o No. 1 Duke on Saturday qualified as a step forward . And Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski gave the Nittany Lions high

Shes never thrown a 45-yard pass, tried to block a blitzing linebacker or drawn up the Xs and Os of zone pass coverage, yet Jennifer Gibson is right there on the Chicago Bears sideline for every practice and game. Tucked among the behemoth linemen, coaches and training staff is a fit, 36-year-old Canadian with long, blonde hair dressed in Bears colors whos in her second season as the teams sport science coordinator and sport dietitian. Her goal: to help every athlete on the roster perform at his highest level.Gibson came to the Bears after several years working with the U.S. and Canadian Olympic programs, guiding many athletes to the medal stand. Shes also worked with teams and athletes in professional soccer, tennis and the NBA. She has a degree in nutrition, is a registered dietitian, has a masters in exercise science and is a graduate of the International Olympic Committees sport nutrition program. Seeing a sport dietitian at a leadership conference piqued her interest. The combination of liking science and growing up in an Italian family played a factor, too. I liked food, Gibson says. I was trying to find a career path that blended the two, and there it was.She works with coaches and training staff to develop fueling and recovery plans for every player on the Bears roster. Over her career shes helped athletes lose weight and gain weight.A former standout high school three-sport athlete (cross country, volleyball and softball) in Toronto, Gibson continues to stay active. She runs or cycles every day and also does yoga three to five times per week. She works daily at the Bears facility in Lake Forest, Illinois. She and her husband live in the Chicago area with their two dogs.Here is Gibsons story, in her words:Feeding the BearsAs sport dietitian, Im responsible for anything involving food for the guys. All their nutrition needs from handling the cafeteria here -- where we feed them twice a day -- to all our food on the road: hotel meals, plane meals, postgame meals, pregame meals, locker room food and individual plans for the guys. Also, individual strategies for hydration and recovery.Whats on the menu?What youre trying to do is satisfy the needs of a delegation of up to 130 to 150 people. You want to make sure theres something for everybody. Plus, guys have routines and habits, especially for pregame meals. You just want to make sure everyone has what he needs. We also accommodate food allergies or intolerances. We had a player last season for a short period who was a vegan. Our scoops in our cafeteria are pre-measured to make it easy. Theres a whole lot of science that goes behind their (individual meal) plans, but when it gets to the players level its about, three scoops of this and two scoops of that.Counting caloriesIt was an interesting transition for me here, because I came in from Olympic combat sports. I was dealing with wrestlers cutting weight. So youre managing really small calorie budgets and then, coming to football, youre sometimes on the opposite of that for bigger guys. So when youre doing meal plans for 6,000 calories, youre kind of going, Wow, this is crazy. As you can imagine, we go through a lot of food here.Individual plansIts not mandatory that our guys have an individual meal plan. But like all teams in the league, we have mandatory weight targets the guys have to meet. So that lends itself to making sure I touch base with almost every single one of our players. You get to know each other pretty quickly. For sure, there are guys with 100 percent buy-in and guys that are 5 percent in. But there are few guys that are 0 percent in.This isnt TimbuktuArranging team meals on the road isnt that difficult. I used to travel around the world with the Olympic teams. Id try to set up food in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, China and remote villages in Europe, with language barriers and crazy things. So this is pretty easy. Were in the United States.Helping them healWe have a big emphasis here on anti-inflammatory foods because the players bodies are getting beat up all the time. So we have lots of fruits and vegetables, we have a juice bar, we have healthy, fatty fishes and nuts as snacks. We try to incorporate all those anti-inflammatory foods and have them available as snacks and in the cafeteria all day.Following her own adviceI have this joke that no one trusts an out-of-shape or overweight sport dietitian. I do eat a healthy diet. Its not that Im a food [stickler], either. Definitely theres 5 percent of my diet that I just enjoy whatever I want. But the bulk of it is absolutely what I preach.Science and techOur general manager, Ryan Pace, wanted to build our sport-performance department out a bit. My job as sport science coordinator is to investigate areas that are a bit non-traditional to improve performance. For example, we brought on a sports psychologist. And were using GPS technology. My job is to be aware of the research and trends so we can take a progressive approach.Tracking movement, sleepThe GPS trackers give us a sense of what theyre doing day to day on the field. How many yards theyre covering in practice, their speed, direction. Players are tracked during the game as well so you get a sense of what the load is on the body. That can influence practice tempos and reps and the stresses were putting on guys through the week. Were also educating players about sleep and looking at ways that can be optimized. We know sleep can be a valuable asset in recovery.Adapting to different athletesYou have to learn about the physiological demands and competition demands of different sports and adapt your nutrition interventions. Olympians and pro tennis players do