Katherine Geiger, a girl on the Varsity team playing singles, played a match against Mount Vernon on March 22. In the middle of the match, she got a cramp in her left hamstring. “It was a terrible pain that wouldn’t go away, every time I stepped on my left leg it hurt,” Geiger said.

Some athletes are told by their coaches to swallow a few spoons of mustard to fight off leg cramps. One reason mustard may be effective for this is because the condiment contains acetic acid ( a component of vinegar), which prompts the body to produce more acetylcholine. “It wasn’t really affective until I got home so I probably won’t be doing that again,” Geiger said.

Geiger lost her match against her opponent but did not give up throughout the whole match. “It affected my playing a lot because it was annoying me and I kept thinking about it. I couldn’t focus as well as I usually can in my matches. But all my teammates were cheering me on which helped me a lot,” Geiger said.

“I have hated the taste of mustard all my life. But since I was in my match and trying to win, I decided to give it a shot. It tasted so gross and when I would eat it, it would sometimes hit the back of my throat, which caused me to gag,” Geiger said.

She said even though she had a small hiccup in that game, she still loves to play and will continue to do so.