Feature: St Mary’s Strength and Conditioning Gold Medal Internship Programme

Final year Strength and Conditioning Science students at St Mary’s University, Twickenham have been developing skills and work experience with world class sports clubs and governing bodies through the University’s Gold Medal Internship (GMI) programme. St Mary’s GMI programme gives students the opportunity to apply for, and undertake, sporting internships while developing their academic and applied knowledge, and building contacts with sports clubs. Scott Hobbs, a participant on the programme who worked with London Irish Rugby Club during his second year of study, shares his experience of the internship. Why did you take part in the Gold Medal Internship programme? Scott: When I first heard of the GMI programme I immediately applied as it presented a rare opportunity to gain essential experience in strength and conditioning and to work with elite, professional athletes. It also offered to reinforce the skills and knowledge I would gain throughout the final year of my undergraduate degree; additionally giving me the chance to further develop myself as a coach and to refine my coaching abilities and philosophy. What did the programme entail? Scott: I had to apply and undergo a thorough selection process, including presenting a strength and conditioning case study on rugby, followed by an interview with the Head Strength and Conditioning of London Irish, Rob Palmer. I began the internship in early June 2013, ready to assist with the pre-season training. I was involved in coaching the first team and the under-16 players’ strength and power sessions, providing sport science support in the form of recording and interpreting GPS data, and working with players through late stage injury rehabilitation. I was also given the opportunity to attend premiership games for free! How has the programme benefited you? Scott: A key benefit was accumulating a year’s worth of experience working as a Strength and Conditioning coach with a professional rugby team throughout a full competitive season. More significantly, I have developed a greater insight into the intricacies of coaching and training elite athletes; an insight that is applicable to any sport I decide to work with in the future. Working with adult and youth athletes has been very interesting as the coaching demands and atmosphere are entirely different. How did St Mary’s support you during the duration of the programme? Scott: All of the Strength and Conditioning staff were available to answer questions and deal with any issues I had, something that has been invaluable throughout the internship. Jonathan Griffin, the School of Sport, Health and Applied Science Graduate Assistant and GMI supervisor, regularly asked me how I was getting on and what I’d learnt. Would you recommend the GMI programme to other students? Scott: For any aspiring Strength and Conditioning coaches, it is absolutely paramount to gain experience in a coaching environment as soon as possible in their career. The GMI programme catered for this and put me in one of the most elite environments available, giving me applied, real world experience that you might not have access to normally. Complemented by the high quality mentoring from the other Strength and Conditioning coaches and physiotherapists, I would recommend the GMI programme to all Strength and Conditioning students beginning the degree. Using three words, how would you describe the programme? Scott: Highly rewarding experience.