Puerto Montt’s good campaign in the Second Division Championship is not only attractive because of the correct performance of those led by Jaime Vera. Also due to a very particular fact in the midst of the economic difficulties faced by the club: the team has its own chef and, in each concentration, the southerners self-manage their own food to alleviate, in some way, expenses. This is Freddy Lazcani, who spoke with AS, telling details of his new work.
“This arose from working together with the new board to give the players good nutrition. With the calories they need and also advised by a nutritionist, who defines what they need so that the work on the field goes well,” said Lazcani.
– Do you accompany the team mainly during concentrations?
– Yes, every weekend. During the week, food is also provided to the players in the stadium, but I am not there. In the concentrations I go with another young man who is the one who helps me. He buys all the things that the nutritionist orders us and based on that I prepare their meals. We have our cooking implements and wherever we travel we have everything.
– Is the campus concentrated in some place that has a kitchen, of course?
– Yes, of course, it has to be like that. Let it be a suitable environment, they are not luxurious places, like in other teams, we already know, because the budgets are not there to pay for such an expensive hotel. We adapt to everything, the kids understand and the teacher (Jaime Vera) too. So far everything has gone super well.
– Was it difficult to realize the idea once it arose?
– This was proposed by Don Elías Lazcani, he is my cousin and, since I dedicate myself to this, he told me if we could do it. I have been with other teams and have some experience. Apart from that, the nutritionist is supporting us, she is with us every day. She is proposing what I have to cook for them, with a minute. Everything is together.
-How did the team receive it?
– The boys are all young, very calm. So far we haven’t had any problems. They follow the orders of the teacher and those of us who are feeding them. It has been super special, it has formed like a family bond more than anything. The nutritionist is the one in charge, I follow his orders and the kids do the same.
– Do you find the food good?
– Yes, super good. The truth is that I have not had any complaints. The teacher congratulated me, he told me that the food was very good. It’s a little different from what he’s used to, but we’ve gotten used to it well. Everyone helps themselves to their food, now we are giving them plenty of broth. They like that. We also help the kids who don’t have many resources with food so that their daily lives are good for them and they can train properly.
-How was the experience of being part of a technical staff and sharing the intimacy of professional competition?
– Everything has been a new experience, but I have taken it as if it were family. We are connected to the players, we know each other, we see each other regularly. If they need something in the food, we’ll talk about it. We have tested them in case any of them have any food allergies. We are all settled now and if we lose, we will continue working with even more enthusiasm. I want to see Puerto Montt succeed.
– Could what you are doing be extended to other clubs?
– Could be, why not. I think this is going to continue moving forward. Our team is a young team. None of those here are successful players and the resources are not what other big teams have. For this reason, we have to take care of their diet and the teacher is also very strict in training. In the first days it was noticeable that there was a lack of food. We have been studying this with the nutritionist, the kinesiologist also sees it and the teacher has told me that the demands in training have been increasing. Based on the diet they have had, they have been able to perform.
– Do you combine your work in Puerto Montt with other jobs?
– Yes, I have other jobs, but on the day of concentration I focus only on Puerto Montt. I live in Chillán and my family is from Puerto Montt, but I have also lived there, so I am like another Puertomontino. This started before the start of the championship and I committed to the leaders. Now I am the chef at heart of Puerto Montt. I’m already 44 years old and I’ve been doing this for about 20 years. When we play at home, I travel one or two days before and I start preparing everything that has to do with food.
