From Cupcakes to Comfort Food, U.S. Para Swimmers Find Joy in the Kitchen
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by Karen Price
Often when it comes to food, athletes are very particular with their nutrition and making sure that they’re fueling their bodies in the right way.
Marta Scechura, a U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee dietician who works with Para athletes, has described nutrition as being “like a fingerprint” in that it’s highly individualized. What works for one athlete, in other words, might not be the best plan for someone else.
Scechura and other USOPC staff work with athletes, including those on the U.S. Paralympics Swimming national team, to come up with meal plans that will fit their situations just right. That doesn’t have to be a chore, though. For many U.S. swimmers, preparing the food is part of the fun — and not every meal needs to be optimized for perfect health.
Two-time Paralympian Gia Pergolini enjoyed baking when she was younger. Now a senior in college, she said she hasn’t counted it among her hobbies in a long time, but she did tip her toe back in the water of the kitchen recently with Paralympic teammates Grace Nuhfer and Olivia Chambers.
Nuhfer — who Pergolini said is quite the baker — shared a video of the trio making raspberry cupcakes in the kitchen at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, calling it “Baking with the Blind.”
“I feel like I’m on ‘Cupcake Wars,’” Pergolini, a three-time Paralympic medalist, says in the video. “I’m living my middle-school fantasy.”
That’s not the first time some of the country’s top Para swimmers joined in the kitchen to test out their culinary skills, either. During a national team camp back in 2024, swimmers were split into two teams — red and blue — in Team USA’s teaching kitchen and challenged with making a meal for the coaches. Using the TV show “Chopped” as inspiration, they were judged on flavor, how they used carbs and protein, and how they incorporated four mystery ingredients.
Morgan Ray, who made stir fry, was on the winning blue team.
“They say it was close,” he said at the time. “But it wasn’t close.”
As important as nutrient-rich, balanced meals are for elite athletes, there’s always room to mix in some food that’s simply delicious. That’s especially true around the holidays.
Although Pergolini may not still consider herself a baker, she said that the one time she does still enjoy her old pastime is Christmas.
“My dad and I every Christmas make pizzelle cookies,” she said of the traditional Italian waffle treats. “We make cookies, listen to Christmas music, my dad has friends over, it’s a good time. And we make a huge batch for our Christmas Eve party, and every time I eat them it just reminds me of Christmas morning and being hungry and nibbling on them.”
For Taylor Winnett, the holiday special is a dessert her grandma made each Thanksgiving.
“(She) would always make this dessert that’s mint chocolate chip ice cream, a layer of hot fudge, a layer of caramel and a layer of Oreos, and she usually did that twice,” the 2024 Paralympian said. “And it is so much sugar, but it is so good. I love it.”
Two-time Paralympian Lawrence Sapp also counts Thanksgiving as his favorite meal of the year, though he also can’t resist some sweet tweets in the weeks that follow.
“Turkey, mac and cheese, white rice, green veggies, ham and bread,” he said. “Also, Christmas cookies.”
Aside from her grandmother’s sugar explosion, Winnett has another favorite that she thinks of around the holidays.
“I don’t know if it counts as a holiday meal, but I love super buttery mashed potatoes,” Winnett said. “I’m so picky about my mashed potatoes, and it’s so hard to find somewhere that does it right, but when they are, they’re so good.”
Eden Schroeder, a rising swimmer in the S1 classification, is also a fan of carbs at the holidays.
“I got super lucky because my roommate Heather is the best cook ever, and she makes this mac and cheese with crunchy, crispy stuff on top and I’m obsessed,” she said. “I love it. Every single holiday she makes it.”
And while Noah Jaffe said there wasn’t one particular food that is a tradition in his household, he always enjoys the tradition of gathering.
“We’re not a big fancy meal family,” the two-time Paralympic medalist said. “I’m just excited to be around family and making meals together.”
Karen Price is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has covered Olympic and Paralympic sports for various publications. She is a freelance contributor to USParaSwimming.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc. Drew Silverman also contributed to this story.
