October/November 2020 - 38

Industry Pioneers
GATORADE
The Cornhuskers may be able to stake claim to the
reimagined power rack, but the University of Florida
can say that Gatorade was birthed in the swamps of
Gainesville for the Gator's football program. With the
constant presence of high heat and humidity, a Gators
assistant coach went to university physicians in the
summer of 1965 to find out why so many players were so
greatly affected by the heat.
The researchers - Dr. Robert Cade, Dr. Dana Shires,
Dr. H. James Free, and Dr. Alejandro de Quesada - soon
discovered two key factors that were causing the Gator
players' performance to diminish: the fluids and electrolytes
the players lost through sweat were not being replaced, and
the large amounts of carbohydrates the players' bodies used
for energy were not being replenished.
With their findings in hand, the group of researchers went
to the lab and created a precisely balanced carbohydrateelectrolyte
beverage that would replace the key components
of that get lost through sweat and exercise.
And the positive effects showed immediately. A year
after introducing Gatorade to the Florida team, the Gators
finished the 1966 season at 9-2 and won the program's
first-ever Orange Bowl. Word of the secret elixir spread
through the NCAA and, today Gatorade is the official
sports drink of more than 70 Division I colleges in men's
and women's athletics.
Despite the collective buy-in by NCAA teams across
the country, Gatorade continued to plunge further into
increasing athletic performance. In the late 1980s, the
Gatorade Sports Science Institute was founded to conduct
research in the areas of exercise science, hydration, and
sports nutrition, and later expanded to provide advanced
testing for athletes.
To usher in the next generation of athletes, Gatorade
teamed up with auto racing organizations to develop
hydration tools that could withstand 130-degree
temperatures and keep drivers hydrated safely through
the course of a race. And in addition to being found in
seemingly any convenience store, the sports drink is the
official drink of the NBA, PGA, MLB, MLS, and various
other professional organizations and leagues.
Gatorade, looking to expand its reach in the sports
performance world, continues to find ways to adapt to
the ever-changing environment. From the lab testing of
athletes to new flavor and delivery system development
to the publication and distribution of scientific research,
they study new and innovative ways to help athletes
improve performance by facilitating proper hydration and
nutrition. n
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36 | Training & Conditioning | October/November 2020
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October/November 2020

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