University of North Carolina- Wilmington
University of North Carolina- Wilmington Publication
"Eat To Defeat" is Crystal Zabka-Belsky's mantra and she'll be trying to accomplish just that with UNCW's student-athletes as the department begins a partnership with the experienced sports dietitian to educate and monitor the eating habits of the school's 300+ Seahawks.
Zabka-Belsky, from Omaha, Neb., has specialized in eating disorders in sports for nearly two decades, and will travel to North Carolina monthly to meet with the student-athletes, coaches and staff at UNCW.
"We're contracting with Crystal because our student-athletes indicated that this is a missing piece in our department," said Scott Hill, UNCW's longtime director of athletic training. "They wanted a sports dietitian to help with the nutritional needs they have.
"We want to achieve a better understanding of how proper nutrition can help with fueling our student-athletes optimally and help with increasing measurable data on strength, speed, agility, etc. We also want to make sure our entire athletic department is getting proper and correct nutritional counseling and practicing proper nutrition."
Zabka-Belsky has worked as a sports dietitian at OMNI Inventive Care (formally OMNI Behavioral Health) in Omaha since 2007, currently serving as the Global Director of Nutrition, Exercise & Health Promotion. She is the owner of Fierce Fueling and Performance, P.C. and provides private consulting for a variety of athletes, athletic programs and agencies nationwide. She currently serves as a contracted consultant for the Gatorade Sports Science Institute, both as a Sports Nutrition Consultant in the NBA G-League and as a Sport Scientist on the Sweat Testing Consultant Team, which includes working with college and professional athletes across the nation. Locally, in Nebraska, Crystal serves as a Sports Nutrition Consultant for the Omaha Gymnastics Academy and Warren Sports Academy.
"It's been eye-opening for UNCW's student-athletes," said Zabka-Belsky, who surveyed the Seahawk student-athletes. "Our goal is to have a cultural shift in the entire department and get everyone engaged and on board. We want to be able to demonstrate outcomes. We have established a baseline of what we're seeing and what the student-athletes need. We want to get buy-in to bring about better performance and less injuries."
Zabka-Belsky earned two Bachelor of Science Degrees in Exercise Science and Dietetics at the University of Nebraska in 2005 and completed her Master's of Science in Sports Nutrition and Exercise Science in 2007. She conducted an eating order assessment for student-athletes at Nebraska during her time with the Cornhuskers, along with associated published thesis research.
She is a Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics), Licensed Medical Nutrition Therapist (State of Nebraska) and Registered Dietitian (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics).
Zabka-Belsky has worked with a wide-range of athletes, ranging from elite youth gymnasts to Team USA Olympians like bobsledder Nicole Brungardt. Zabka-Belsky's clients have included student-athletes at Nebraska-Lincoln, Creighton, Nebraska-Omaha and other colleges in the Midwest.
Hill and Zabka-Belsky both believe the education of UNCW's student-athletes, coaches and staff will pay huge dividends in the near future.
According to Zabka-Belsky, "Our emphasis now is on individual education and we want it to grow into more team-oriented visits in the future. The biggest issue among athletes today is the lack of education and understanding of fueling needs to work out and sustain performance.
"Recovery is always an issue. Many athletes finish and they don't recover like they should. Understanding individualized hydration – understanding what you need and why you need it and what that looks like every 15 minutes during competition or a game-type situation - is also important. Nutrient timing is another essential factor."