This is a “Now’ page inspired by Derek Sivers and it has information about the ‘Now’ of Sports Technology Blog (STB) including what’s active or being focused on ‘now’. This should be more precise/updated than the ‘About‘ page.
1/ Who Is In STB?
As mentioned elsewhere in the site, STB has a small team of sports people (scientists, teachers/coaches and technologists). Different people have been part of the team (contributing to STB) through the years and currently the active ones include:- Sal, Stu and myself (Julian). Sal has an exercise/sports science background; loves soccer, coaches a youth team in his spare time. He enjoys testing new tech products and has done a number of product reviews on the blog. He works as an engineer/developer and at one point was considering venturing into a sports tech startup. Stu also has an exercise/sports science background; he’s a triathlete and coach, and even an ice hockey club strength coach at some point. He recently completed his PhD and is now a lecturer in exercise science at CDU. Julian (that’s me) has a mechanical engineering background; I’m into flatwater kayaking and coached briefly. I interrupted my engineering career to do a PhD in sports engineering which lead me down this rabbit hole of sports technology (and running this blog).
2/ Stuff We Do
As much as we would like to talk about all things sports technology, we can’t and we don’t. Over the (last 15 or so) years, even though the sports technology space/industry has grown, it is still considered a novel space. Sports Tech Startups and their products come and go. Some stay longer than others. Some started with one thing and evolved into something else after they find out what people really need. So we are really here to curate what is out there. I think that the future of sports tech is where some level of customisation is built-in. So that generally involves collecting some data from athletes and using that data to customise their training or schedule or equipment or nutrition. As much as possible, that (customisation) is what we will aim to focus on; practically, here are some of the things we do:
* Product Reviews
This is where we review sports technology products – hardware, software or apps. This is a pretty fun one to do but it does come with a few challenges. From getting hold of suitable products that the team is capable of reviewing, to testing a product for a few months only to realise it is not going to be on the market anymore, and not being able to get hold of a product because it is not available for the Australian market. But it is still great when we get to do a review and then publish it. Then when we go a bit more in-depth on using the product, it becomes more of a ‘guide/tip’ article. What would we like to review? Products that make a difference to athletes – elite athletes or everyday athletes. Products that help with training or prevent injury or assist with recovery or monitor performance. Products that are innovative. That and our theme of “customisation” is going to be our guide for choosing products to review.
* More General Reviews Of Technologies
That’s us covering the use of technologies in certain sports or areas of sports. Some examples include the application of 3d printing in sports, wearable sensors in soccer and technology for managing hydration.
* The Sports User’s Perspective – “What Works”
This is something new that we are exploring. What Sports Tech products or services do athletes and coaches use? There are many different Sports Tech products either on the market or being developed. How do we know if they are effective for a particular type of athlete or sport? What if we could hear from athletes or coaches who have tried different products and services and learn about their experiences?
* Highlight On Sports Tech Startups
This is what we used to call Startup Spotlight. When we have good conversations with people in the startup world and find out about the exciting things they are doing, we share them here. Here are some examples: Startup Spotlight.
If any of these things resonate, and you would like to get involved, feel free to drop me a note here: contact.
Sports Technology Blog 