Sports Drinks and/or H2O?
 

Do we have believers here than sports drinks (Powerade, Gatorade, et al) or energy supplements (i.e. 5-Hour Energy) enhance performance? Or is good ol' water sufficient?

I believe in them yes, I've seen them with my very own eyes. However, I do not believe in consuming energy supplements (i.e. 5-Hour Energy) for any reason. As for sports drinks and water, it depends on the length, conditions, and many other factors of the activity. If you're doing one game in 70 degree weather, then you could easily get away with only drinking water. If you're doing 2 games in 100 degree weather, you will sweat more and you may need to go with sports drinks to replenish your body.

As I runner, I'm constantly drinking water but when I umpire I gauge my beverage choice on the weather, how well I feel I'm hydrated, and how long I expect to be out doing that activity. Sometimes I drink sports drinks, sometimes I drink water. I usually have a good feel of what I need to drink.

-Josh

Edit: Dang, I really thought I was reading the baseball forum; hence I was talking about weather. I mainly decide what I drink on the temperature/humidity of the gym, how well I'm hydrated, and how many games I'm doing.

Someone approached me about something called "cPrime" the other day. Anyone know if this is a power drink or some other type of energy deal?

I usually take Powerade Zero (no sugar, since I'm diabetic) with me to games in my bag. However, since our local kids rec league has a rule that no food or drink except water in plastic water bottles is allowed in the gyms (school district rule at the elementary and middle schools where we play those games) I just take bottled water for those. If I'm working a lot of games in one shift, I also take granola bars in my bag and go outside the gym to eat them. Have to maintain that blood sugar level.

At least the sports drinks works. They actually hydrate faster than water alone. I use them for that purpose all the time when I am working games in the summer. Not so much during the season.

I think they should be banned as we cannot have anything that enhances performance. They are unethical. :D

Peace

Soooo....you admit you've been cheating all this time? Shame shame shame. :D

Only in the summer for recovery purposes. :p

Peace

I used to drink Gatorade all the time when I was working, but then it started to make me feel sick for some reason during games. I switched over to something called Smart Water, it's just water with electrolytes in it like Gatorade has. Not sure if it works as well as Gatorade does, but it does the trick for me.

ROTFLOL! +1
I'll add that weather can be a factor for hoops, too. More accurately, gym temperature; which is often dependent upon the season.

Tastes Great, Less Filling ...
 

According to most studies that I've read about, unless you're a top notch athlete, like a marathon runner, or a triathlete, plain water is a great choice to keep most weekend athletes properly hydrated. However, studies did indicate that because of the flavor in sports drinks, athletes are more likely to drink a sports drink, and stay properly hydrated, than they are to drink just plain water and stay properly hydrated.

Now if you're a world class marathon runner, then the carbohydrates, and electrolytes, in a sports drink will improve your performance.

I concur. Water should suffice for your normal 1, 2 or even 3 game outings. Beyond that, then a sports drink will help replenish some carbs. Although I am not a "world class marathon runner", I do run and will hardly drink sports drinks unless it is a half marathon or longer in order to get some carbs.

Overall, there is not necessarily anything wrong with drinking sports drinks during officiating, it is probably not necessary. My $.02.

I pack a Gatorade or two when doing 3 or 4 game sets or more i.e. a 2 on 1 off day that might call for 8 to 10 games in a day.

As a rule, I will "sip" on those all day long as opposed to guzzling a large amount at any one time, or else I end up feeling bloated and/or a little nauseous.

When drinking smaller amounts throughout the day, though, they are quite refreshing and hit the spot perfectly.

I don't always drink sports drinks but when I do, I will try to dilute them by 50% to reduce the amount of sugar.

Pedialyte is also great for rehydrating and has less sugar but you may want to put it in a different container.

Ya' know, after all these posts on this thread, no one has admitted they carry a brewski in their bag. Hummmmm. :rolleyes:

It seems as though you more or less just did. lol. ;)