Study Sport, Exercise & Recreation at SIT

Research by Hennie Pienaar and Will Payne into the biomechanics and muscle activation patterns of elite track sprint cyclists aims at enhancing the performance of New Zealand’s top cycling athletes. ​

Hennie is an accredited exercise physiologist with a Masters in Human Movement Science and has been teaching in the Bachelor of Sport and Exercise programme since 2002. His colleague Will Payne, tutor on the Bachelor of Sport and Exercise degree programme, is a sports nutritionist with a Masters of Human Nutrition, a Postgraduate Diploma in Sports Medicine and a Bachelor of Physical Education and Human Nutrition from the University of Otago. Since 2011 Will and Hennie have been using their combined expertise to carry out research aimed at improving the performance of New Zealand’s top cycling athletes. In 2013 they shared their findings at the Sports and Exercise Science New Zealand Annual Conference in Christchurch. Their findings were presented at the conference in the novel form of an animated e-poster, presented on a large HD television screen, and the pair came away with the Best Presenters Award.

The New Zealand track sprint team has had an outstanding few years, coming from a ranking of fifth in the world in 2009 to winning silver at the World Championships in 2013 and coming fifth at the London Olympics where they also broke the New Zealand record. The research by Hennie and Will focused on a vital aspect that may have led to improving the speed of the first lap of the race. As Hennie explains, ‘we carried out a series of tests on elite cyclists in order to analyse that first lap, including the starting sequence of track cyclists.’ They applied biomechanical principles to make recommendations that may have contributed towards improvements in the standing start performance. They were also able to gain a better understanding of muscle activation patterns in the first lap in sprint cycling including how these are involved in force and power development.

Twelve highly trained, elite sprint cyclists took part in the study. Testing was done under controlled conditions at the ILT Velodrome in Invercargill and in the Southern Institute of Technology’s Human Performance Laboratory. From video analysis of the higher ranked riders Hennie and Will found that timing is crucial in order to avoid losing time during the start. ‘Initiating drive from the gate either too early or too late can cost a team as much as one second off the overall time,’ says Will. ‘That might not sound like much but, when you consider that the New Zealand team lost the gold medal to Germany in 2013 by 0.049 of a second, then you can see how vital it is to get off to a good start.’ Cyclists must have their push-off timed to the moment the gate releases and, after rolling straight out of the gate, they need to apply coordinated pressure through the pedals to accelerate up to speed.

A successful race-winning start requires the cyclists to be able to optimise a complex series of actions. ‘They need to push off from the gate as it releases, drive their bodies forward and initiate proper mechanics for the first pedal stroke,’ Hennie says. ‘The fastest starters tend to be those cyclists who are able to coordinate these three actions.’ 

​Programme Manager

Duncan McKenzie
MEd – PE/LS, University of Western Australia.
Dip PhEd, University of Otago.
Dip Teaching, Christchurch Teachers College

Faculty Staff

Hennie Pienaar
MSc, Human Movement Sciences, University of Potchefstroom, South Africa.
Dip Teaching, Southern Institute of Technology

Dr Michel Fallu
Ph.D. University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
BA (Hons), Leisure Management, Griffith University

William Payne
MSc (Nutrition), PG Dip Sport Med, B PhEd, BSc Nutrition, University of Otago

Dr Brian Batson
PhD, University of Wales.
BSc (Hons), University of Wales.
Cert Tutor Training, Southern Institute of Technology

Damian Tippen - Technician
PG Dip Sport Med, B PhEd, BSc. University of Otago

​Research

Click here to view recent research outputs by these School of Sport, Exercise and Recreation staff.

Fighting, falling, horse riding and swordplay – they’re just some of the things that make up a normal day at the office for stuntman Vincent Roxburgh. So too, does training actors in weapon safety, strength, fitness and flexibility and it’s in that area that SIT2LRN has helped him. We caught up with Vincent while he was working in Namibia on the next instalment of the blockbuster Mad Max movie series.

Vincent Roxburgh practically stumbled into stunt work – probably the one time that he hasn’t made a calculated move. The Invercargill-born lad, who now calls Auckland home, was preparing for the Wrestling World Championships in 1999 at the team’s training gym, when he was introduced to the Lord of the Rings stunt team.

“They would use the gym after our training sessions. I would hang around after wrestling to train with them. One thing led to another and they offered me a job.”

Now he sports a CV that boasts the titles of all the great feature films made in New Zealand during the past decade – including the LOTR trilogy, King Kong, The Lovely Bones, Avatar and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – and several TV series, including Spartacus.

