Swimmers Turn Into Chefs During Jimi Flowers Classic

There’s a close, but maybe not so close, competition going on between American Para swimmers.

Bragging rights are on the line. And so is chocolate.

The scene was not a pool but rather a cooking challenge held during last month’s national team camp at the United States Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The U.S. swimmers team were split into two teams — red and blue — and they were brought into Team USA’s teaching kitchen to make a meal for three coaches.

The teaching kitchen is a room with four identical kitchens that’s used for instructional purposes with U.S. athletes. The swimming teams were judged off the flavor of their dishes, their use of carbs and proteins, and how they incorporated the four “mystery” ingredients.

The winning team won chocolate treats at the end.

Morgan Ray, a 2024 Paralympic hopeful from St. Augustine, Florida, was on the blue team. He was tasked with making a stir-fry, and he was feeling pretty good after one of his teammates whipped up some “magnificent” chocolate chip cookies with pretzels and sea salt. Those cookies, he said, sealed the deal on the blue team winning.

“They say it was close,” he said with a smile. “But it wasn’t close.”

Whether it was close or not, the swimmers took home lessons that will benefit them outside of sport. The camp, held in conjunction with the Jimi Flowers Classic, was one of the last times the team will get together before U.S. Paralympic Team Trials in late June. The cooking challenge was designed to teach athletes how to cook healthy meals in an entertaining way.

Marta Scechura, a U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee dietician who works with Para athletes, was on hand during the cooking challenge. The challenge was designed to simulate challenges on the cooking show “Chopped,” where chefs make meals using a series of surprise, or “mystery,” ingredients, and Scechura said the athletes took the challenge seriously — so much so that they were even referring to each other as chefs.

Taylor Winnett, a Paris hopeful from Hershey, Pennsylvania, was a swimmer-turned-chef on the blue team. She enjoyed the cooking challenge and said she did whatever was necessary to help her team win. But the lessons she’s learned from Scechura have helped her personal life.

Winnett said a spinal injury while she was in high school altered the feeling in her leg, and she said she gained weight when she first acquired her disability.

“In the sport of swimming, our body types are more noticeable,” she said. “I really appreciated how Marta reminded us, ‘It’s okay to have dessert. You shouldn’t feel guilty if you have a slice of cake or something.’

“And I really appreciated that, because sometimes, especially as a woman in a sport, I can be more self-conscious about my body and how I look.”

Winnett is a resident-athlete at the USOPTC. She will likely be staying in the training center’s dorms up until the Paralympic Games Paris 2024 later this year. Winnett said Scechura, whose office is at the training center, has helped improve her relationship with food.

“I think that’s really important,” Winnett said.

Scechura said balance — including sweets — is always recommended for a person’s diet. She said she helps athletes feel comfortable with what they are eating.

“You have to build a healthy culture around food in channeling the body of a swimmer,” Scechura said. “It’s my job to meet the athlete where they are individually and help them in ways that supports their health and performance.”

Before joining the USOPTC, Scechura was a dietitian for the University of Notre Dame and in the Chicago Cubs organization. She said working with athletes with disabilities makes her current job unique.

“The complexity and individuality of a Paralympic athlete is what I love,” Scechura said. “Nutrition is like a fingerprint and highly individualized for every athlete, but especially in Paralympic athletes.”

The nutritionist works with the U.S. Para Nordic, Para-cycling and wheelchair basketball teams. Although working with Paralympians may be different from baseball or football, she has clearly made an impact among the current and future members of Team USA.

Winnett said she has noticed her perspective on food has gotten better over the years.

“It’s something I still struggle with, feeling like I look different,” she said, “but it’s definitely been a lot better.”

Ryan Wilson is a writer and independent documentary filmmaker from Colorado Springs, Colorado. He is a freelance contributor to usparatf.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.