The coach of a top girl's D-2 basketball program was concerned when he learned several members of his team were not eating lunch at school. Starting point guard suffers from chronic leg cramps. Fifty eight percent of the team reported being concerned about their weight. The team is under-fueled and many suffer from some level of dehydration. The coach had a sports dietitian talk with the team about performance eating to fuel practice demands and the effects of dehydration on basketball skills.
Hard workouts lead to a stronger fitter body.
Two weeks later the team was re-surveyed. Many switched to a sport drink. Several eliminated soda. The starting guard was not having leg cramps. Mild to moderate dehydration is common even for top players.