Pre-Order · part of the Under the Lights system
Recovery shakes for every athlete — funded by parents, not your budget.
Pre-Order is an optional program where parents pay for their own athlete’s post-workout recovery shakes. Coaches hand them out after practice, Critical Reload runs the sign-up, payments, and shipping — and your program keeps $4K–$10K+ per year with $0 out of the athletic budget.
In the field
80 athletes · 8-week cycle · $X,XXX raised
Inside Under the Lights
Four layers.
One system.
Under the Lights is Critical Reload’s complete athlete-nutrition system for schools. Pre-Order is the optional layer that funds it.
01 · Education
Stream
— builds awareness
02 · Planning
Calculator
— provides structure
03 · Accountability
KPI
— creates visibility
04 · Sustainability
Pre-Order
— you are here
Most departments aren't struggling to start. They're struggling to sustain.
Without a sustainability layer
Fueling depends on the line item surviving budget season.
Traditional fundraising
Labor-intensive. Disconnected from athletes.
Coach as salesperson
Repeated explaining. Order-taking. Inventory guesswork.
With Pre-Order Support
Parent-funded by cycle. Zero impact on the AD’s budget.
Pre-Order cycle
Structured 8-week cycle. Tied directly to recovery.
Coach as coach
CR runs enrollment + processing. Coach distributes.
How the model works
One cycle. Three working parts.
Parent-funded · 8-week cycle · Repeatable
01
Private school-branded enrollment
Built & maintained by CR
02
Scheduled 8-week fueling cycle
Athletes receive post-workout fueling during the cycle. Distribution stays embedded in the existing training routine — managed by coaches, not by orders.
03
Cycle ends · school receives check
Structured athlete support — not random fundraising.
Typical example
What an 80-athlete cycle looks like.
Example only · model with the calculator for your numbers
Sample scenario
Most common
80 athletes · 8-week cycle
Participating athletes
80
Cycle
ength
8 wk
Servings / athlete
~40
Cycles /
year
2–5
Per-school yearly support range
$4K–$10K+
AD budget impact
$0
How the range works: low end ≈ 2 cycles a year, high end ≈ 5. Each athlete’s parent pays ~$64.80 per 8-week cycle (~$1.62/serving × ~40 servings). Parent-funded — CR handles processing, shipping & reporting; the school receives a check at each milestone. Your program’s exact share is confirmed on the planning call.
Run your own numbers
Pre-Order Calculator
Founder walkthrough
3-minute calculator demo
Optional uplift
Athlete scholarship fund
Parent experience · Family layer
What parents
actually see.
Private · school-branded · zero coach-side admin
A clear sign-up. The schedule.
The purpose. Done.
- Branded for your school — colors, mascot, AD signature.
- Clear schedule — start date, end date, distribution days.
- What the athlete receives — per-serving cost, total servings, the science.
- Reminders + re-enrollment — handled by CR, not by coaches.
- Safety + ingredient transparency — Informed Choice for Sport certified.
◆ STRONG ROCK
Pre-Order
Cycle 02 · Fall · Football
Fuel your athlete for the 8-week cycle.
Athlete name
Slade T.
Servings
~40 / cycle
Distribution
Mon · Wed · Fri
Cycle total
$64.80
Enroll athlete →
§ What you don't have to build
The support around the cycle.
8 supporting layers · all CR-managed
01 · Planning
Pre-Order Calculator
02 · Product
Recovery shake
Informed Choice for Sport certified. ~$1.99 per serving.
03 · Delivery
Dispenser options
04 · Operations
Dispenser ops guide
05 · Family
Parent messaging templates
06 · Volume
Volunteer program
Parent/coach helpers — keeps coaches focused on training.
07 · Access
Scholarship support tools
08 · Education
Performance fueling resources
The intent is sustainability of the system — not a catalog of upsells.
§ The predictable cycle
Four steps. Then it just repeats.
8-week cycles · 4–5 per year · 0 new staff
01
Week 0
Enrollment opens
02
Wk 1–8
Active fueling cycle
03
Wk 6
Re-enrollment opens
04
Wk 8+
Milestone check + next cycle ships
Programs don’t restart. They continue. Most schools run 4–5 cycles a year on the same operational rhythm.
Compliance & positioning
Why schools view this differently.
01 · Compliance clarity
Designed to fit a school environment.
- Fueling is distributed by coaches after training.
- It is not soldduring the school day.
- Students are not acting as sellers.
- Does not conflict withUSDA Smart Snackguidelines.
- Supported by many schools and state associations.
02 · Pre-Order vs. traditional
Tied to athlete care — not unrelated product sales.
Traditional fundraising
Pre-Order Support
Selling unrelated items
Enrolling in a cycle
Volunteer-heavy
CR-managed
§ Three perspectives
What schools tell us mid-cycle.
AD · coach · parent
Tommy Webb
Athletic Director
$8,400 · Cycle 02
Tobias Jacobi
Head Strength Coach
78 of 80 enrolled
Laura Turner
Parent + Pediatric RN · two athletes enrolled
Family-aligned
Booster President
Multi-sport program · 400 athletes · Year 2
$10K+ / year · 3 cycles
Outcomes are from active Pre-Order schools. Dollar figures reflect a single 8-week cycle unless a yearly total is noted; results vary with enrollment and number of cycles run. Full references available on request.
§ Common questions
What ADs ask before a first cycle.
The questions athletic directors raise before running a first cycle — answered up front. If yours isn’t here, it’s the first thing we cover on the call.
No. Pre-Order is optional. Under the Lights installs without it — Stream, Calculator, KPI, and parent alignment all run on their own. Pre-Order exists as a sustainability layer for schools that want a parent-funded path to consistent fueling.
No. Fueling is distributed by coaches after training, not sold during the school day, and students are not acting as sellers — so it does not conflict with USDA Smart Snack guidelines.
Pre-Order is embedded in training, cycle-based, and directly supports recovery — instead of selling unrelated items like cookie dough or spirit cards. CR runs enrollment and logistics so coaches keep coaching.
Hand out shakes after practice. Critical Reload builds the enrollment page, processes payments, ships product, and handles reporting and re-enrollment.
Yes. Many programs route a portion of cycle proceeds to an athlete scholarship fund or to equipment — your program’s allocation is confirmed on the planning call.
Scholarship support tools and sponsor templates are included so cost never gates participation. Many programs use cycle proceeds to cover athletes who need support.
Most schools run 4–5 eight-week cycles a year on the same operational rhythm, with re-enrollment opening before each cycle ends so there’s no gap.
The school receives a check at each milestone as the cycle progresses, and the next cycle’s product arrives in time for the next training phase.
Next step
Pick the next step that
fits your cycle calendar.
Primary · ready to plan a cycle
15-minute Pre-Order walkthrough
Secondary · still scoping