a lot of global travel, so optimal eating on the road is an emphasis. Football has a lot of physical trauma and impact, so recovery strategies are important. Plus you have to understand the culture of each sport. Each sport and team has a different way they go about their business, chains of command and how you need to work. You really have to spend time learning the system to achieve your goals.PioneerOne of the things that makes this a really cool job is I know with the Bears, Im the first female staff on the football operations side. Last year there were six to seven of us in the league in football operations and this year theres 12. Its neat to see, to be on the forefront.Catalyst for changeIts been a little bizarre being the first woman on this side of the building. Like, where do we put you to change? What do we get you for apparel? Are you allowed to go here? Even on the sidelines Ill be stopped sometimes and told I cant enter because they think Im media, or not being allowed in the locker room until you show them your credentials. But its neat, because you feel youre at the beginning of something.Golden momentsAt the 2012 Olympic Games in London, I worked very closely with the combat sport athletes, because they have to make weight. To be a trusted member of an athletes journey to an Olympic medal, the highest sporting achievement on the planet, is an indescribable feeling. Malik Monk Jersey .Y. -- Injured Buffalo Sabres forward Marcus Foligno did not practice with the team Monday and head coach Ron Rolston said its unlikely hell play in Wednesdays season opener in Detroit. Larry Johnson Jersey . JOHNS, N. http://www.hornetsteamproshop.com/Cheap-Muggsy-Bogues-Hornets-Jersey/ . With the first unit struggling of late and Amir Johnson - one of the teams iron men - hobbling on an injured right ankle, Patterson knew he could get the nod in a challenging matchup against one of the leagues up and coming players at his position. Percy Miller Jersey . Batiste, who briefly signed with the Eskimos in 2006, has spent time with several NFL teams including the Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Redskins. Frank Kaminsky Hornets Jersey . A forerunning sled crashed into the worker Thursday at the Sanki Sliding Center. The unidentified worker broke both legs and was airlifted to a nearby hospital. UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- No. 24 Cincinnati got back into the paint Sunday and back into the win column.Kyle Washington had 16 points and 17 rebounds and the Bearcats beat Penn State 71-50 in the consolation game of the Hall of Fame Tip-Off.Jacob Evans added 14 points for Cincinnati (3-1), which bounced back from a loss to No. 21 Rhode Island on Saturday by dominating the Nittany Lions.Cincinnati shot 50 percent for the game (30 for 60) doing much of their damage in the lane, where they had a 34-18 scoring advantage.We had some talks (last night), said Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin. You try to win with jump shots, youre not going to make the NCAA tournament. We understand how to make it. Youve got to play defense, got to rebound and youve got to do it with toughness.Shep Garner had 20 points to lead Penn State (2-3), after scoring 15 in the teams 10-point loss Saturday to top-ranked Duke.This one wasnt nearly as competitive.The Bearcats put the game away early, using an 18-1 run to build a 32-10 advantage.Washington, a North Carolina State transfer, had 10 of his points and seven rebounds in the first half when the Bearcats shot 59 percent from the field, getting inside almost at will. They went into halftime leading 34-19.We have to be focused on playing as a unit, Washington said. Im not saying it because it sounds good, but we have to keep on working.Cincinnati outrebounded Penn State 40-26, including 10-3 on the offensive boards.We just decided if we really wanted to win and be a great team, we were going to have to buy in and do what Coach has been telling us, Evans said. Weve got to play defense, rebound and play with toughness. We finally bought into that and it showed today.BIG PICTURECincinnati: The Bearcats were defeated at their own ggame of aggressiveness and hustle in the loss to Rhode Island .dddddddddddd. The Rams won the rebounding battle by nine and had 16 offensive boards. We got away from our identity in the second half yesterday, Cronin said. I know theyd rather have played today than dealt with me in practice. Lets just be honest.... Senior guard Troy Caupain, the American Athletic Conferences preseason player of the year, averaged 10 points, five rebounds and 5.3 assists in his first three games. He had 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists on Sunday.Penn State: Coach Patrick Chambers came to Mohegan Sun looking for progress. He felt the 78-68 loss to No. 1 Duke on Saturday qualified as a step forward . And Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski gave the Nittany Lions high praise. That was a good win for us against a program thats emerging, he said.Sundays effort was a step back, but coach Patrick Chambers said that will happen with a young team that starts three freshmen.I was wary going into this game after playing and competing so hard yesterday and having such a quick team and playing an older team, we really didnt respond in that first four to eight minutes, he said.POLL IMPLICATIONSCincinnati likely will fall from the Top 25 after Saturdays loss to No. 21 Rhode Island, despite the strong bounce-back effort against the Nittany Lions.UP NEXTCincinnati: After the weekend trip to Connecticut, the Bearcats return home to play Samford Wednesday night. Cincinnatis next big test comes Dec. 1 at Iowa State.Penn State: Colgate visits Happy Valley on Wednesday. After Thanksgiving, Penn State travels to George Washington on Saturday. ' ' '