_Griffin Schaetzle is a sophomore swimmer at Missouri. He is The Maneater’s athlete columnist._
Competition for swimmers does not stop when we leave the pool.
Once we finish practice and make our way to the athletic dining hall, our outlet for competition changes from the pool to the ping pong table. Even though I spend an hour or two daily displaying my dominance, ping pong is only a small part of what other athletes and I do in the Mizzou Athletics Training Complex.
Of course, eating is a big part of any dining hall experience. Eating at the MATC dining hall is just a little bit different than other dining halls on campus.
Athletes devour their food. Whether it’s a football player who has been in the weight room for an hour and a half, or a cross-country runner who just finished a seven-mile run, food barely has time to rest on the plate before it disappears into the black hole that is a hungry, overworked athlete.
There is a wide variety of food at the dining hall. Breakfast favorites include omelets and burritos. Lunch and dinner entrees change daily, though there are always sandwiches, pizza, pasta and a stir-fry station. It’s also vital to eat our fruits and vegetables, and there is a range of selections every day.
All of the workers are friendly and helpful, while also being involved in our athletic lives. The meals are that much tastier when they are served from a smiling face.
Yes, the food is important. However, the dining hall is much more than food. As I mentioned, the ping pong table is one feature that brings athletes together. Others include watching sports on one of the many TVs, gaming on the Xbox or PS4, and the long-lasting conversations. I know what you’re thinking — don’t worry, we still make time for our studies.
Along with the neat features inside the dining hall, it’s great to know that there will always be someone to eat with. The layout of the dining hall is mainly team-oriented. Every team has their section where they eat meals and talk. It’s fun to socialize and chat after tough workouts.
In the fall, Monday morning breakfasts are my favorite meals. Nothing beats the morning after a Sunday full of NFL football. It’s a blast to mess with my teammates whose teams lost over the weekend. It’s even more fun to compare how the each of our fantasy football teams fared. The league is for bragging rights, so there is plenty of trash talking.
Although meals are mainly team-oriented, that doesn’t stop all the athletes from coming together as one big family. A great aspect of the dining hall is how all the athletes can hang out together.
I remember the dining hall last year during the MLB playoffs. Game Four of the entertaining Cubs and Cardinals series was on the big TV. The majority of the athletes centered their attention on the end of the game. Half were thrilled and half were devastated when the Cubs eliminated the Cardinals.
As an outsider of both teams, it was humorous to see athletes joking with each other about the result of the game. This is a recurring theme with major games in the dining hall and just a way for all athletes to bond.
When I look back on all the time spent at the MATC, especially the dining hall, I couldn’t think of anywhere I would rather be. While achieving nutritional success, I also bond with my teammates, other athletes and the entire athletic department.
It’s an advantage for Mizzou athletes unlike any other.
_Edited by Peter Baugh | pbaugh@themaneater.com_
