Spring Branch ISD Featured News

At Stratford High School in Spring Branch ISD (SBISD), athletes in multiple sports are becoming nutritionally savvy young men and women thanks to a partnership with Memorial Hermann | Rockets Orthopedics.

Once a week, a registered sports dietitian from Memorial Hermann | Rockets Orthopedics visits campus to provide short presentations to groups of SHS Spartan athletes on nutrition topics relevant to each sport. The information varies depending on whether the teams are in pre- or post-season conditioning or actively competing. Topics include hydration options, weight gain, muscle development, and pre-, during, and post-game fueling. That’s where the program gets its name: Fueling Spartans.

The dietitian assigned to SHS, Meredith Parmley, works closely with coaches to develop presentations for their athletes, incorporating activities that allow them to apply what they’ve learned.

A few times each year, she sets up hands-on food demonstrations, allowing team members to create healthy “fuel” options such as yogurt parfaits, energy bites, or overnight oats.

“Since the students are competitive athletes, I try to incorporate some challenges into my lessons,” Parmley said. “For instance, right now I have a team challenge going on with football where they get points for sending me photos of their breakfasts. The top scorers will win a bag with little prizes in it.”

Multi-faceted Outreach

According to Memorial Hermann | Rockets Orthopedics, nutrition is a major component of health and human performance. While much information is available on the subject, athletes and parents are often unsure of the best strategies for them.

During some of her presentations, Parmley instructs athletes on making healthy choices at restaurants and grocery stores, including how to read food labels. She also prepares educational materials on nutrition for the training and locker rooms, cafeteria, and classrooms.

Individual athletes can schedule one-on-one sessions with Parmley, who creates customized nutrition plans based on their body type and goals.

Parmley has also presented to Booster Club parents to provide information and answer questions about sports nutrition and health strategies for home.

Character Development, Too

The Fueling Spartans program is an extension of the overall efforts of campus athletic director and head football coach Todd Rankin to instill strong character traits in Spartan athletes and inspire them to make healthy choices. For his football teams, Rankin dedicates time each week to a short lesson on rising above the norm and striving for excellence—not only on the field but also at home, in the classroom, with friends, and in the community.

“It’s important to brush off things you think are unfair,” Rankin told the team during a recent character-building session. “Maybe it’s a bad call by a referee, or something we coaches ask you to do ‘just because.’ The thing to do is just do what’s asked of you and move on. Get it and get over it.”

Rankin played a video featuring retired University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban, who spoke about the idea of players being part of “The Process”—a mindset focused on doing their job every day and always striving to improve. Rankin told the group of young and veteran players that each one is a critical component of the team family, and doing their best at all times is the expectation.

“I need each one of you to do the right thing every day,” he emphasized.

Leadership Opportunities

Developing leaders and role models within the team and student body is also part of SHS’s character development programming. Four team leaders were recently invited to address the team with their interpretations of four key characteristics that define great SHS athletes and teams.

Gavin Guzman spoke on discipline; Luke Tamez discussed effort; Foard Polley shared insights on leadership; and Jaxson Blundell reflected on courage. Each speaker emphasized that these positive traits are essential both on and off the field. After each senior spoke, their teammates cheered in appreciation and respect.

These building blocks of strong character and healthy living are paying off at SHS. The athletes are using these “ingredients” to become the best versions of themselves and respected members of the Spartan family—now and beyond graduation.

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