The Event Day Decision Tree
Four questions decide any sports day: what kind of day it is, how long until it starts, how long it will last, and what happens afterwards. Answer them in order and you have the plan without reading anything else.
Answer four questions about today
This page exists to be used at 3:15 with a phone in one hand. Work through it in order and stop when you have your answer.
What kind of day is it
Training, a hard session or scrimmage, or real competition. This sets how strict everything else is.
How long until it starts
Under thirty minutes, thirty to ninety, or more than ninety. This sets the size of what you send.
How long will it last
Under an hour, one to two hours, or an all-day event. This sets whether you pack for a session or for a day.
What happens afterwards
Straight home, a long drive, or a second session. This sets what has to be waiting or in the bag.
What kind of day is it
The label on the calendar is not the answer. A conditioning practice in August heat is a harder day than a friendly match in October.
How hard is today, honestly?
Ordinary training
A hard session or scrimmage
Real competition
How long until it starts
This is the question that decides portion size, and it is the one most often answered by guesswork.
Count from now to warm-up, not to the scheduled start.
| Time available | What to send | What to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Under 30 minutes | Something small and easy to digest, plus water | Fat, fibre, large volumes, anything new |
| 30 to 90 minutes | A small meal: carbohydrate with a little protein | Fried food and heavy sauces |
| Over 90 minutes | A proper meal, low in fat, finished with time to settle | Leaving it so late it becomes a rush |
What happens afterwards
This is the question families skip, and it is the one that produces the 9:15 drive-through. Decide before you leave the house what is being eaten after, and whether it is in the bag, in the oven, or in the fridge.
If there is a second session or a long drive, something has to travel.
- Straight home: the meal is already made and needs reheating only.
- A long drive: food travels, and it is not perishable unless there is a cooler.
- A second session: pack for the gap, not for a meal.
- Whatever the case, water is packed before food is.
When none of the branches fit
Odd days exist: a session cancelled halfway, a tournament that finishes six hours early, a game moved to the morning of. Take the more conservative branch, which usually means smaller and more familiar rather than larger and cleverer.
Anything involving heat, illness, an allergy, or a kid who is not right is a decision for a clinician or the team's medical staff, not for a decision tree.
Questions about using the tree
What if two answers both seem right?
Take the more conservative one. Smaller, plainer, and more familiar is rarely the wrong call before a session.
Does this work for a tournament day?
Yes, though question three does most of the work. An all-day event is a packing problem, and the doubleheader page covers the gaps between games.
Can my kid use this themselves?
Older kids can, and it is a useful thing to hand over. Question four is the one they will skip.
- Feeding Your Child Athlete, Nemours KidsHealth, kidshealth.org.
- Nutrition, Hydration and Recovery for Young Athletes, Nemours Blog, blog.nemours.org.