SPUD-TACULAR

While football is a spec-tater sport – the training schedule for the Boise State Broncos is cookin’ up a show of its own.

Here’s some food for thought: Instead of the routine way college football teams train – running around the field for cardio, some short intense sprinting and tactical drills, try to imagine just how these players prepare for their weekly gridiron battles by honoring their Idaho culture? Still chipping away at the answer?

Want to know their secret weapon? Idaho Potatoes

The players can be seen running up and down the steps of their home stadium, throwing, catching, and sprinting with these bountiful burlap bags filled with tasty Idaho spuds. Unconventional? Maybe. But this unique method has been helping the Broncos prepare for their challenging 12 game schedule in recent years – and this year is no different.

2018 marks the eighth year the IPC has been the naming sponsor of the premier cold-weather college football bowl game. “Pairing America’s favorite potato with one of America’s favorite sports has proven to be very effective,” explained Frank Muir, President & CEO, IPC. “The brand awareness this bowl game generates among our target audience across the country is enormous. And, that’s extremely important because it helps increase demand for Idaho® potatoes, the state’s most important agricultural crop. The potato industry generates more than $4.5 billion in annual revenue and employs more than 30,000 people.”

Some Fun Potato Facts:

• The potato became the first vegetable to be grown in space in October 1995.
• The average American eats about 124 tons of potatoes per year.
• Idaho is the top producing state for potatoes and grows about 13 billion pounds of potatoes each year, including several brown russet varieties, reds, yellows, and fingerlings.
• Today potatoes are grown in all 50 states of the US and in about 125 countries throughout the world.

The Famous Idaho® Potato Bowl is one of 35 bowl games ESPN will televise over 17 days. The Famous Idaho® Potato Bowl is owned and operated by ESPN Events, a division of ESPN. Tickets go on sale to the general public in September through www.ticketmaster.com or the Bronco Stadium ticket office at (208) 426-4737. For premium ticket packages and sponsorship information contact the Famous Idaho® Potato Bowl office at (208) 424-1011.

For more information visit the Official Site of the Idaho Potato at Idahopotato.com

Visit the Potato Bowl at potatobowl.org

Watch the Broncos team members plowing through their unconventional potato prep program, getting ready for their upcoming season:

About The Idaho Potato Commission

Established in 1937, the IPC is a state agency responsible for promoting and protecting the famous “Grown in Idaho®” seal, a federally registered certification mark that assures consumers are purchasing genuine, top-quality Idaho® potatoes. Idaho’s growing season of warm days and cool nights, ample mountain-fed irrigation, and rich volcanic soil give Idaho® potatoes their unique texture, taste and dependable performance, which differentiates them from potatoes grown in other states.

Courtesy: Idaho Potatoes