethical

ways of checking in on his athletes weight “ He would weigh women and men in front of the team, there were a lot of injuries that definitely correlated to some of maybe the mental diseases that came from the weight comparison or anxiety of what the coach put them through.”

Athletes struggle with many things but mental health is one that needs to be acknowledged and taken seriously.

It’s gonna be a hard challenge but you just gotta know that you have to work harder than everyone else around you.

- Kepler Huntress, Athlete

many

many colleges offer your sport?

Graphics by Kyan Glaser-Guess

Hockey football Track & Field Soccer

About

Into The Feild

College Percentage’s of Atheltes

Athletes are able to make the teams for their college’s which is about 1 in every 13 people and including High School students theres almost 2% of them making the team

Less

by Jose Gonzalez-Garcia

Courtosey of Joe Calomeni pexels.com

ACROSS THE BOARD

Health and sports

By Sebastian Osorio

Sports

and health have a lot of connections with each other. Most sports require the athletes that play them to be healthy and in shape, explained Matthew Marino, a volunteer as a sports captain at Red Rocks Sports Austin, a Christian sports organization based in Austin.

“Getting a sweat in any given moment has, you know, been proven to help your mental health as well and help with anxiety or anything” Marino said. “And so I think all of that ties in together really well, because you’re keeping your body in shape.”

This is a great example of how the two are connected. Being active and playing sports can improve your health not just physically but also mentally. Being active can reduce levels of stress and anxiety and overall boost your confidence and make you happier. Athletes become healthy by playing sports and being active but you also have to be healthy to play sports. If you are not healthy and very inactive most of the time you won’t be able to participate in physical activity and you will be at risk of more illness and it might affect your mental health as well.

“I think dieting, watching what you’re eating and putting into your body are number one, I think that’s probably the best way to keep everything running and keep you operating at your highest peak,” Marino said. “And then just working out,

Graphics By Sebastian Osorio

keeping yourself in shape, keeping your body at the level that it needs to be to compete, not taking too much time off. But also giving yourself time off to let your body recover from a season.”

These are great ways to keep yourself healthy and in shape to play sports at your highest abilities. There are other ways too like weight lifting, doing cardio exercises, eating more protein, etc. These methods all help with building strength, muscle, and speed which are the key components of playing lots of sports and they also help you stay in shape and healthy.

Another aspect of being healthy and sports are injuries. They are almost inevitable when you’re an athlete and it’s a very bad thing. While it is almost unavoidable there are ways to prevent injury from occurring. These include stretching, taking rest breaks, wearing proper equipment

If an injury happens it’s very important that an athlete recovers from it safely and healthily.

“The best way to avoid injury is having good preparation leading

up before you are injured,” Marino said, “and taking care of your body. Resting, relaxing, listening to your body and yourself. And just know that if you’re not feeling great, and your body is telling you hey, this hurts or this isn’t, don’t push it to the next level, seek professional help and just kind of rest and take care of yourself.”

This is a great example of what you should do in case of an injury. Rest is very important for recovery and professional help is the best option in some cases.

Really it’s best if you take measures to avoid getting injured before it actually happens to you.

“I would say the best way, number one, especially as people are starting to get older, stretching before and after a game, and kind of taking care of your body, icing yourself down, depending on what sport it is. And then working out in between just kind of taking care of themselves, eating well, having a healthy diet plays a part in all of that.”

-

Marino, sports captain

Matthew

Graphics By Sebastian Osorio

Courtosey of Defense Visual Information Distribution Service

1. Active Recovery

After an injury it can be good to rest but it can also be good to recover by doing workouts at a low intensity rather than not excercising at all.

5. Rest

Rest is probably the most important method of recovery because it gives body time to heal your injuries cover physically.

2. Stretching

Stretching can help prevent injury and can also help a muscle injury recover and heal from being pulled or damaged.

By

Sebastian Osorio

important gives your and re-

Injury recovery METHODS 5

4. Meditation and Yoga

3. RICE Method

It stands for Rest Ice Compression and Elevation. Rest Helps with recovery because you aren’t moving the injured body part, Ice helps with pain nad numbing, Compressioin helps with swelling, and Elevation reduces pain and swelling by rasing the injured body part.