Interview with David Flack – 3rd year Sports Science student

Practicum placement – elite sporting club – Western Force

David has been placed with the Head Strength & Conditioning coach at the Western Force – Charlie Higgins.

1. What was your response to finding out you had a practicum placement at the Western Force?
Very excited to be honest. W/F is a very well known sporting team and I really like rugby and being able to work with people I look up to, not just because they are professionals, but because of my own personal enjoyment and knowing that I will be working with the best, that was very exciting. Getting to see them in real life, not just on TV and seeing what happens behind the scenes I thought would be a very eye opening experience and very enjoyable.

2. Describe some of the tasks you have been involved in whilst on prac.
The main tasks have been in the gym with the actual players themselves. I have been assisting them with their weights program, measuring their power output, giving them guidance if they are not sure of what their specific exercise is or if they have a specialised program.
The players are very motivated themselves but they also play loud music and it’s a very enjoyable atmosphere. So the players just get on with what they know they need to do.
I also had to get their RPE’s (Rate of Perceived Exertion) after every session. We compile their RPE’s on paper & then put the data into a computer program which monitors their wellness, prevents them from under-training or overtraining if they are injured. they are used retrospectively to see how they are performing in comparison to a month ago for example, it's very advanced technology.

3. What has been the highlight of your practicum so far?
Probably working with Charlie (head strength & conditioning coach) In the beginning it was knowing I was going to be working with the Western Force & looking back now it’s been working with Charlie & Brendyn because they are very knowledgeable people about the industry that I want to work in. To get the opportunity to work with them, to get their point of view about working in the industry; I’ve learnt a lot from them with not just the actual specific practicum skills, but how to conduct myself to get where I want to be, the skills that I can take with me afterwards, advice about my future and networking opportunities.

4. How many hours per week of practicum experience on average have you completed?
9-10 hours. Total of 43 hours so far.
My Uni program is around the middle of the day. Their training sessions are 7.00am- 11.00am and then 3.00- 5.00pm. So it works in well with my Uni program.
They have stressed that University work comes before prac work so they have been very accommodating and supportive of my Uni program and allowing me to do my prac hours around that.

5. Do you have any disappointments with your practicum experience so far?
Only that I didn’t wake up to the fact that I was at The Force quick enough. I was a bit star struck for the first few weeks; I knew 80% of the team and such a big fan that I lacked a bit of confidence and felt a bit intimidated by them. It held me back a bit. I would have liked to have been more confident in my own ability from the beginning. It was a big step up from the Uni environment, but a good one and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

6. What would you like the opportunity to do on practicum placement that you haven’t been able to do yet?
Actually go to a game with the team and see how it works on the game day. I wouldn’t mind going the next step and sitting behind the bench and seeing how the players interact on the day. Also seeing how all the coaches come together and the way the players present themselves.

7. Main differences to Run for A Reason prac v W/ Force prac
The HBF participants had to be supervised a lot more. I was with the group who hadn’t ever trained for an event like this before. So you had to tell them exactly what to do, give them more examples, had to give them a lot of information, they were very inquisitive.
The Western Force don’t ask questions they just do it as they know exactly what to do.
The HBF prac was a really enjoyable experience though. Everyone was very pro-active and fun. It was less intimidating than the W/Force but a bigger challenge in testing my own knowledge.