BEGINNING TESTING WITH CATAPULT

This morning with the appreciated help of the ETSU Rugby team, the Center of Excellence began testing with Catapult (http://catapultsports.com/us/). Various news crews were also present this morning. Catapult is the most advanced athlete monitoring system in the world. It measures such events as impacts, acceleration, and movement through GPS. All of the measurements can be followed real time and coaches can receive reports on players in seconds. Catapult is used internationally and expanding in the United States. ETSU is the first program in the U.S. to implement this system into its curriculum. Stay tuned here for updates!

UPDATES:

WJHL Video: http://www2.wjhl.com/news/2012/dec/13/etsu-first-school-use-gps-device-athletes-ar-2415651/

WCYB Article: http://www.wcyb.com/news/ETSU-pioneers-new-sports-technology/-/14590844/17765000/-/sipep0z/-/index.html

Johnson City Press Article: http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/News/article.php?id=103785





See the below press release from ETSU:

JOHNSON CITY (December 13, 2012) – Global positioning systems (GPS) can do wonders for getting a person from point A to point B, but sport scientists have now found a way to integrate GPS with other technology to help improve athlete performance. One such device is the Catapult MinimaxX S4, which is already being used by major sports teams around the world.

And starting this week, the Catapult MinimaxX S4 is making its way into the classroom at East Tennessee State University, where future sport scientists and coaches will gain expertise in using the device and getting the best results on the sport field.

This initiative was made possible through a new partnership ETSU has formed with Catapult Sports, the Australia-based athlete tracking technology company that created the MinimaxX.

“This technology is the best in the world when it comes to tracking athletic movement,” said Howard Gray, a doctoral student in ETSU’s sport physiology and performance program and sport scientist for ETSU men’s soccer team. “Using the MinimaxX, we can measure speed, distance, acceleration, deceleration and orientation of the body, as well as the impact from jumping, landing and hitting that occurs during contact sports.”

ETSU launched the nation’s first doctoral program in sport physiology and performance in 2010. The program is integrated with the ETSU Center of Excellence for Sport Science and Coach Education, which oversees the new U.S. Olympic Training Center for weightlifting.

Though many major sports teams around the world are already using the MinimaxX, ETSU will be the first university in the nation to implement the training and use of the device into its curriculum.

“ETSU is internationally recognized for its sport science and sport performance program,” said Ethan Owens, a sport scientist with Catapult and an ETSU alumnus. “The students who graduate from this elite program will be able to share their expertise with MinimaxX with other coaches and athletes across the nation. This partnership will increase the employment opportunities of the students graduating from this program.”

Gray added that the Center of Excellence is talking with some ETSU coaches about using MinimaxX with the university’s athletic teams to improve performance.