Cornell's chocolate milk fills refuelling gap

Ithaca, New York

THROUGHOUT the school year, Cornell's strength and conditioning centre is filled with a chorus of clanging weights and thumping rock music.

Posters in the entrance to the centre instruct athletes - from 135kg offensive linemen to 1.52-metre-tall field hockey players - to refuel their bodies after sweat-inducing workouts.

But the suggested products are not jugs of protein powder or sports energy drinks commonly found around gyms; instead, they use locally produced 226-gram bottles of 1 per cent low-fat chocolate milk, similar to what is found in standard school lunches.

At Cornell, the benefits of having an on-campus dairy extend beyond a diverse dining hall menu with pumpkin cheesecake and Bavarian raspberry fudge ice cream flavours. Since January 2014, Cornell's athletic department has teamed w…