Olympians say they are ‘Beef Strong’
The Cattle Business Weekly
Olympians say they are ‘Beef Strong’
The slogan, Beef Strong, is a daily reality for two U.S. Olympians who visited Black Hills State University recent- ly. Payton Otterdahl and DeAnna Price visited with student-athletes and coaches during a meet and greet arranged by the South Dakota Beef Industry Council (SDBIC), Sanford Health, and BHSU.
Otterdahl and Price are both participants in the SDBIC’s Build Your Base program that partners nutrition and physical activity. The two talked about their recent experience with the 2021 Olympics in Japan. They also visited about the usage of the Build Your Base program, which utilizes beef as a major protein source, in getting them ready for competition.
Otterdahl is a shot put thrower from Minnesota. This was his first time competing in the Olympics where he placed 10th. Besides his regular training, he says a big part of his prep ahead of the Olympics was staying in a routine. He tried to get 9 hours of sleep a day, focused on bettering his weight lifting each week, and dialed in his nutrition. “Beef is pretty big for me. I had a high school wrestling coach that once told me, ‘Your body is like a Lamborghini and you wouldn’t put cheap fuel in it would you? No, premium fuel is what you want.’ That has stuck with me through the years,” notes Otterdahl.
Price, a two-time Olympian from Missouri, competed in the women’s hammer throw. She placed 8th in this year’s Olympics. How she utilized the Build Your Base program was for optimizing her knee surgery and recovery. Price says when you are recovering you generally don’t like to train or eat that much. The opposite was true as she started into the program and learned she actually needed to be eating more protein and not shying away from activity. The extra protein helped her speed up her recovery timetable by about four months. The doctors she says are in amazement and she con- tributes it to the Build Your Base program for her success in repairing cells quickly.
“The program has been a God-send for me,” Price says. “When I looked into it, Build Your Base checked off every box for me in what I was looking for. It’s also like a family with everyone knowing everyone.” Today Price knows she needs to eat at least 155- 175 grams of protein a day. She manages this protein consumption mainly by eating all beef. An added benefit for her she says is the vitamins, minerals, and collagen found in that beef. “So, after I do a heavy lifting session I immediately refuel by eating a 20-ounce steak. It is what is working for me,” Price says.
In closing, both Otterdahl and Price joke that they are eating a couple of cows a year now through the Build Your Base program and are open to beef donations.
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Olympians DeAnna Price and Payton Otterdahl, shown center, took part in a tour across South Dakota where they stopped at public schools and colleges to talk about being an Olympian and what an important part beef plays in their training and nutrition. The Olympians are pictured with South Dakota Beef Industry Council Representatives and Black Hills State University students and coaching staff.
