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Summarized by Rosemary Pollock
BYU's Football Team Spreads Gospel of Pickle Juice
PROVO, UTAH -- Brigham Young University head football trainer, George
Curtis, believes in the power of the pickle. Players are now
drinking a dixie cup of the green liquid to keep from cramping and
getting dehydrated. "We know Napoleon gave pickles to his troops,
Antony and Cleopatra liked pickles." There's just something about
them," said Curtis.
Illinois State trainer Kathy Schniedwind, claims that they had nothing to
loose but the cramps. "It's not tasty at all," winces Illinois defensive
lineman Tejuan Hartley. "But I guess if it helps and it keeps me from
cramping, I'll drink it." Hartley, a.k.a. "the chronic cramper," and his
teammates drink up to10 gallons of the pickle juice for every away game.
BYU trainer Curtis admits that while on the road he asks hotels to donate
any leftover juice they have.
No one knows exactly why the home remedy works but Dr. Kenneth Knight, a BYU
professor of sports medicine warns, "pickle juice is no poor man's
Gatorade - it should be used as a supplement and not an replacement for
water and regular sports drinks." Trainers hypothesize that the vinegar may
aid in salt retention or the fact that pickle juice is acetic, rather than
the citric acid found in most popular drinks. However, the proof is in the
pickle.
Sources:
Football Players Discover the Benefits of Pickle Juice
Fox News 14Sep00 S3
By Ursula Owre Masterson
BYU FOOTBALL NOTES: Pregame Pickle Prevention Pays Off Perfectly
Salt Lake Tribune 7Sep00 S3
By Patrick Kinahan: Salt Lake Tribune
Pickle Juice
NPR All Things Considered 8Sep00 S3
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