Michael Gaerthoeffner
English 1020 – 046
Wendy Sumner-Winter
January 22, 2008

Nutrition
As I mentioned in my personal blog I am a student-athlete and a scholarship recipient. I play tennis at the University of Memphis as number two or three out of nine players in the line up. As an athlete my nutrition is a very important part in my life and affects not only my performance on the court but also in the class room. I choose this topic for the essay for today because I had to throw up this morning so I think that it is a very current topic.
I already had to make really bad experiences with my nutrition in the past. During the last semester, we, the tennis team, have been to Jacksonville, Florida, to play one of these fall tournaments. I reached the final and I had to fight really hard and play my best tennis to win the rounds before. The final should start at 12pm but because some other matches that took place before my match took longer than expected, I played only when it was 2pm. I did not know when I would have to go on the court so I chose not to eat lunch before the match because I thougth that I would not be able to digest my food before the match starts. That was a big mistake. Furthermore, it was very hot and humid in Jacksonville, and due to the fact that I am from Germany I was not used to play three straight days in those climate situations. Besides, I underestimated that I have to drink a lot more water than in Germany. All these issues caused me to dehydrate and cramp during the final which I could not finish because my entire body started cramping so I had to be brought to the hospital by an ambulance. Moreover, I could not get the flight back to Memphis and my coach had to stay with me, whereas I threw up two straight days in the hospital. This unlovely experience made me aware of the fact that nutrition is a very important issue for me.
Well, this morning I came back from doing weights, from 7 - 8.40 pm, and I had just 5 minutes to eat serials, drink an orange juice and a protein shake. The lack of time forced me to rush so I just ate as fast as I could but that caused my stomache to react and I had to throw up. I did not want to be late in class because my new English professor layed special emphasize in her syllabus/manifesto that it is very important to her that we are on time. At this point, I want to apologize for being two minutes late and interrupt the lesson but I could not make it earlier.
In order to solve my nutrition problem, I wrote my mother an email and asked her what I should do about my nutrition because I know that as a student-athlete this morning will not be the last time in my life that there will be a lack of time. I asked my mother because her job is to manage and inform other people about nutrition so I thought that she could help me to figure out a solution. She answered my mail immidiatly and told me that I have to chew a lot more, that I should eat more meals during the entire day and that I should take more time during my meals if it is possible.
I hope that her wise advises will help me to master the tough and extensive schedule of a student-athlete at the University of Memphis. Finally, I want to ask you as my class mates what you think about this topic. Do you have any advices for me, for instance, how I can better handle the stress and the lack of time. Did you hear about similar cases and do you perhaps know any solution for my problems? The advices of my mother will help me to avoid throwing up when I have enough time to eat and to improve my overall nutrition but there is still the problem with the lack of time. Please let me know if you can help me to improve my situation because I do not want to end up in the hospital again. All in all, I want to finish this essay with the advice for the entire class to take nutrtition serious. I had to make bad experiences I do not want you to make the same or similar mistakes. One out of every eighth person in the United States died because of an issue which was related to wrong nutrition. Take it serious!!!

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