To Bill Romes, soccer coach for the Jennings High School Musketeers, getting positive results means doing a lot of small things that add up to a big thing. As soon as he heard about the benefits of lowfat chocolate milk as a post-workout drink, he did his own research and shared the science with his coaching assistants and then his team. He knew replacing traditional sports drinks with chocolate milk would be one little thing that could hopefully make a difference to his athletes’ training and conditioning plan. And he believes it has paid off!
The program started two years ago in Fort Jennings, Ohio, when Coach Romes reached out to cafeteria supervisor Cheryl Schnipke to see if she could help supply chocolate milk for the soccer team to drink after practices and games. Because of his belief in the idea of chocolate milk as a recovery beverage and his commitment to his team, Coach Romes actually paid for the chocolate milk out of his own pocket! Bill and Cheryl then worked with the athletic boosters to stock the concession stand, where the team could quickly grab their milk after practices and games. Then the following year, because of its popularity, chocolate milk was made available for sale to fans during games! Bill continues to help personally pay for the milk for his soccer team because he can see the difference it’s made and he feels good about the results.
A 10-year coaching veteran, Bill’s dedication to his players hasn’t gone unnoticed, as everyone in the small town supports the program and appreciates all he’s doing to help the kids, according to Cheryl. Plus, everyone has recognized how the team has been doing competitively these last few years. In fact this year, they made it to the district finals and in Bill’s book, that’s a big thing! Bill reports, “My players have worked really hard, and they are really proud of themselves.”
As for the chocolate milk program, Bill says, “We definitely have had positive results using chocolate milk as our post-workout drink. The kids are hooked on it! I’m not going to change a thing. We’ve had less injuries and the team is responding well, and we’ll be also using it in the off-season.”
Plus, the parents are 100% behind the program. Bill says milk follows the players home too, “I’ve had several parents tell me how much milk they are now going through at home since we’ve started this program!”
Sounds like a small change did make a big difference in Fort Jennings, Ohio!
