Internship affairs

ATHLETES of perennial UAAP general champions UST continue to beat their opponents not only because of their skills and determination, but also because of the programs created by 15 Sports Science interns who make sure that the Tigers are fit to fight and win.
College of Rehabilitation Science’s (CRS) Department of Sports Science head Joy Reyes said the Sports Science interns formulate exercise and health programs for almost all of the University’s varsity players, beginning with numerous tests and assessment.
“The interns do physiological tests that determine which parameters of fitness the athletes are strong or weak in,” Reyes told the Varsitarian.

Holistic care
An intern is assigned to one team for five months to supervise its athletes undergoing the programs.
The interns begin with assessing the athlete’s anthropometry (body measurements), flexibility, strength, agility and endurance based on the sport an athlete plays. For example, the fencers have the handgrip tests used to measure the strength of their grip, while spikers have the sprint tests to measure their speed. They also undergo hexagon tests which measure the players’ agility and the medicine ball throw and vertical jump, which determines an athlete’s upper and lower extremities strength, respectively.
The interns also consider the nutritional status of the athletes for the dietary requirements.
“We inform the athletes and the coaches of our findings for them to be aware if they are eating the right food,” Sports Science intern Reil Espino told the Varsitarian.
Based on the results of the physiological tests and the requirements of the athletes and coaches, the interns would then start the program to improve the athletes’ performance. Nevertheless, they do not force the athletes to follow their recommendations.
“The interns help them (athletes) by doing a program fit for their sport, but interns do not meddle in skills training because that aspect is already for the coaches to supervise,” Reyes said.
Reyes also added that as a part of the sports science intern’s training, they go to the teams scheduled game. They provide first aid and look for injuries the athletes might suffer.
Women’s football team coach Jade Bejemino said the health programs the interns created greatly helped the performance of his team.
“The programs really helped the athletes in terms of endurance and how to become better players,” Bejemino said.
Patricia Perlas, captain of the women’s football team, added that having a Sports Science intern on the team’s has been helpful in boosting their health.
“It has been very good for us because we noticed an improvement in our performance. And they do not focus on only one part of the body, their programs are holistic,” she said.

Let’s hit the gym
All of these programs greatly rely on the Sports Science Laboratory at the sixth floor of the St. Martin de Porres’ Bldg.
The laboratory is a crucial part of the heath program because the state-of-the-art equipment available in the laboratory, such as the life fitness and hammer strength machines, take care of the athletes’ endurance.
Even if the laboratory is most helpful to the varsity teams of the University, these health programs and the use of the Sports Science Laboratory are not exclusive to varsity players.
Angelito Guilas, supervisor of the Sports Science Laboratory, said CRS students, faculty members, and even non-academic employees can go to the Sports Science Laboratory and have a personal program created by a sports science intern. CRS students pay P300 per month and P1,500 for six months, while non-academic employees pay P500 per month and P2,500 for six months. CRS faculty members can use the Laboratory for free.
“We go through the same processes for our clients but the programs for athletes are more vigorous. We adapt the program based on the needs of the client,” Guilas said. Celina Ann M. Tobias with reports from Kingbherly L. Li



The Cover



The Back Cover