But as a qualified sports massage therapist, with several years’ experience of physical training and coaching behind him, Vincent felt there was a gap in his skill set. He decided to study for a Certificate in Sports Training and Development.

“I chose to do this course as I am constantly training actors, whether that's in how to use a weapon safely or taking them through a strength/fitness workout in the gym (we often have our own gyms set up at work), running them through basic gymnastics or taking stretching sessions.  I had never done any formal exercise prescription training and I felt that it could help me with that aspect of my job.

“I chose SIT2LRN to do it through because, at the time, I was working on The Hobbit and there was no way I could get to a regular classroom-based course.” 

Instead, he was able to download the course material onto his computer and work on the content during downtime on the job.

“At one point I was on location in the middle of the Southern Alps - where it was helicopter access only - and there I was, doing anatomy and physiology in an easy-up tent! It was so convenient.”

Vincent says he really enjoyed the SIT2LRN experience because the course covered all the elements he wanted it to.

“It is an entry level course which really served to whet my appetite and I really want to advance my study in this area.”

Just when that study will take place is the question. “One thing about working in film and TV is you need to be flexible, because you can get a call up for a job and they may want you on a plane today for destinations unknown. “

Vincent was based in Wellington for 18 months while he worked on The Hobbit, finishing there in June. Once he completes his Mad Max commitments in Namibia, he’ll be heading to Hong Kong with his wife who has secured a new job there. “I need to try and break into the industry over there. It feels a bit like starting again but it's an exciting prospect.”

And what about those brows?

“The eyebrows are natural. I've had them since birth and I had to grow into them as they've always been this big.”

A local girl with a passion for cycling as well as sport and exercise in general, Kate Wilson said it was a no brainer to study at the Southern Institute of Technology.

“It’s in my hometown, it has the Zero Fees scheme and it had the programme I wanted to study.”

Kate finds the course to be “really good, there is always a new challenge and something new to learn.”

SIT is well equipped with excellent facilities and the Diploma in Sport and Recreation involves spending half the time in a classroom environment and half out doing physical activity. This suits Kate as she loves getting out and getting involved.

Coming straight to SIT from high school, Kate did have some experience coaching and teaching young primary aged students, especially within the cycling discipline. Her experience in this area and passion for sport and exercise, has led her to think about her future plans once she has completed her diploma. At the moment, she is thinking she will either train as a Physical Education teacher or go on to do a Masters. Whatever she chooses, Kate will attack it with as much motivation as she did in order to take out the Sport Southland Award for 2016.

“SIT has definitely changed me as a person. I am a lot more confident in my physical abilities, as well as mentally. I am willing to learn and I intend to learn as much as possible while I am here.”

Third-year Bachelor of Sport and Exercise student Brittany Souter hopes her research project will enlighten Netball South as to how umpires’ decisions are affected.

Brittany Souter (20), in her third year of the Bachelor of Sport and Exercise, is researching national and international umpires and how crucial decisions may be affected in the later stages of a game. 

“It’s just about seeing how their concentration is affected as they umpire a game and by the end of the game, how it’s affecting their decisions,” she says. 

Souter says she had been a prominent member of coaching and umpiring in Southland and hoped her research might be used at Netball South to help young umpires.

“There are 11 to 12 year olds that are getting the hang of umpiring and the rules,” she says.

“I think it would be good to show [Netball South] that these junior umpires are starting out and how it can affect their judgement when they’re learning.”

Souter is compiling some of the research during her work placement at Netball South and says SIT has given her ample opportunities coaching and umpiring in the community.

“It was easy for them to help me get out and do things in the community. At school you don’t really get that chance but SIT helped me get in contact with more places,” she says.

“[SIT] has given me lots more opportunities that I’ve never had before, just being able to do more things.”

Softly spoken Isaiah is not the ‘gym bunny’ type you might imagine. Instead, he comes across as intelligent and passionate about the field he has chosen to study.  

Having completed a Bachelor of Sport and Exercise and now following it up with postgraduate study leading into the Master of Applied Health Sciences (Wellness and Rehabilitation), Isaiah harbours the goal of one day opening a rehabilitation gym in his home town of Nelson, or perhaps Wellington.

Growing up in Nelson, Isaiah still enjoys the more relaxed pace of regional life and this helped contribute to his decision to move to Invercargill for study. The university lifestyle to be found in cities like Dunedin didn’t appeal as it seemed like too many students, with a less personal feel.

