Hydration, Fall Sports, and a Month-Long Challenge: What I Learned as a Double Athlete

Fall is my craziest season. I’m rushing from cheer practice to field hockey practice almost every day, and by the time the actual games hit, my body is basically running a marathon disguised as a school schedule. Being a double athlete means I’m constantly moving, sweating, and pushing myself. Therefore, hydration should’ve been my best friend.

Key word: should’ve

Why Hydration Matters So Much for Athletes

I always knew water was “important,” but once I started researching hydration for athletes, the numbers honestly surprised me:

• Even 1–2% dehydration can weaken performance, focus, and endurance

• Dehydrated athletes have a higher risk of cramps and muscle strains

• Water loss impacts reaction time, coordination, and mental clarity

• Teen athletes often need 80–100 oz per day, and double-sport athletes need even more

So, after one long practice week where I had headaches every day, my boyfriend Jax (who plays college football), my little brother Holden (an elite baseball player), and I started arguing about who actually drinks the most water. Naturally, it turned into a competition.

Our One Month Hydration Challenge

We decided to track our water intake for a whole month and answer reflection questions at the end about how we felt.

Jax

Jax committed instantly. College football players are literally drilled on hydration by their coaches, so he went all in and drank a full gallon (128 oz) every single day. I watched him carry his giant Stanley cup everywhere like it was part of his uniform.

By the end of the month, he said he actually felt better than normal. He told me he was waking up earlier without feeling tired, and he could get through morning lifts without dragging. His legs felt lighter, his muscles didn’t lock up as much, and he wasn’t cramping—ever.

Me

I aimed for around 60 oz a day, which for me was already a huge improvement. I’m constantly bouncing between cheer jumps, stunting, tumbling, running drills, and playing full field hockey games, so I assumed I’d feel perfect once I started drinking more water.

The interesting thing was that I still felt tired, because being in two sports is just exhausting, but my body changed in other ways. My muscles felt smoother during games. I wasn’t cramping nearly as much. I felt more flexible, especially in the mornings. And during field hockey, my legs didn’t feel as heavy when I sprinted.

So even if I didn’t magically wake up with Jax-level energy, the difference in my muscles was real.

Holden

Then there was Holden.

My little brother decided he was “fine” and stuck to his usual two bottles of water a day, which is maybe 32 oz total. He insisted that he  “doesn’t need that much.”

By the end of the month, he was basically proving my point for me.

He said his back felt tight, his shoulders were stiff, and he felt sluggish at practice. He got tired faster while hitting and complained that his muscles were constantly sore.

What the Challenge Actually Taught Us

When we compared our answers at the end of the month, the pattern couldn’t have been clearer:

The more water someone drank, the better they felt, physically and mentally.

Jax had the best month performance-wise, and the only major difference between us was that he doubled my water intake. I didn’t feel as energized as him, but drinking more water noticeably improved my flexibility, soreness, and how my muscles responded during games.

And Holden, he learned the hard way.

What shocked me most wasn’t the challenge itself but seeing how quickly hydration affected all of us. Our bodies were responding every single day.

Final Reflections

Being a double athlete means I’m always thinking about performance, recovery, soreness, stretches, game days, and self-care. But hydration is one of the few things that affects all of those areas at once.

This challenge made me realize that water isn’t just something athletes should “try” to drink. It’s something that controls how your muscles move, how your brain functions, how fast you recover, and how energized you feel.

Watching the differences between me, Jax, and Holden made hydration feel like the most underrated performance tool we’ve all been ignoring.