Can you believe that it’s mid-December already? The Christmas season is upon us, which usually means decorating the house for the holidays, sending out Christmas cards, hosting parties, attending parties, baking, shopping, wrapping...the list goes on and on! One thing that is always on my list as we near the end of the year is to reflect on the past twelve months.

Professionally, it’s been a great year, I had the opportunity to work with many new and returning athletes on an individual basis and in a team/group atmosphere, I was able to put into practice many great skills that I learned during my two years in the IOC Diploma in Sports Nutrition and also had the opportunity to attend the 4-Day Intensive Sport Nutrition Course in Calgary.
This wonderful education opportunity has been offered to Canadian Registered Dietitian’s (RD’s) bi-annually since 2009. The concept originates from Australia, where completing this course is the end of the journey to become certified as a Sport Dietitian in the country. As there is no formal education for RD’s here in Canada, the Dietitians of Canada Sport Nutrition Network (DC SNN) co-chairs at the time, Jenn Gibson and Jorie Janzen, started working on the idea of having the Aussies come to Canada to teach this course.

As a new RD in 2009 (I graduated from Internship in 2008), I jumped on the opportunity to attend in Victoria, for the first ever course. We spent four days learning from the experts from Australia and networking with RD’s from across our country. Including the word “intensive” in the title is an understatement, four full, eight+ hour days definitely deserves a different “word” in the title!
In 2011, I had the opportunity to assist with ground-work during the course in Winnipeg, and as co-chair of the DC SNN, was again able to assist in Calgary this past November. Over the years, the course has taken a more “Canadian” vibe, by including Canadian presenters, winter sports, and calling the sport “soccer” vs “football”! This year’s event included six presenters (Trent Stellingwerff, Kelly Anne Erdman, Kelly Drager, Dana Lis, Erik Sesbreno and Christine Dziedzic), Tours of the CSIO (UofC campus and WinSport) and the Canada Sports Hall of Fame, supplement taste testing, hydration testing, Canadian athlete panel (saw two Olympic gold medals), and networking with 45 other amazing RD’s from our country who are either already working in sports nutrition or aspiring to.
Although my days were spent doing some running-around, I was able to sit-in on some of the sessions, which included Principles of Principles of Training and Exercise Physiology, Fueling for Daily Training, Hydration and Thermoregulation, Body Composition Analysis, Weight Gain and Protein Recommendations, Winter Sport Specifics, etc. Although it was my third experience, I still continue to learn new concepts and ideas from the most current research, while learning new practical ideas from attendees.

​I would recommend all RD’s working in sport, or with an interest in sport to pursue this learning opportunity. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran in the area or a new grad, there is always something new to learn! Stay tuned for information on the 2017 course...

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Thanks for visiting our blog! Each month, a different member will share their unique experiences working in our field, offer sport nutrition tips, and much more. Feel free to leave comments in the space provided below each post. If you are interested in working with any of the members who have posted on the blog, you can find their contact information on the Meet the Members page or click here.
MSNN Co-Chairs
​Marieke and Nicole