Sport & Exercise Science is an exciting discipline that enables students to branch off into a variety of different career routes including Physiotherapy, Sport Psychology, Sports Nutrition, Sport Biomechanics, and Strength and Conditioning. During her time studying the Level 3 Extended Diploma in Sport & Exercise Science at Bridgwater & Taunton College, Hannah Stephens gained valuable experience in the field of Performance Analysis working as the analyst for local rugby team Bridgwater & Albion RFC. Hannah’s role enabled her to gain experience filming matches, utilising performance analysis software, generating statistics and producing video footage within a sporting environment.
Due to undertaking this experience, an exciting opportunity arose for Hannah to gain experience with the Exeter Chiefs performance analyst, which was great as it enabled Hannah to experience a professional sporting environment and see how performance analysis can positively impact elite sport. Hannah was able to successfully balance this with her college experience as she finished her course with the best possible grade of D*D*D*. She was also a key member of the Team BTC netball team and was a Team BTC Activator.
Hannah said,
Over the past two years, I have been working with Bridgwater & Albion Rugby Club, recording their first and second team games to help them evaluate and improve their performances. After each match, I upload the footage to YouTube and send a link to the Director of Rugby, for him to review and for the team to reflect on their performance. I have found this experience very useful for my course work as during work experience in my first year I chose to analyse a few of their games, where I was able to feedback the statistics to the coaches at the end of the week. During my second year at college, I used two of the games in my Research Project assignments, focusing on a performance criteria, a rule break and work rate. Lastly, I was given the opportunity to attend an Exeter Chiefs A League game to sit alongside their Analyst. Overall, I have really enjoyed this experience as it has helped me understand the skills required for this role and whether it is something I would like to pursue further.
Course Leader Alex Leach said,
It’s great for students to gain experience in a realistic environment as it enables them to contextualise their knowledge from the course. Performance Analysis was one of the fields that Hannah was interested in prior to joining college, so it was great for her to be able to gain experience in this field alongside her course. Working with Bridgwater & Albion gave Hannah the opportunity to experience how Sport & Exercise Science can improve sporting performance, whilst allowing her to apply her knowledge. Hannah is now going on to Swansea University where she will further her knowledge of Sport & Exercise Science and gain greater experience in this fascinating area.
Find out more about studying Sport & Exercise Science at BTC here.