“I enjoy the small class sizes at Southern Institute of Technology (SIT). It’s more hands on, you get to know your lecturers and get a lot of one-on-one learning time.”

Isaiah has always enjoyed sports but since his studies he has relished discovering more about how the body works and this has impacted on his personal life, making him realise how important it is to eat healthy and to exercise.

Working part-time at SIT’s gym, Isaiah advises that there is no typical day in the life of a postgraduate/masters student. Some days he has classes, others he works on his research, or at the gym.

With a particular interest in sports injuries, Isaiah’s rehab gym will no doubt become a reality at the culmination of his Masters study.

World Champion, Olympian and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Eddie Dawkins chose to study the Bachelor Sport and Exercise at SIT to help him gain skills to be the world’s number one track cyclist.

Enrolling at SIT after he finished his schooling at James Hargest College, Eddie was on the way to reaching his cycling dream. Eddie believes that studying biomechanics and physiology as part of his SIT degree and having unlimited access to the indoor facilities at the SIT Zerofees Velodrome were strong catalysts to his successful career. Eddie explains that through studying biomechanics and physiology he fostered a strong understanding of how he can prepare his body and train in the most effective way to develop his winning formula.

Eddie says that the programme “exceeded my expectations, the tutors and courses fitted perfectly with my training and allowed me to put my practical knowledge to good use.” Eddie elaborates that his favourite part of the programme was “interacting with the other students on assignments and experimenting in the labs.”

While studying at SIT Eddie has competed in the London Olympics, won a gold medal at the World Track Cycling Championships and a gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Due to his intensive schedule Eddie studies his degree part time. Upon graduation, Eddie hopes is to have a greater understanding of his sport and translate that into greater performances. Eddies future ambitions are to continue to be at the top of his sport and reach his dream of an Olympic gold medal in Rio. 

A multi-disciplined athlete and accomplished sportswoman, Wendy Baker decided to undertake the Certificate in Sports Training and Development (Level 3) through the Southern Institute of Technology’s SIT2LRN distance learning programme, as she was keen to obtain a qualification.

She was living in Wanganui at the time and was wanting to study whilst working part time as a pool lifeguard.

“It was a really good course with plenty of information in it,” says Wendy.

After graduating, she was employed for 18 months as a Healthy Lifestyle Coordinator in Wanganui, helping people with mental illness.

Wendy was able to utilise her knowledge from the programme to help them prepare for or resume their recovery.

As a sportswoman, she has participated in over 150 events in both New Zealand and Australia and is passionate about training and keeping fit.

“It all started because as a teenager I had asthma, so I took up running to improve my health,” Wendy says.

She was named Massey University Sportsperson of the Year alongside retired All Black Kevin Schuler in 1987.

Nominated by her Massey University harrier team, whilst studying her Diploma in Horticulture, Wendy was recognised as the top-ranked woman athlete at Massey and in the Manawatu over middle distance events, both road and cross country.

Wendy has now moved to Invercargill and was thrilled to be able to catch up with one of her tutors and chat about how far she has come since completing the course.

In the future she is keen to pursue further study in project management.

Levi Goodall came to the Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) after completing a year at Otago University.

He didn’t enjoy his time at university and decided to pursue different study options.

“I researched SIT’s sport and exercise programme and found out a little bit about it from some of the tutors.

“I found out that it is very hands-on, falls within the Zero Fees scheme and has small class sizes. That made it a very easy decision to choose SIT."

Levi enjoyed sport from a young age and participated in a wide range of sports including football, softball, cross country running and track cycling.

Now he is a sponsored freestyle mountain bike rider who competes internationally.

Support from SIT tutors meant Levi was able to balance his riding commitments with the study requirements.

He particularly enjoyed the hands-on components like leading an outdoor adventure-based learning activity session, running class teaching sessions and industry placement hours.

“I quickly found that I was enjoying myself and learning a lot,” he says.

As part of his degree he completed an internship with Sport Southland.

“I assisted with the running of events such as 'Surf to City' and the 'Wai Tri', helped with keeping their databases up to date, assisted in running exercise classes for elderly and various other jobs around Sport Southland.

“My favourite experience so far was working alongside the Foundation for Youth Development running school sports holiday programmes.”

In the future, Levi would like to be working at management level within a sporting organisation which specialises in work with children or youth.

Check out his Youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr_IJXqykoKJP1CXL2betSQ