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University of Limerick Sports and Exercise Science students Sinead O’Reilly and Ethan O’Brien chose to complete their internship at the Bond Institute of Health and Sport. Wrapping up their six-month Gold Coast experience, the pair share their journey from Ireland to Bond. 

Where it all started...

In October 2017, we, as students of Sports and Exercise Science in the University of Limerick, began applying to intern programs across the globe.  This is a compulsory component of our degree in order to give students some experience in fields they may pursue in the future and takes place in the second semester of third year lasting 6-8 months. There is a number of internship programs available to us varying from strength and conditioning based to research based to a mixture of everything. With both of us being very keen to leave our small island and explore this diverse, extravagant plant we applied to all the intern opportunities abroad. We should mention that we knew each other from being in class together but not on personal bases before coming to Australia and so had been applying to the programs alone with the expectation of having to go alone. After interviews and phone calls, we received news from Bond that the two of us had been offered a place in the internship on the Gold Coast which would begin in January 2018. We now had each other to bounce ideas off in terms of accommodation, visas and flights which made to process so much easier.

Arriving in Australia

Sinead: Leaving home for me was nothing out of the ordinary. I had done a good bit of traveling in the past and really only spent the holidays at home since beginning Uni so I was used to being away. However ‘away from home’ in Ireland is nothing more than a five hour drive away! I was a little nervous due to the fact I didn’t really know what to expect in Australia and was interested to see how I would deal with being away from my family, friends and, most importantly, dog for 8 months with a 10 hour time difference (I still joke with my sisters that it’s like time travel and I can see the future when I call home). I flew to Istanbul and Singapore first staying there for a week with a friend from home who was on exchange at a University there so I didn’t experience too much jet lag when I arrived in Australia. When flying into the Gold Coast Airport I was lucky enough to have a window seat and it was, to me, a scorcher of a day. I remember seeing all the mountains and rainforests in the hinterland and thinking how I never expected Australia to be this green. When I stepped off the plane I was hit with a gush of hot air which at first I thought was just from the engine of the plane but quickly realised it wasn’t. I was informed it was 28 degrees yet still only 7 am. It felt so good to get some warmth on my bones and a bit of colour in my pasty white skin. I don’t do well in the cold and rain which is funny coming from someone from Ireland however after a few weeks of double the standard Irish summer temperature I was longing for a bit of cool air! For the next few days I hung out enjoying the warm water and waves the Gold Coast has to offer while I waited for Ethan to arrive.

Ethan: After three excruciatingly long flights I finally touched down on the Gold Coast. Stepping off the plane into the heat of the Australian summer felt like the beginning of a holiday to me. I was lucky to find a place to live close to Bond prior to my arrival on the Gold Coast with some very friendly Australians. Over the course of my first week here I explored the Gold Coast and its never-ending beaches. Being able to swim in the sea without a wetsuit was a luxury compared to the icy ocean back home! The initial few days were a bit of a culture shock to say the least. Being this far away from home was very new to me and adjusting to the time difference with the jet lag was difficult enough. But, before long the homesickness wore off and I settled into the nice, easy-going lifestyle of the Gold Coast.

Beginning at Bond University

After settling in and gaining our bearings our new home, it was time for us to start our placement at Bond. On our first day we got our access cards and went on a tour of Bond’s lovely campus and got to see some of its great facilities. Afterwards, we went to the Bond Institute of Health and Sport to get set up with a desk/computer and to meet all the staff and PhD students. Everyone was very friendly to us and keen to get us involved with various projects going on. We also got to meet our supervisor and discuss our goals and what we hoped to learn during our time here. Our role during our placement at Bond was research assistants. This meant we were going to aid in the writing of research papers and help out with various research projects at the Institute

Opportunities and learning at Bond

Over the past six months we have both assisted and participated in many learning opportunities in a wide range of areas. One of our main projects while we have been at Bond has been acting as research assistants for one of the PhD students which involved collecting data and organising sessions with women AFL players. The study involves measuring many physiological and fitness components of women AFL players in order to determine if there factors which are consistent among elite players, if there is a certain ‘body type’ within positions and if any of these measurements link to injury status in the next few months. Assisting with this study allowed us to develop our organisational skills, perform tests in areas of flexibility, strength and speed while also getting to work with teams from elite level to recreational.

With strength and conditioning being an area of big interest for both of us, we decided to do the ASCA level 1 course in March as recommended by our supervisor. This course gave us a new insight into strength and conditioning and also reinforced knowledge we had learned in class back home. From here, in order to receive our qualification, we observed and assisted a number of strength and condition coaches in sports such as rugby and swimming.

Another key project we participated in was the research and writing of a systematic review. Started by the Interns from last year, we continued the research process and completed the writing of a systematic review on the effects of resistance training of hand tremor. Although this process was at times tedious we are proud that we finally finished it and will now be included in a published paper.

As part of our internship we attended weekly meetings with the Sports Science master students and discussed topics such as ‘talent identification’, ‘research procedures’, ‘best practice in Sports Science’ ‘data collection, analysis and presentation’ ‘ women in sport’ and ‘planning/decision making’. Guest speakers who were experts in the topic of that meeting attended and discussed with us their experience around the topic in sport. We learned a lot in these meeting that will help us with our final year projects next year when we return to Ireland.

From attending the above meetings we got the opportunity to use the GPS units within several sports at Bond including AFL, rugby and wakeboarding. With the GPS units being new and no one knowing how to work them we acted as trail researchers and assisted the Tech guy to smooth out any problems with them. Analysing the GPS data was really interesting as we saw links between how the distance covered and max speed ect. This data was then given to coaches in order to manage player load.

Aside from all the projects mentioned above we also got to participate in workshops, attend PhD confirmations, test athletes at the NRL TID day and observe the Irish men’s rugby team strength and conditioning sessions before their game in Brisbane which made Sinead very happy!

Travelling around Australia

During our free time we wanted to see and experience as much of Australia as we could. Over the last few months we have met people from all over Australia and the rest of the world, we’ve travelled far and near and we’ve experienced many aspects of Australian culture.

Although we’ve only being on the Gold Coast for a brief six months it feels like a new home to both of us. On our days off we would do day-trips to many of the beautiful national parks, mountains and waterfalls surrounding the Gold coast. Other times we drove up and down the coast to some other great spots such as Byron Bay and Moreton Island. For some of our bigger trips we flew to Sydney and Melbourne and spent a few days exploring the cities and all the great places each had to offer. The highlight of our travels so far would have to been the Great Ocean Road. Over the course of one weekend, we rented out a van with a couple of our friends and we road tripped along the Great Ocean Road. We saw some of the most impressive beaches, cliffs and locations that we’ve ever seen before. It was a once in a lifetime experience to say the least.

We were also very lucky to be in town for this year’s Commonwealth Games. Getting to watch the build-up and excitement before the Game and then to be able to experience the Comm Games in full flow amazing. We got tickets to see several of the events including the athletics, the women’s rugby and the triathlon. The atmosphere and the craic we had at each event was unforgettable.

On top of all the places we’ve visited around Gold Coast and Australia we’ve also had enjoyed great experiences here. Whether it be surfing in Burleigh, trying out acai bowls (never heard of them until we came here!) or just hanging out with our newfound friends. More recently we got to watch the Irish men’s rugby team play Australia in Brisbane. Sadly we lost but being surrounded by so many green jerseys made us feel as if we were at home.

All in all, we’ve had an unbelievable time here in Australia and working at Bond. We’ve gained some invaluable knowledge and work experience here at Bond as well as some great friends and life experiences.

Written by Sinead O’Reilly and Ethan O’Brien