Interview with old boy Sars Flood

What attracted you to performance analysis? Do you recommend this field to boys at St Bede’s?

• I started thinking about it in my final year at St. Bede’s, when I was looking at potential career options. I always knew that I wanted to do something in the sports/health industry, but I wasn’t sure what. My favourite subjects at the time were PE, Digital Technology, Statistics and I really enjoyed my rugby, so performance analysis seemed like a perfect fit. I would definitely recommend it to any boy who has a passion for sport in general, not just rugby. Performance analysts are employed in professional sports all around the world.

What are the good things about your degree course at UC?

• At the moment I am doing a Bachelor of Sports Coaching, majoring in performance analysis and strength and conditioning. The course has a wide variety of subjects, which allows you to look into different aspects of the professional sports world. There are also a lot of practical work opportunities with other sports teams and you have access to a range of top quality equipment.

What is it like being back at St. Bede’s and contributing as an old boy?

• It’s been awesome. I really enjoyed my time at St. Bede’s as a student, so to be able to come back and work with the 1st XV has been a real privilege. I know how important the team is to the boys, so to be able to give back and see the team do well these last few seasons has been really cool.

What are some of the highlights of being back involved in our rugby?

• It’s been great to reconnect with my former teachers and the rugby coaches who coached me in the past. I’ve also been very lucky to work with some great coaches over the past three season with the 1st XV. They’ve really encouraged me to become involved with the team and I have learned a lot about the game through them.

What are your future goals in performance analysis?

• I’m lucky enough to have an internship with the Crusaders this year, so to be able to stay in that environment as long as possible would be awesome. I’d also like to travel and be able to use my analysis skills in other clubs around the world.