Para Jackaroos turn hotel room appliances into performance fuel

It was training of a different kind for the Para Jackaroos at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), as athletes took on a cooking challenge designed to prepare them for the realities of international travel. 

Working with AIS Senior Dietitian Jo Mirtschin, athletes were tasked with creating a nutritious meal and dessert using appliances they are most likely to find in a hotel room, such as a kettle, sandwich press, toaster and microwave. 

Mirtschin said the session was designed to give athletes the practical skills needed to fuel well while travelling, when access to full kitchens is often limited. 

“Some of them just had a toaster, others a sandwich press, others a kettle. Sometimes that’s exactly the kind of equipment athletes encounter in hotels when they’re travelling and there’s not much else available,” she said. 

“Each of them is turning up every day to train or compete, so they need to be ready for it. Being able to grab the ingredients they need and throw together a meal quickly before their next activity is really important to help them perform at their best.” 

Despite the limited equipment, the Para Jackaroos rose to the occasion plating up a range of creative dishes, including a couscous salad. 

“I was really impressed by some of the options,” Mirtschin said. 

“These guys were working within the constraints of their equipment and their abilities and they did some fabulous things. There was a couscous salad that I hadn’t anticipated, it was fabulous. The fact that they could throw together a dessert as well as a meal in the time frame they had was fantastic.” 

The cooking challenge formed part of a broader testing and education camp at the AIS, with almost 60 athletes from Para and able-bodied programs on site for strength, stability and endurance testing, along with education sessions as they prepare for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, which begin on July 23.