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.

High ranking again for Applied Sport Science and Sport Coaching degrees in National Student Survey

Course leaders are thrilled to announce that the BSc Sport Coaching degree and the BSc Applied Sport Science degree  have been ranked by their respective students in the National Student Survey as the top two courses in Southampton Solent University and have retained their national position as a top five university to study coaching and sport science.

Southampton Solent's Applied Sport Science degree was ranked the 5th best sport science course in the UK, whilst the BSc Sports Coaching Degree was ranked 3rd best teaching and training course in the UK. Matt Johnson (Course Leader for the BSc Sports Coaching) said  "It's great news that both of our degrees have been so successful for the second year in a row.  This is particularly important with the imminent changes to the fees structure where students studying on our courses can be confident that they are getting excellent value, an excellent learning experience and good career prospects."

AFC Bournemouth at Solent for pre season preparations.

Health, Exercise and Sport Science students studying on the Applied Sport Science and Sports Coaching degrees got the opportunity to help out as AFC Bournemouth got put through their paces as part of their pre-season preparations.

The team was assessed at Solent’s centre for Health, Exercise and Sport Science under the scrutiny of Dr Stewart Bruce-Low, Laboratory Director and Senior Lecturer in sport and exercise science. As part of the process, all players undertook a VO₂ max text, to determine the maximum volume of oxygen that can be utilized during maximal exercise.

AFC Bournemouth's Steve Fletcher at the start of the test.

This is the third year AFC Bournemouth has taken advantage of the facilities at Solent which is one of many opportunities for students on the Applied Sport Science and Sports Coaching degree's to gain experience to bolster their CVs throughout their degree program. The AFC Bournemouth Manager Lee Bradbury outlined "We have an excellent relationship with Solent University and using these facilities, with the expert help from staff and students, is a key part of our pre-season planning"

As well as carrying out their pre-season preparations, AFC Bournemouth were also put through their paces by second year Applied Sport Science student Jameson Mola, as part of his dissertation. Jameson, who successfully secured an internship at AFC Bournemouth, is looking at optimal programmes to develop muscular strength and power during the short pre-season turn around.

Jameson is looking at recovery time between exercises whilst carrying out complex training which allows players to reap the maximal benefits from the minimal amount of time spent in the gym, thus giving them more time to focus on the technical aspect of the game.

The research, conducted under the supervision of Dr Stewart Bruce-Low, and under the guidance of Head Sports Scientist and Associate Lecturer at Solent Louis Langdown involved the players performing a three repetition maximum squat (strength exercise) and a counter movement jump (power exercise). The data, collected at the centre for Health, Exercise and Sport Science biomechanics laboratory will be analysed to determine players peak power output, jump height and rate of force development. The results could impact on the way AFC Bournemouth train in the future

New Student Tuition Fees in 2012 - The reality for HESS students

If you are a prospective student enrolling on one of the HESS courses in 2012, and you are worried/confused about the new student tuition fee system, then take a look at the video below.

The video is of Martin Lewis of Money Saving Expert outlining his guide to the new student finance system in England for 2012.

Gold Medal comes back to Southampton Solent University

Following on from the latest blog titled "Wheelchair Basketball at the 7th Annual Paralympic World Cup", James Fisher, Technician Instructor and Associate Lecturer from the Health Exercise and Sport Science Department at Southampton Solent has been away at the Paralympic World Cup (PWC) last week in Manchester. James is an assistant coach to the GB Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team.

Gold medal Celebrations

The PWC is a major multi-sport Paralympic event where over 300 athletes from all over the world compete. This year Great Britain Women (ranked 6^th) faced Germany (2^nd), Canada (3^rd) and Japan (7^th).  This is a key tournament in their preparation for 2012 and presented some great challenges to overcome some of the best teams in the world.

Their first game was against Canada where they held on to take a close win 47-43. James commented “It was a much needed victory to send a message that we can compete at this level and build confidence for the coming games”.

Next they faced Germany reigning Paralympic and World Silver Medallists. They led through the majority of the game and once again held on to a close win 58-53. Once again GB’s defence proved too much for the usually strong German offence.

Their 3^rd game saw a loss of form and a tough loss to Japan 43-42. After leading throughout the majority of the game a scoring drought towards the end allowed Japan back in to it, and allowed them to steal a victory. However, enough had been done to earn a place in the Gold Medal game the following day.

The final saw Germany face GB, and whilst a loss to this team would have been no great shame with 6 places between them in the rankings, confidence was high having already beaten them earlier in the week. GB took control early on and never looked back; leading by as many as 17 points in the 3^rd quarter and finishing 63-52 for the victory and the Gold Medal.

James commented that "This sends a ripple around the world that GB Women are a strong contender for medals at up coming tournaments. Our youngsters performed excellently and with the Under 25 World Championships in Canada in July 2011 we are setting our sights on another gold medal. We have strong momentum going in to the European Championships in Israel in September 2011 and then of course London 2012. It was a great tournament with a fantastic result. The girls are in excellent condition and their work ethic is fantastic, we have amazing camaraderie; we know we can perform like this and really this victory is no surprise!" You can catch the highlights of the final game here.

Wheelchair Basketball at the 7th Annual Paralympic World Cup.

The coming week sees the 7^th Annual Paralympic World Cup take place in Manchester, UK, where athletes compete on the World’s stage in further preparation for 2012.  The event will host over 300 athletes from across the globe and in 2010 saw 14,650 spectators descend upon Manchester. The event hosts several sports including Athletics, Swimming, and notably for Southampton Solent University, Wheelchair Basketball.

James Fisher (Technician Instructor and Associate Lecturer on the Health, Exercise and Sport Science portfolio) has been an Assistant Coach with the Great Britain Women’s Wheelchair Basketball team since their return from Beijing, 2008.

Recently the Women’s team have improved their ranking to 6^th in the world but face some tough competition from Germany, Canada, and Japan. James commented "Every UK tournament is a great opportunity to play in front of a home crowd and further prepare for playing in London (2012). The team continues to make excellent progress and we have some rookies playing in the PWC this year to continue trying new things and looking at different combinations. This will be a great tournament; both Germany and Canada (ranked 2nd and 3rd, respectively) will provide the tough challenge needed to continue to improve".

The team have a busy schedule through 2011 including the Under 25 Women's World Championships in Canada (July) and the European Championships in Israel (September) as well as smaller tournaments. Watch this space for progress.

You can follow the Paralympic World Cup on Channel 4! Take a look the the advert below.