Assistant ISU trainer Steve Condon sold the Eagles on the drink when he worked for them over the summer. He suspects the juice's secret is salt, although he's not sure. All I know is it works. ISU and UNI players also are partaking of a couple of ounces of pickle juice along with the usual large doses of water and sports drinks. Condon heard about the green concoction from UNI trainer Darryl Conway, who's been serving it for about a year.
Some guys have to choke it down, but then they come back and ask for more.
Williams is pursuing a grant to study the brine scientifically. Conway predicts the tests will determine it's the vinegar. We mostly stick to the pickle juice. Doug King, an associate professor of health and human performance at ISU, doubts that vinegar would do much for athletes, but he said sodium helps keep people hydrated. Pickle juice is full of sodium.