Three Questions is a periodic feature of this blog. The focus is on three questions asked of everyday people involved in curious pursuits.
The subject of this Three Questions post is Hugh Fullagar, sports science coordinator at the University of Oregon. He works in the athletic department and his job is to collect data to help improve player performance and reduce injuries. One of his many duties involves attaching GPS units to the Duck football players’ shoulder pads and collecting information during practices and games that helps coaches make decisions.
1. What experiences did you have that made you want to become a sports scientist?
I’ve always been deeply involved and passionate about sports since I was a kid. As I got older, when I realized I was no good at playing sports, I became really interested in the behind-the-scenes work within elite sport (e.g. coaching, recruitment, tactics, fitness, medical) and during my studies at university I was able to experience and link up with many of these fields in numerous sports. The link between science and sport probably started with my lecturers and supervisors from my universities and then speaking and building relationships with people practicing in the field. Once I realized that much of being a sport scientist is not just about being knowledgeable, but also about how you interact with the people around you, I realized that this is something I love doing. Working and meeting with the variety of people and the different relationships built up around the world is both fun and extremely rewarding.
2. What are the most and least interesting parts of your job?
The most interesting would have to be sitting down with people who are far more experienced than me (i.e. head coach and medical staff, senior athletes, university supervisors) and discussing philosophies not just behind sport science but sport performance in general. Listening to people who are more experienced than yourself is critical to the learning process and continually improving. The least interesting part is definitely cleaning the porta-potty after football games (the Ducks have a collapsible bathroom on their sideline during games.) Don’t let sport science nerds fool you; we are a jack of all trades!
3. What are some basic things people can do to enhance their sports performance?
It sounds corny but eat, train, and sleep right. If you are eating the right things, training appropriately depending on the time of year and your sport (this is obviously hugely variable), and sleeping both from a quality and quantity perspective, you are going to improve from just doing those things. Surround yourself with the right people and do the basics hard and right. Too many people focus on little, irrelevant things which may make up 1% of sport performance rather than doing the basics as well as they possibly can be done. Having a clear and direct mental/cognitive well-being is also highly critical and sometimes an underestimated part of sport performance.
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Hi Luis,
Thanks for the kind words. Check out my new post.
Robert
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Thanks, Luis. Yes, I did write a book about money. It was a fun project.
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I’m finding that good eating, training, and sleeping habits seem to enhance non-sports performance (writing, etc) as well. And, funny thing, cleaning the potty isn’t that interesting to me either. Some things are universal.
Very true, Kurt. Visited the potty yesterday for a photo shoot. It’s amazing! You place your foot on it and it automatically sets up. It’s on a timer and collapses after a certain amount of time. Hopefully, after business is completed. Unofficial name for the potty: the Wizzer.