I am a Sports Performance Dietitian with 13 years of personal experience as a competitive swimmer. My athletic background drove my interest in this career field when I discovered the significant impact nutrition has on sports performance.
Growing up in Minnesota, I gained my professional work experience with the NHL Minnesota Wild, NBA Minnesota Timberwolves, Shattuck-St. Mary’s Boarding School, NFL Combine players adjacent to the Minnesota Vikings, and North Dakota State University Division I Athletics. Most recently, I worked with 10 Olympic Sports teams at West Virginia University as the Assistant Director of Olympic Sports Nutrition for this Big 12 program. The teams I solely managed included: Men’s Basketball, Women’s Basketball, Men’s Swim and Dive, Women’s Swim and Dive, Wrestling, Tennis, Volleyball, Track and Field, Cross Country, and Golf.
I obtained my Bachelor of Science Degree in Dietetics as well as my Dual Master of Science Degree in Exercise / Nutrition Science from North Dakota State University. While in grad school, I conducted both sports nutrition and exercise science thesis research with a local club swim team including swimmers ages 12-18 years old. I worked with them to evaluate how my evidence-based nutrition protocols and recovery modalities can support swimmer’s shoulder and expedite recovery between sessions. With this information, I wrote 110 pages of thesis research and presented these results at the national sports nutrition conference in May 2023.
I enjoy spending time with my family, going on nature walks, trying new recipes, lifting weights, and swimming. I truly believe any athlete can improve their performance by optimizing their nutrition while still maintaining enjoyment at meal times and eating their favorite foods.
Chella LaMere, Nutrition Coach
North Dakota State University