GB hockey player says OU is 'best fit' as new sport and coaching degree is launched

Great Britain Olympic hockey squad member and OU student Alex Danson has labelled the OU “the best fit for my sporting career” ahead of London 2012 and her graduation next year.
 
The 26-year-old, who is expected to compete in the GB women’s hockey team at London 2012 this summer, says the OU’s degree course fitted flexibly around her sporting commitments meaning she had time for both study and sport.

Alex’s comments come as the OU launches a new degree, the BSc (Hons) Sports, Fitness and Coaching. Future fitness and sports leaders can struggle to combine an academic career with the demands of a tough training regime or job. Many keen sports men and women have to park their studies while they concentrate on reaching their potential.

Alex has been studying since 2008, while keeping up an international sporting career and says she always packs both her hockey stick and her study books when she travels with the team to competitions. Her time as a student has even seen her fit in an exam while at the Commonwealth Games in India.

“Being a full time sports woman is extremely demanding and in a different way studying with the OU is a challenge too, but the tutor support is great and studying is something I really enjoy. After lots of hard work I hope to eventually pick up my OU degree – in some way that will feel a bit like a podium moment.”
 
Alex, who graduates next year and hopes to go into teaching, is just one of a number of high achieving sports people who are currently studying with The Open University.
 
“The OU is the best fit for my sporting career – it means that I can study whilst continuing to commit fully to GB Hockey. I can study whenever and wherever it suits me due to the incredible flexibility of the modules and the resources being available online.”
 
The BSc (Hons) Sports, Fitness & Coaching aims to address these needs by offering a relevant degree which can ultimately improve employability. The undergraduate course – aimed at both those who practise sport to a high level and those who want to teach or coach - develops an understanding of sports science, training, coaching and leadership principles as well as improving work effectiveness and enhancing existing skills in these areas.
 
The OU’s head of Sport and Fitness Ben Oakley, a former Olympic windsurfing coach who has been to two Olympic Games, says the degree offers a valuable insight into the psychology and science of sport, with an opportunity to enhance careers in teaching and coaching.
 
“The emphasis of the degree course is in applying science and psychology. To be effective, coaches have to understand the mental aspect of their sport. You study how your own body works to gain more understanding of how to apply this knowledge when you teach others.”

The new course expands the existing Foundation Degree in Sport & Fitness to full honours and is enhanced by a rich source of online material, including BBC documentaries and OU short films.