Food, fitness, and a little bit of TLC (“Tender Loving Care”). Sandra Millward, Josh Ferguson and Celia Plottel have important roles to play when it comes to athletes performing at their peak. All three are part of the back room team supporting the Canada men’s hockey squad in its two forthcoming tournaments and their own performances are as important for the team’s success as any other member of the squad.
For Sandra Millward, a holistic nutritionist, this is new ground. The Canadian team has never travelled with a nutritionist before, and this is Millward’s first time on the road with the squad, as it travels first to Buenos Aires for the Hockey World League Semi-Finals, before returning to Toronto for the Pan American Games.
“I am excited and honored to be the newest person involved as a support member to the Canadian Men's National Field Hockey team,” says Millward, who is a Registered Orthomolecular Health Practitioner, with a growing experience base in sports nutrition.
“My role with this team is to prepare a balanced, nutritious, optimal eating plan while they are competing in Argentina,” says Millward, who is keen to get her message across about the fragile but important balance between nutrition and athletic performance.
“Good nutrition is a foundation for all bodies but in the competitive arena the needs are more demanding. Therefore, it is crucial to have the right balance of nutrient dense foods to enhance performance, speed up recovery time and to prevent injuries.”
When it comes to tournament time, the athlete’s nutritional demands change, says Millward. During competition time, the athletes require more calories, provided in a speedy and efficient way. A one-year food plan is more about recovery and repair and places the emphasis on protein and its utilization.
Millward explains further: “Protein provides amino acids to rebuild muscle and tissue as well as for ATP production (energy source). Although protein is still used during competition time for recovery, as time draws closer to the competition, we would increase the number of carbohydrates – mixing simple carbs before and during competition with complex carbs for recovery time. Competition time requires more calories providing fast and efficient energy rather than the slower digesting complex carbs that will use extra energy to digest.”
So what can the athletes expect from their meals while on the road? “I am conscious of not implementing too many new foods this close to their competition time,” says Millward. “I will be keeping their fare clean with high nutrient value, simple, and hopefully tasty. The only challenges we face are specific food allergies and sourcing good quality foods in a foreign country. The only 'bespoken' food is chocolate milk as the recovery drink, but I am willing to be open to dairy if it works.”
When in Argentina, Millward is anticipating a glut of local foods to combine with her own recipes. “I look forward to using beautiful local foods such as quinoa, cacao, lean grass fed beef, and poultry. There will also be an abundance of anti-inflammatory herbs such as turmeric, curcumin and ginger. The main focus here is when to optimally eat protein and when to optimally eat the carbs. Must have's for 'grab and go' foods are bars, gel packs, and low glycemic fruit. I will be bringing my Vitamix to make smoothies with super foods and approved proteins.”
Canada men’s team have adopted a long-term strategy for preparing the athletes. As Millward explains, good nutrition takes time to make an impact. “Long term support of nutritional planning is important to build healthy, strong, and energy-efficient bodies. My focus is the nutritional demands on the team, however, I also believe the 'psychology' of support can be as powerful as the food itself. To have a nutritionist prepare your food, do local food research with the integrity for your absolute health needs in a foreign country, (travelling and time zone changes can be stressful) having healthy food available to you at all times, are all part of making the day to day difference, which allows them to focus on their own game.”
While Sandra is looking after the players’ nutritional demands, Josh Ferguson is busy putting their muscles, bones and cartilages back together.
As team physiotherapist, Josh is involved in three areas of physiotherapy: injury prevention, injury management and performance maximization. As he explains: “Come tournament time the lines blur between these categories.”
On game day, be it in Buenos Aires or Toronto, Josh’s work is likely to follow the same pattern. Some light team activity in the morning, followed by massage, stretching and taping for those who need it pre-game.
During the game, he will monitor the athletes’ performances from a physical perspective looking for signs of injury. After the match, it’s all about recovery, firstly a sustained cool down, then the dreaded ice baths, followed by nutrition and rehydration.
Later that same day, Josh will be busy assessing injuries – both new and old – and treating them accordingly. These sessions are scheduled around team meetings and meal-times.
Away from tournament times, the players tend to be seen by their own physiotherapists and, says Josh, the treatment will be very different. “Players can be managed through regular training times in various ways if they are injured: time off to rest, decreased sessions per week, lighter sessions, and alternate training options – typically you have time on your side. At tournament time it is a completely different story. The player needs to be able to compete at 100 per cent so there is very little room for ‘nursing’ players through injuries. A decision needs to be made if an athlete can compete or not and we explore every treatment option.”
The main injuries suffered by hockey players at elite level are load-based hip injuries, although lower back sprains and strains and hamstring strains also rate quite highly. All three of these, says Josh, are related to the unique hitting and running styles typical of a hockey player.
Josh says that the problems are mainly caused by biomechanics issues, particularly relating to strength and technique. “At international level there is a fine line between doing enough to be the best and doing too much and finding yourself with overuse injuries. Our athletes are screened and monitored regularly to detect these changes early and respond to them accordingly. For the most part core stability, adequate range of motion, strength and correct technique will keep you out of trouble.”
When it comes to working with the team at major tournaments, Josh can barely suppress his enthusiasm. “I love what I do, and the players respond well, but it can be a challenge. A major tournament will usually involve seven games in ten days. My goal is to have 18 athletes ready to perform at 100 per cent every day.”
The third person interviewed as part of our look behind the scenes is team manager Celia Plottel. She explains her role: “I am responsible for all off-the-field logistics of the team. I am in charge of accommodation, meals, drinks, getting the equipment to the field, uniforms, transportation and liaising with the local and FIH tournament organizers.”
Celia has a long history of hockey involvement. She played club hockey for Vancouver Hawks and then moved into coaching and club administration, while still continuing to play. She retired in 2011, only to take on her biggest challenge to date just two weeks later – as manager of the Men’s National Domestic Team. She has remained involved at the national level ever since.
When it comes to managing at a tournament, Celia’s challenge is to make sure that all the players are at the right place at the right time. “The players follow a daily itinerary that is created and sent to them prior to arrival. Any daily changes are posted on my door and sent via the athlete’s phones. This is not really a challenge because the players take responsibility for being on time and helping out when needed. But when it comes to keeping the players off the pitch until their sub is off, now that is a problem, they are often so determined to get on the pitch that the rules are sometimes just ignored.
Being manager can be a thankless task. When things go well, the manager remains unnoticed, when things go wrong the manager gets the blame, but it is obvious that Celia was born to be a manager. “I have always had a good experience with the local hosts. I enjoy getting to know countries and cities through the eyes of our hosts,” she says.
“Most of all, I enjoy being part of the player’s dreams and goals. Field Hockey in Canada is not a recognized sport and sometimes all the players’ hard work does not get noticed. I have a lot of admiration for the players who put their lives on hold, follow their dream and give up so much. Any little bit I can do to organize their off-field duties, I hope will allow them to succeed on the field.”
