MERIDIAN, Idaho — Dairy West has awarded the University of Idaho $30,000 as part of the Sports Nutrition Partnership Grant.
 
University of Idaho is one of six organizations Dairy West is partnering with to educate athletes about the importance of fueling for performance and highlight dairy foods as an optimal fueling choice.
 
Collectively, nearly 2,000 athletes — including more than 300 at the University of Idaho — will gain cutting-edge sports nutrition education through the Dairy West partnership.
 
"We thank Dairy West for selecting the University of Idaho as a recipient in the Sports Nutrition Partnership Grant. This will provide an immediate impact on our student-athletes and allow the UI Athletics Fueling Center to expand its current offerings through new portable equipment and integration of nutrition education programming. We are all excited to be partnered with Dairy West," said Terry Gawlik, Director of Athletics at the University of Idaho.
 
Education includes: team talks on nutrition goal setting, fueling in the off season and nutrient timing, grocery store tours, cooking demonstrations and more. New portable equipment will offer fueling options during training, including local dairy foods. Funding also allows greater collaboration and support from a multi-disciplinary team including dietitians, sports nutritionists, exercise physiologists, and athletic trainers.
 
"Partnering with performance teams to support athletes is exactly the reason dairy farm families are passionate about our sports nutrition programs," Dairy West health and wellness manager and sports nutrition lead Jaclyn St. John, a registered dietitian nutritionist, said. "Dairy foods provide the optimal combination of carbohydrates and protein to maximize performance."
 
Dairy West launched the opportunity — its first-ever competitive sports nutrition grant — this summer. Performance teams could apply for up to $30,000 — including up to $25,000 in programmatic funding and up to $5,000 for dairy food — and nine organizations applied.
 
Dairy West is a regional dairy promotion organization established in 2017 to represent dairy farmers, processors, and supply chain partners in Idaho and Utah. The organization raises awareness of the importance of dairy farming, promotes the health and nutritional benefits of dairy foods, and encourages global demand for Idaho, Utah, and Western U.S. dairy foods through coordinated marketing and communications efforts, nutrition counseling, and research programs. Visit DairyWest.com and Unbottled.com for more information.