MIT Students Learn from the Warriors

MIT Students Learn from the Warriors

Students studying the new Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science degree at Manukau Institute of Technology are benefitting from a relationship the institute has with the Warriors.

MIT’s Faculty of Sport began offering the full degree programme this year and students in the first year intake who are studying a sport pedagogy paper have had the opportunity attend training sessions with the Warriors as part of their course.

Michelle Parsons is the Progamme Head at MIT’s School of Sport says MIT’s relationship with the Warriors began in 2003 when Thomas Leuluai (a current Warrior), Jerome Ropati (a current Warrior) and Louis Anderson (now playing professional league in England) were all enrolled in the Certificate of Sport and Recreation programme. She says that Manu Vatuvei's wife Jen was also a student at MITat that time.

She goes on to explain that the relationship means that if any of the Warriors want to complete qualifications at the Institute they are supported to balance studies with team commitments and this close relationship is now providing benefits in return to MIT students.

“About 30 students from my sport pedagogy class had the opportunity to attend a gym session with the Warriors where they were utilising the latest high tech equipment such as a high altitude chamber and an anti-gravity treadmill,” she says.

“This was a fantastic opportunity for the students to see the theory that they learn in class applied in real life and they were able to see how the Warriors coaches use the state-of-the-art training equipment to get the players into peak performance.”

Amy Jacobson (19) from Papakura and Ailesha Harrison (19) from Mangere both got a lot out of the training sessions and were lucky enough to get their picture taken with Warriors winger from Otara, Manu Vatuvei.

Amy hopes to become a physical education teacher or work in sports event management after she graduates while Ailesha is interested in being a sports co-ordinator.

Another student who attended the session is 19 year old Sam Lisone from Otara. Sam is in the under 20s Warriors team so is familiar with the training equipment however he said it was great to learn about the reasons why the conditioning coaches are doing particular movements and how physiologically the equipment is used.

“I had a passion for sports and had been in the Warriors since I debuted at age 16 but I enrolled at MIT because I know that after footie you have to have something and I’m really enjoying doing both – playing and studying,” he says.

Sam is travelling to Sydney with the Vodafone Junior Warriors to compete against the Sydney Roosters in the NYC premiership semi-final this Friday.

For more information on MIT’s new Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science degree email info@manukau.ac.nz or visit our website www.manukau.ac.nz

ENDS

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