Bobcat Fuel Playing Bigger Role as New Athletic Season Nears
8/1/2018 5:03:00 PM | General, Student Services, Student-Athletes
As the calendar flips to August, it signifies the start of another year in Bobcat Athletics. For Montana State’s sports dietitian, Brittney Patera, it means preparing for the influx of student-athletes that make their way through Brick Breeden Fieldhouse as fall semester courses begin
As the calendar flips to August, it signifies the start of another year in Bobcat Athletics. For Montana State's sports dietitian, Brittney Patera, it means preparing for the influx of student-athletes that make their way through Brick Breeden Fieldhouse as fall semester courses begin.
Patera was hired in February of 2017 and at that point she began the planning process to make the Bobcat Fuel Nutrition Center what it is today. She went around the athletic department and on campus connecting with others to find out what type of resources she had to work with. Patera communicated with Sports Facilities for a space to work out of, developed a set list of foods she wanted for MSU's student-athletes and began to look at staffing.
Those early steps got her foot in the door and Bobcat Fuel began to play its role initially with the MSU football program.
"We officially opened the fueling station on April 11, 2017, and that was open for the last month of school," Patera said. "Over the summer, we started working with football. We mainly managed their fueling station and that went into fall camp."
The importance of nutrition within the program from that point on became a focal point in the development of MSU's student-athletes.
"Nutrition is obviously a huge part of the whole equation," Bobcat football assistant coach B.J. Robertson said. "It kind of gives our guys a slight edge. Just getting something to top off their tanks so that they have that extra energy to make sure they're mentally and physically focused and able to have a great practice. And afterwards, it helps with the recovery process and maximizes their lifting so that they get the protein they need to maximize the work they're putting in."
Bobcat Fuel completed its first full year of operation this past April and has taken on a role with every team within the Montana State Athletics Department. While there has been a learning curve for several teams regarding nutrition, Bobcat Fuel has begun to find the niche it has with each program Patera said.
Patera brought up making adjustments like calorie counts and the amount of protein for each athlete, depending on the sport he or she competes in, as a learning portion of the occupation when catering to each team. She's discussed with student-athletes how to fuel for longer duration practices, completed mini nutrition classes and has done nutrition assessments for freshmen to get them started with meal plans.
The relationships she's built with MSU's student-athletes, while trying to help them succeed, is one of the elements that Patera has enjoyed most while building up Bobcat Fuel.
"The coaches have bought in and they push it more," Patera said. "Now I have athletes approach me. Things we're trying to work on they'll talk to me about. They'll reach out to me by text sometimes about trying a new fruit or vegetable, they'll ask how a meal sounds or look, they may even text me about grocery shopping. Now they're voluntarily reaching out."
Bobcat Fuel is located inside Brick Breeden Fieldhouse and sits on the main level on the north side of the building. It's a spot that's hard to miss if you're a Bobcat student-athlete. Whether you're walking from a class to your team's locker room, getting treatment in the Athletic Training Center, or working out in the D'Agostino Strength Training Center, you are in near sight of the fueling station.
"That space is awesome because anytime I need to see an athlete and I haven't, I can catch them when they're getting out of treatment or when they're done lifting," Patera said. "They're constantly walking by and it's easy to make more face-to-face contact with them. It's a good opportunity for me stop them and remind them of things and also use it as an education site."
Prior to joining MSU Athletics, Patera had spent time in athletic departments at the University at Buffalo, University of Cincinnati and the University of Washington. Her time at each university came under different titles, but at each she gained experience in the profession along the way. One of her biggest goals she continues to work towards is solidifying an internship program. Patera said she sees sports nutrition as the missing link in MSU's nutrition program. Montana State students can have the same hands-on practice she had at each stop she's made through Bobcat Fuel.
"Early this summer I hadn't had as many student reach out as last year," Patera said. "I've started to develop an internship program and I've already had a good response. My goal is to just get students more experience and eventually assign them to teams. It would allow the teams to have even more support."
The success of Bobcat Fuel wouldn't be possible without several partnerships with businesses in the Gallatin Valley. Support through them in food and nutrition options allows for Bobcat student-athletes to take advantage of what Bobcat Fuel has to offer. It also has given Montana State Athletics an edge when it comes to putting its student-athletes in a position to thrive.
"This puts us on the same par as some of the elite programs," Robertson said. "We have some of the same options. It just validates 'hey, that coach is trying to do as much as he can for the players.' Obviously, we value their hard work, but also we're trying to maximize all the hard work they're putting in."
Patera still has plenty of goals for Bobcat Fuel in the near future. The fueling station isn't able to be open 24 hours of the day and some teams have to travel at different locations and time periods. Finding a way to work around those customary situations is something Bobcat Fuel will try to tackle next.
"I'd like to offer more nutritional support for all of the teams," Patera said. "Teams are setting aside money from their budget for nutrition. My goal by next summer would be to have satellite fueling stations for each team. That means they'd have a cart out at practice that they could use, so it'd cut down the hours of the fueling station and have those offered to them for fueling and recovery when it's actually needed."
