2012 Paralympic opportunity for Applied Sport Science student

Phil Zealey (pictured far left), one of our third year Applied Sport Science students is pictured here applying the knowledge learnt on his course to the real world experiences that we expect our students to undertake. 

This was pictured in early October after GB Wheelchair Rugby won the silver medal at the European championships in Switzerland. His role was to act as one of 4 students from Solent on either our BSc Applied Sport Science or BSc Sport Coaching courses who delivered the performance analysis for the squad. This role will take Phil to the Paralympics in London in 2012. Phil has shown extensive dedication in both his studies and his practical work which has afforded him this opportunity. Keep checking the blog for details of Phil's progress as he and squad prepare for 2012! Go GB!

Solent helps develop Croydon's talented young athletes

Staff at Southampton Solent University last month were pleased to work with some of Croydon's finest athletes! Coming from the Croydon Schools Sport Partnership (CSSP), staff from Solent offered a mixture of laboratory and field based testing. Some of our undergraduate students were also on hand to help out. Events such as these are part of our community outreach programme which we offer to a range of schools and colleges. We are currently investigating ways in which we can extend this link with the CSSP to regularly test their elite athletes - this would then primarily be a student led project affording them a wonderful opportunity to work with some of the country's most talent developing athletes. Keep an eye on the blog to see how this develops!

The write up below was written by 3 of the students who attended.

Archbishop Lanfranc Solent University Trip

On September 21^st 2011,   Mr Knight and Mr Feist took a group of 16  elite athletes and other pupils interested in sport science  to Southampton Solent University where we got to work with  leading sport scientists who have worked with the England rowing and wheelchair rugby teams, as well professional footballers from the south coast clubs. Our day would be split into two; the first half of the morning would be looking at  Sports Science facilities and running a test on our leading middle distance runner, Femi Agbetoyin.

Session 1

We took a Par-Q test  to check if we were okay to do the test. Femi was our lab rat for the morning, going through the range of tests in  the lab and helping us get an insight into how things are performed in preparation of the VO2 maximum test. Femi was then hooked up to a heart monitor and we were able to monitor his heart rate throughout the test and from different areas around the heart . He was also hooked up to oxygen mask which would show us how much oxygen he uses

 

The Solent staff had no hesitation in allowing us to join in with the test and made sure each one of us had a job. Some of us recorded heart rate, two took blood samples to test blood lactate levels. Kertis was checking Femi's state of mind using indications on a card. Others recorded heart rate.

We then collected Femi's data and put it into the a graph. Dr Stewart Bruce-Low then explained to us what data we could get from out graphs and how to use them to help coaches and athletes get the best out of training.

It gave us a more of an idea of what studying sports science would be like and also answered many of the questions we had.

Session 2 consisted of  a series of tests: the 20m. speed test, vertical jump, stork test and the line drill which resembled a suicide. Not a single person slacked off, everyone was ready to work and do the best they could. The Solent staff picked up on our work ethic and how well we supported each other. We like to think of ourselves as a family and we believe no one gets left out.

There were a lot of surprises for some of the tests,  for example Jaylesh and Jessica  balanced on one leg for 17 minutes  which was just an incredible act of strength . Omar out- jumped national basketball players in the vertical jump with a amazing 32cm. Taiwo ran a fast time in the speed test which compared with 10.6 sprinters.

We wound down the session and discussed what options were available for talented athletes to study and train. It was a great experience working with the Solent staff; they showed nothing but enthusiasm and passion throughout  the day. They were excellent at supplying us with the information and still managed to maintain a fun atmosphere and provide us with a great day.

We enjoyed the trip to Solent so much that we are extremely keen to go back and learn more but also make these trips on a regular basis. We would like to say a huge thank you to Solent for allowing us to come down and for giving us an exciting and valuable day.  Thank you to Mr Feist and Mr Knight for organizing this trip. As a consequence of everyone’s hard work, our school is now in discussion with Solent University about creating a long term program with the university.

Tamara, Kala and Jessica.