I have yet to see anyone mention camping chairs. Gotta sit right? And the bleachers suck! Fruits high in water content such as Grapes, Watermelon, Cantaloupe, oranges, grapefruit, etc. AVOID pineapple as its a natural diuretic and will cause dehydration. Gatorade or equivalent. Remember that it was designed to replenish the body after the game and not during. The general rule my team has is at least a one for one ratio of water to gatorade. I tell them 2 to 1 if at all possible. Peanut butter is a great source of protein and sticks with them longer than carbs. Pickles are a great source of electrolytes without having to drink sports drinks. If you're doing lunchmeat, chicken is the best option since it won't make them sleepy like turkey does. Whole grain wheat or any other whole grain bread will also last them longer than white if thinking sandwiches. Most types of cheese are okay and stay away from soda (pop, coke, Pepsi, mountain dew etc.) Start hydrating on wednesdays. Drink a lot of water between then and the start of the tourney. They can never replace it as fast as they will sweat it out over the weekend no matter how much they drink; especially if they are a catcher or a pitcher.
LOL All of the posts above you mentioned chairs! I double checked that I put it in my post. Thought I had lost my mind for a minute
I have this down to a fine art now and can pack for a tournament pretty fast. Tent, camp chairs, wagon, grizzly cooler (that I pre-chill the evening before), Smart-water, cokes (for me and maybe a few for my kid when she wants something with flavor), large backpack filled with go-pro/camera gear & sunscreen, and a bin in my car filled with non-perishable stuff like toilet paper, baby wipes, mosquito repellant, extra waters, etc. In my cooler I bring basics- watermelon, drinks, slim-jims, grapes, cheese sticks, crackers, frog tog, etc. My kid usually just snacks until we can get away for a bit and get something good to eat. We don't play 1 day tournaments any more but when we did, we would bring stuff to make basic sandwiches. If it's going to be below 50, my heater buddy goes too. Now for the really important stuff- throw a roll of toilet paper in your car for when the park runs out. You will thank me later for this tip.
I don't pack for tournaments anymore. I just have to repack my cooler each weekend. I am sure it sucks for my gas mileage! Everything else stays in the car all the time. Please tell me there are other softball parents that do this....
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