GRAY, Ga. — Athletes get bigger and stronger every year, and to get big, athletes have to eat big.
The Jones County Greyhounds have a team behind the team making sure the athletes are ready to perform on the field.
There is a perception that athletes alone are responsible for their bodies. After all, the Greyhound athletes work out plenty in a brand new facility they opened last year.
Strength and conditioning coach Jay Floyd said it's a big upgrade and makes getting in the gym something the athletes look forward to.
"I think it makes a huge difference when you have somewhere nice to train. In our old weight room, it was really hot," Floyd said. "You couldn't control the conditions. It would be humid."
The 10,000-square-foot facility has all new equipment and a training room complete with an ice bath. None of that excites the players most though.
Their favorite part may be the nutrition room full of snacks, sandwiches and a protein shake machine stocked all day long. Floyd said it's a critical part of their success.
"I think that's the difference in some of the other places I've been at before. If you don't eat, you can't perform, you can't recover, you can't gain muscle. It's just impossible. That's the biggest thing, just getting them to understand that," Floyd said.
The Greyhounds have a critical team behind them -- a group of moms that spend countless hours feeding hungry hounds.
"I'm usually here three days a week, if not more," said Jones County booster club treasurer, Judy Adams, who has three Greyhounds on the team. "If there's not snacks, I order snacks and make sure everything is put in here. I go twice a week for fruit to make sure we have all of that fresh and on-hand."
That's just during the week. On game day, the Greyhound moms are preparing pregame, halftime and post-game snacks to keep the boys energized.
On Tuesdays, they pass out Popsicles during the summer and they make 200 sandwiches a day for athletes. Adams treats every Greyhound like a pup of her own.
Their next match-up is against Northside on Sept. 6.
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