2023 PINES IOC sports nutrition scholarship winners

With the generous support of Sportsoracle, PINES is able to offer a few scholarships for members studying for the 2023 IOC Diploma in Sports Nutrition.

We are pleased to announce the two PINES members who were successful in their application for the Scholarship. Congratulations Maya and Maria.

Maya du Plessis – South Africa

As a registered dietitian, my passion for promoting sports nutrition in South Africa and my rapidly growing athlete client base sparked my interest in applying for the IOC diploma in Sports Nutrition. South Africans are extremely passionate about sports, whether we are competing in sports or just cheering on the grandstands. Sport is a shared passion and interest for most South Africans, regardless of their culture, financial status, language or race, and can bring our often divided country together. Whenever any national team plays, our country is united as one, we forget about our financial disparity and cultural differences to come together and support our national team. This is the spirit of Ubuntu (Oneness) that sport creates in South Africa. Although sport is such an important part of our culture there are only a handful of sports dietitians in South Africa. For context; The Springbok Rugby team, our nation’s most celebrated and highest-paid sports team, only started employing a team dietitian for the first time 3 years ago. Principally, this is because many people are still unaware of what dietitians are able to offer them. Furthermore, we currently don’t have any sport nutrition programs available in South Africa.

In my work as a dietitian and as an amateur triathlete and trail runner I often find that the public is very misinformed about proper sports nutrition and athletes often train on outdated and wrong nutrition regimes. I often give talks to sports clubs on the basics of sports nutrition but would love to extend and deepen my knowledge on this subject. I work in private practice in South Africa in the beautiful town of Stellenbosch, Cape Town. Stellenbosch is a unique town in that it is only 10 sq. km in size but is very well-known nationwide for its sports culture. Stellenbosch is home to many professional athletes and exercise-focused individuals due to its excellent facilities and close proximity to South Africa’s best trail running and mountain biking routes. Stellenbosch also boasts many top sports institutions such as Stellenbosch University’s high-performance sport unit, Paul Roos Gymnasium; one of the best Rugby schools, and Stellenbosch Academy of Sport; home to the Springbok sevens rugby team and many visiting foreign teams. Many top athletes from Europe come to train in Stellenbosch because of the excellent weather here.

Although I see many athletes in my practice I still have so much to learn about sports nutrition, so that I am better equipped to help my clients reach their full potential. Not only will the Sports Nutrition Diploma help me to better assist my current and future clients, but I also want to volunteer my skills with the many sports NGOs in South Africa to bring proper sports nutrition to all aspiring athletes regardless of financial status and upbringing. Deficient nutrition already contributes to many gifted athletes in South Africa not reaching their full potential. My dream is to promote sports nutrition in South Africa, where the sport is so intertwined with our culture, unity and being. Being awarded a scholarship for the Nutrition Diploma will help immensely.

Maria Vallasciani – United States of America

I am currently a sports and clinical dietitian and nurse, owner of MVNUTRITION. I have worked in the field of nutrition for almost 12 years and in the sports nutrition field for 4 years. I have about 700 athletes under my service. I have discovered so many gaps in nutrition mainly in the areas of pediatric and female athlete nutrition. I take a solid educational approach and I want to teach athletes. I think I am already making a difference in changing the sports nutrition culture but the more I dig into the field, the more complex it gets and the higher the need to be a better professional to meet athletes’ needs. I work with athletes all around the United States, Europe and South America. I attend conferences, webinars, and networking events because I believe education and staying up to date with evidenced base information will make a difference. I support many athletes at no cost cause many immigrants do not have the possibility of affording nutrition support. I am an athlete myself so I understand where they are coming from. I hope to continue to be able to support athletes and their families as well as to spread the word about sports nutrition in the athletic community.

I was born in Argentina and came to the United States when I was 18 years old to play NCAA Division 1 college tennis at Florida International University (FIU). I completed a BS in Dietetics and Nutrition, one in Psychology and an MS in Dietetics and Nutrition at FIU and obtained my RD.
I worked at multiple long-term care facilities and in 2014 I got hired at Jackson Memorial Hospital. I became a Certified Nutrition Support Specialist (CNSC) and later on, I transferred to Holtz Children’s Hospital where I am currently their NICU Dietitian.

At the same time, I became a lactation consultant and pursued a BS in Nursing (BSN) obtaining my Registered Nurse License. While completing this clinical work, I pursued continued education in Sports Nutrition and in 2020 I opened MVNUTRITION, a private practice where I work mainly with athletes and young athletes. I recently completed the first year of the Diploma in Sports Nutrition with the International Olympic Committee; I am completing ISAK 1 certification and taking the CSSD in January 2023.

After this, I am planning on possibly turning the IOC Diploma into an MS degree and I will pursue my MS in Nursing with the goal of becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner that can specialise in Sports Medicine and combine Sports Nutrition and Medicine to help athletes in a more integral and comprehensive way.

I am also a long-distance triathlete competing in Ironman and Marathon races which have helped tremendously in understanding my athletes and their challenges.