Purdue nutrition and dietetics student helps power Boilermaker men’s basketball through Athletics fueling stations

Written By: Rebecca Hoffa, rhoffa@purdue.edu

Reporting Contributed By: Tim Brouk, tbrouk@purdue.edu

Gabriel Pickart stocks a fueling station for Purdue student-athletes.(Purdue University Photo/Tim Brouk)

Long before tipoff, getting the Purdue University men’s basketball players ready to perform begins in a fully stocked food fueling station tucked inside the team’s training facilities. There, Department of Nutrition Science senior Gabriel Pickart spends his shifts blending smoothies, preparing recovery snacks and making sure the Boilermakers have the nutrition they need to compete at the highest levels.

“It is really cool, not only being able to see some of the athletes whenever I’m in the locker room helping stock stuff or getting products around Mackey (Arena), but with all the athletes and great basketball players who have come and gone through the years, it makes me feel lucky to have a program like this here at Purdue,” Pickart said. “It not only allows me to get a little bit more into what it is to be a dietitian but also what it is to be a dietitian at a big school like Purdue, especially with a great basketball team like ours.”

Pickart, who studies nutrition and dietetics, left his home in Hingham, Massachusetts, for West Lafayette for the opportunities that a Big Ten university would provide to initially find his fit in exploratory studies and ultimately gain an exceptional education in nutrition once he narrowed down his major.

“When I was in high school and ran cross country and track, I had a dietitian come in for a couple of times, kind of talked to her a little bit about what she does,” Pickart said. “I was really interested, especially because it helped me a lot more with my recovery when I knew what to do and why I needed to take certain supplements or change my diet. So, when I was figuring out my major, I decided to reach back out to my high school dietitian and learn a little bit more about what she did and about her schooling. This gave me the chance to pursue nutrition and dietetics here and ultimately sports nutrition.”

Under the direction of Rachel Clark (HHS ’98), clinical assistant professor of nutrition science, and Lauren Link (HHS ’11), assistant athletic director of sports nutrition, Pickart has found ways to put his nutrition and dietetics knowledge into practice in a real-world setting.

“Working at the fueling station helps me utilize my nutrition education because not only do we see it in action, whether an athlete takes a certain bar, snack or just generally getting energy with their carbs, but we see them take those different types of snacks that can help them, whether they’re going to do their workout in back facilities by the weight room, or they’re heading to practice somewhere else,” Pickart said. “We can see that not only did they choose something that would be good for them nutritionally but something that can benefit their health, their workout and their game days too.”

For Pickart, these opportunities to engage in sports nutrition as an undergrad are what sets Purdue apart from other universities. While no longer an athlete per se, Pickart has even noticed his work in the fueling station influencing his own health.

“Since Lauren Link and Rachel Clark also do lectures, they’ll teach you a little bit more about why they select certain foods, and that’s how I’ve also kind of shaped my own diet too,” Pickart said. “I love to run still, even though I don’t do it as much as I used to. I’ll eat foods and have supplements to help me with my inflammation, making sure I get the right amount of protein, especially as I’ve grown a little bit. Utilizing the information I’ve gathered from this program has helped me get better at recovering and also get better at building myself back up after a workout.”

Pickart hopes to continue his education in Purdue’s College of Health and Human Sciences as a graduate student next year with the goal of becoming a registered dietitian nutritionist.

“I feel like I’ve made a solid group of people I know and friends I made along the way here,” Pickart said. “I’d love to continue my nutrition education here and then take the national test to become a registered dietitian.”