The Texas Wesleyan football team prepares for their upcoming games every week with an ice bath. They fill large black tubs with icy cold water and sit in it for at least five minutes each outside of the Brown-Lupton Campus Center.  

Head Coach Joe Prud’homme implemented the ice bath this football season to help the player’s body heal from the intensive workouts during the week. 

“At the end of the week, they’ve got so much inflammation built up, this is just a way of just shrinking down everything and getting all the soreness out,” Prud’homme said.

Breathing techniques helps defensive back Jamarrion Reed as he waits out his five minutes. “After like five minutes, when you catch your breathing, you can’t feel nothing,” he said. “So, it’s just like you just sitting in there.” 

Once Reed sat in the water for about 15 to 20 minutes. Line back Dylan Pettway usually sits in the cold water for five to 10 minutes.  

“I feel like the ice bath is really beneficial for everybody because it makes everybody fresh right before the game,” Pettway said. “It has been a key to our success.” 

Defensive lineman Kobe Adams prefers to wait until the end to take the plunge so he can enjoy the process. “I like to take my time to just get my own moment and just be present in the moment and just enjoy the coldness, embrace it. You trying to be comfortable being uncomfortable,” he said. 

“We do it the Friday before the game and that way they have a chance to recover, and it just freshens them up for the game,” Prud’homme said. 

The TxWes Rams next game is against Louisiana Christian University on Sat. Oct. 22 at 2 p.m. in Pineville, Louisiana.