Bobcat Fuel has fit a need for the student-athletes that walk through the halls in Brick Breeden Fieldhouse since it began over a year ago. Patera hopes to continue to grow the influence of nutrition so each Bobcat athlete understands its effect in competition.
"They're feeling the difference and impact it has on their performance," Patera said. "It's a good feeling going from where I started to now in how they feel about nutrition."
Patera was hired in February of 2017 and at that point she began the planning process to make the Bobcat Fuel Nutrition Center what it is today. She went around the athletic department and on campus connecting with others to find out what type of resources she had to work with. Patera communicated with Sports Facilities for a space to work out of, developed a set list of foods she wanted for MSU's student-athletes and began to look at staffing.
Those early steps got her foot in the door and Bobcat Fuel began to play its role initially with the MSU football program.
"We officially opened the fueling station on April 11, 2017, and that was open for the last month of school," Patera said. "Over the summer, we started working with football. We mainly managed their fueling station and that went into fall camp."
The importance of nutrition within the program from that point on became a focal point in the development of MSU's student-athletes.
"Nutrition is obviously a huge part of the whole equation," Bobcat football assistant coach B.J. Robertson said. "It kind of gives our guys a slight edge. Just getting something to top off their tanks so that they have that extra energy to make sure they're mentally and physically focused and able to have a great practice. And afterwards, it helps with the recovery process and maximizes their lifting so that they get the protein they need to maximize the work they're putting in."
Bobcat Fuel completed its first full year of operation this past April and has taken on a role with every team within the Montana State Athletics Department. While there has been a learning curve for several teams regarding nutrition, Bobcat Fuel has begun to find the niche it has with each program Patera said.
Patera brought up making adjustments like calorie counts and the amount of protein for each athlete, depending on the sport he or she competes in, as a learning portion of the occupation when catering to each team. She's discussed with student-athletes how to fuel for longer duration practices, completed mini nutrition classes and has done nutrition assessments for freshmen to get them started with meal plans.
The relationships she's built with MSU's student-athletes, while trying to help them succeed, is one of the elements that Patera has enjoyed most while building up Bobcat Fuel.
"The coaches have bought in and they push it more," Patera said. "Now I have athletes approach me. Things we're trying to work on they'll talk to me about. They'll reach out to me by text sometimes about trying a new fruit or vegetable, they'll ask how a meal sounds or look, they may even text me about grocery shopping. Now they're voluntarily reaching out."
Bobcat Fuel is located inside Brick Breeden Fieldhouse and sits on the main level on the north side of the building. It's a spot that's hard to miss if you're a Bobcat student-athlete. Whether you're walking from a class to your team's locker room, getting treatment in the Athletic Training Center, or working out in the D'Agostino Strength Training Center, you are in near sight of the fueling station.
"That space is awesome because anytime I need to see an athlete and I haven't, I can catch them when they're getting out of treatment or when they're done lifting," Patera said. "They're constantly walking by and it's easy to make more face-to-face contact with them. It's a good opportunity for me stop them and remind them of things and also use it as an education site."
Prior to joining MSU Athletics, Patera had spent time in athletic departments at the University at Buffalo, University of Cincinnati and the University of Washington. Her time at each university came under different titles, but at each she gained experience in the profession along the way. One of her biggest goals she continues to work towards is solidifying an internship program. Patera said she sees sports nutrition as the missing link in MSU's nutrition program. Montana State students can have the same hands-on practice she had at each stop she's made through Bobcat Fuel.
"Early this summer I hadn't had as many student reach out as last year," Patera said. "I've started to develop an internship program and I've already had a good response. My goal is to just get students more experience and eventually assign them to teams. It would allow the teams to have even more support."
The success of Bobcat Fuel wouldn't be possible without several partnerships with businesses in the Gallatin Valley. Support through them in food and nutrition options allows for Bobcat student-athletes to take advantage of what Bobcat Fuel has to offer. It also has given Montana State Athletics an edge when it comes to putting its student-athletes in a position to thrive.
"This puts us on the same par as some of the elite programs," Robertson said. "We have some of the same options. It just validates 'hey, that coach is trying to do as much as he can for the players.' Obviously, we value their hard work, but also we're trying to maximize all the hard work they're putting in."
Patera still has plenty of goals for Bobcat Fuel in the near future. The fueling station isn't able to be open 24 hours of the day and some teams have to travel at different locations and time periods. Finding a way to work around those customary situations is something Bobcat Fuel will try to tackle next.
"I'd like to offer more nutritional support for all of the teams," Patera said. "Teams are setting aside money from their budget for nutrition. My goal by next summer would be to have satellite fueling stations for each team. That means they'd have a cart out at practice that they could use, so it'd cut down the hours of the fueling station and have those offered to them for fueling and recovery when it's actually needed."
Bobcat Fuel has fit a need for the student-athletes that walk through the halls in Brick Breeden Fieldhouse since it began over a year ago. Patera hopes to continue to grow the influence of nutrition so each Bobcat athlete understands its effect in competition.
"They're feeling the difference and impact it has on their performance," Patera said. "It's a good feeling going from where I started to now in how they feel about nutrition."
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