In the fall of 2023, Athletics and Recreation received a special funding injection through Dream Big to leverage technology – including performance trackers, heart rate sensors, and camera equipment – to help student athletes enhance and improve their fitness outcomes using an evidence-based approach.
Equipment was purchased for both the Fitness Centres – for use by all NC students – as well as Knights varsity athletes. The initiative is enhancing both the student experience and supporting organizational excellence.
“Niagara College is a place of learning. If a student can increase their understanding of their fitness regime and make informed decisions, then mission accomplished,” explains Coach Frank DeChellis. “The overall goal is to use this technology to enhance and deepen the understanding of the physical activities of our students and student-athletes.”
The Fitness Centres now have ten wearable heart rate sensor armbands that students can sign out and use during their workouts. The sensors connect to mobile devices via Bluetooth and are compatible with many fitness apps. Students can review their heart rates and other metrics from their workouts to help them learn more about their fitness routines and habits and adjust accordingly.
This fall, the Men’s Soccer Team and the Men and Women’s Basketball Teams used wearable performance trackers to monitor heart rate and work output to quantify the training required to compete at a higher level. Athletes can access their data and benchmark their own progress, while coaches can monitor the flow of training, player output at games, and more to help their athletes develop and progress. The data is also being leveraged by athletic trainers to monitor the workload of players with injuries and advise coaches of potentially risky workload trends.
DeChellis explained that they observed varsity soccer players running 11 to 13 kilometers per game, and typically 30% at full speed. Using the performance trackers, coaches were able to break down the number of sprints, average distance per sprint, work rate per position, and team’s overall workload, among other metrics to adjust training and performance to ensure efficiency.
To capture their performance on the field, Athletics and Recreation acquired a portable Pixellot Field camera and 24′ tripod for varsity soccer teams. The camera – which automatically follows the play during games – can be used for training, games, and for scouting teams and players. Coaches can mark plays by categories or game moments using an online tool.
The new technology is supporting the professional development of coaches who can better analyze their approach and become more familiar with exercise science, game stats, and personal performances to deliver more precise feedback for players. Assistant coaches now have a deeper engagement with the programs as well.
“Having the trackers this season has sent my assistant coaches and I in several different directions in terms of becoming more educated in what we do,” said DeChellis.