Perhaps you are familiar with one of the cataclysmic college athletics issues of our time: The Great Bagel Debate.
In 2008, the NCAA voted to let its member schools provide student-athletes with "fruits, nuts and bagels" at any time, not just during training table hours. But toppings for said bagels — such as butter, cream cheese and jelly — were not allowed. Finally, after a successful schmear campaign, an amendment going into effect in August means a little marmalade or Nutella won’t be cause for NCAA investigation.
At least we can hope.
Bagels, and their legality, have actually figured into the University of Hawaii football team’s schedule for spring practice, and for a logical reason.
UH coach Norm Chow is experimenting with starting practice at 6 a.m. for spring camp, which begins Tuesday.
He doesn’t want the players to practice on empty stomaches or right after eating big breakfasts. So bagels are the solution for a pre-workout sunrise snack … quick and easy, and probably won’t make you queasy.
Of course, that’s just one consideration, and there’s training table after practice.
This is nothing new for many followers of the program, since June Jones and Greg McMackin held morning practices.
It is for Chow. In more than 50 years of organized football his teams have always practiced in the afternoon.
"I’ve heard I have a reputation for being inflexible," he said. "So we’re going to try it out for the spring and see how it goes. We asked the kids what they’d like better and it was about 50-50. We’ll have to make a decision on what we do for the fall pretty quickly because registration is coming up."
Jones figured getting the players up early for practice would translate into better classroom attendance; his reasoning was that most would get proper rest to avoid sleeping in and missing practice.
"I think that’s accurate," said Chow, who has always been an early riser himself. "And the kids who don’t have a class can come to the office and watch tape. We just hope that they don’t just go back to bed."
There won’t be any midday naps for Chow as he heads into his second spring camp. There’s still an enormous amount of building to do after last year’s 3-9 debut, in which the team in transition was often overmatched.
Hope comes in the form of transfer quarterback Taylor Graham and an offseason of development for the youngest UH team anyone can remember. Chow said it helps that this year he won’t have to teach a new set of expectations.
Even though UNLV and South Alabama finished 2-11, beating them to end the 2012 season built confidence.
"I think so. I think they’ve bought in and we won’t have to coach effort this time around," Chow said. "Now we can get better individually and in our schemes and develop camaraderie. We have to, because the schedule is daunting."
Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783 or on Twitter as @dave_reardon.
