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From (Football) Field to Fork

Carbs and determination fuel Nevada Storm’s Jesse Felker

Food is certainly fuel for Jesse Felker, a personal trainer and veteran quarterback on the Nevada Storm, Northern Nevada’s female full-contact football team — but it’s also about family, in all its forms.

“We grew up on a lot of TV dinners,” Felker says. “My mom was sick my whole life, and my dad worked and took care of her. But on holidays, my dad would call up my grandma, and she would walk him through how to cook for us — usually meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans. To this day, that’s my favorite meal.”

Taking Football by Storm
Growing up in Chicago and then Reno, sports were always a big part of Felker’s life.

“I loved football as a little girl, but it was very frustrating because girls didn’t play football,” Felker explains. “So I played it at recess, and I can tell you, I was always one of the first ones picked up. I was as good as the boys.”

But when Felker asked the high school football coach about joining the boys’ team, he shut her down by asking, “Where would you change?”

At Feather River College in Quincy, Calif., fueled by countless cups of instant ramen, Felker played basketball and softball before transferring to the University of Nevada, Reno, to complete her degree in community health sciences and work as a student trainer with the UNR football team.

“I remember being out at a UNR practice, and I did something, and the head coach saw it. He came over and he complimented me and said, ‘I know an athlete when I see an athlete,’” Felker recalls. “It was a very cool moment for me. I learned a ton about football working for the team.”

So when the opportunity to try out for a professional full-contact women’s football team presented itself — rather than the female flag football she had played before — Felker took the leap. This year marks her ninth season with the team and a tenure that has earned her numerous national championship titles and MVP awards.

“In football, it doesn’t matter how good an individual is. You need a team,” Felker says. “It builds such a family. Both my parents have passed away, and yet I still feel like I have a family. I am so grateful for the support of my teammates.”

Fuel for the Field
Before games, it’s all about carb loading for the Nevada Storm players.

“We do spaghetti nights before games,” Felker explains, noting that her teammates always make sure there is gluten-free pasta, since she’s allergic. “Carbs are really important. You need the calories to maintain your weight because it’s such a physical sport, and you’re burning a lot of calories. In football, you need to have a little size to you because you’re going to perform better.”

At home, she bulks up meals with healthy fats, such as olive oil and avocados, and carbs such as roasted potatoes and fried polenta.

When Felker isn’t playing football, she’s training youths and adults at her gym, The Biggest Little Speed School.

“We jump, we sprint, we run, we lift, and we do team drills. We learn how to support each other,” Felker says.

Felker’s journey to realizing her football and business dreams had its fair share of roadblocks, but ultimately her athlete’s mindset of perseverance paid off.  

“Don’t let anybody tell you ‘no.’ I think little girls get told so often that they can’t do things or they’re not going to be good enough because they’re girls,” Felker notes. “Don’t let anyone else, including yourself, be the reason you don’t try something. I encourage people to fail. And then try it again, and you might fail a little less. Eventually, you’re going to succeed.”

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GRANDMA’S MEATLOAF

This recipe came to Felker from the late Marjorie Jean Cox, Felker’s grandma.

Servings: 8 people

Author: Jesse Felker, Nevada Storm football player and personal trainer in Reno

Ingredients

• ⅔ cup breadcrumbs
• 1 cup milk
• 1½ pounds ground beef
• 2 beaten eggs
• ¼ cup onion grated
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon sage
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• ¼ cup ketchup
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon mustard

Instructions

• In a large bowl, soak breadcrumbs in milk, then add meat, eggs, onion, salt, pepper, and sage. Mix well and put in a loaf pan. For the sauce, combine brown sugar, ketchup, nutmeg, and mustard. Spread over the meatloaf and bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour and 15 minutes.