Free-throws to Fueling Athletes: Jenny Zabinksy
Zabinsky is responsible for all nutrition and performance related concerns for varsity student-athletes, including individual counseling, team talks, body composition analysis using the Bod Pod, recovery nutrition plans, grocery store tours, training table menu planning, travel meal arrangements, managing the Nutrition Oasis and Fueling Stations, and supplement education.
Jenny played basketball at Roanoke College in Salem, Va., from 2001-2005. She finished second on the team in scoring and rebounding as a sophomore, averaging 10.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. As a junior, she also finished second in scoring and rebounding at 8.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, respectively. She averaged 8.1 points and 5.1 rebounds as a senior.
Jennie Zabinsky, the current Director of the Sports Nutrition program within Virginia Tech Athletics, understands the importance of food for female athletes. She was a starting player for Roanoke College for 4 years and majored in Sociology. Native to Northern Virginia, Zabinsky chose Roanoke College for its great balance of academics and athletics that fit her future goals. The private, liberal arts school did not provide athletic scholarships, which only inspired Zabinsky more to play for them. She was really passionate about basketball and it was a great environment for her to be a part of, knowing that everyone else was also there out of pure love for the game.
What worked best for Zabinsky was that she was able to play the sport she loved without making drastic sacrifices. Her education was very important to her, as she found her loved for wanting to understand people and work with people. She knew being a college professor wasn’t in the cards for her, so she needed to find another way to put her degree to us. So, for her capstone project, she did a study comparing eating habits and body image of female athletes and non-athletes. Zabinsky explains, “I discovered my interest for why people ate the way they did, how they thought about themselves physically, does that have anything to do with being an athlete or a non-athlete.” This ultimately led into her pursuit in the, at the time, new and up-in-coming career in sports nutrition.
Unfortunately, being a liberal arts school, Roanoke College did not offer many science classes or a dietetics program. But, through connections and research she discovered a graduate program right down the road at Virginia Tech. While studying there, she was also able to work in the sports nutrition program and with the current athletes. She quickly realized the advantage that athlete with nutritionists on staff have compared to programs that do not provide that kind of resource. These athlete were taught the best times to eat, what to eat, how certain foods impact your performance, consultation on supplementation, etc.
Over the years, Zabinsky eventually was offered a full-time position and has working as a Virginia Tech Athletics sports dietician since 2010. Since then, the sports nutrition program has grown from a $100/week budget to the current $2,000/week budget. She has implemented cooking demos, one-on-one consultations, has added 4 full-time staff to assist the growing demand for sport’s nutritionists, and has just recently got approved funding for an all-athlete dining hall.
Zabinsky has seen much success in her career on the court and off the court. She still identifies with that basketball player inside of her, as she still lives and fuels for performance in her daily life as a mother of two and a sports nutritionist to 250 student-athletes. She finds comfort in knowing she is making a huge impact on athletes and teaching them life skills that will carrying through, into life after college. “Make sure to take and reflect on what you think are healthy behaviors because that is blurred at this moment with social media and body image attention. Prioritize what is important and live for other things.”
Connect with Jenny on LinkedIn here.