Professor Georges is Dean of Applied Science at the University of Canberra and his main research focus is on sex determination in reptiles. He is also the chair of the ACT Flora and Fauna Committee, responsible for advising the ACT Government on biodiversity and ecology issues, among other committee and management appointments. UC researchers team up with ski cross racer for snowsport study
Researchers at the University of Canberra will benefit from the insights of professional ski cross racer and University of Canberra student Sami Kennedy-Sim.
The 23-year-old AIS / NSW Institute of Sport athlete is studying a Bachelor of Sports Media and will work with the University’s snowsport injury research team on a new project to examine the cumulative effects of head impacts on balance in skiers and snowboarders.
The research aims to understand how balance can be used to identify head impacts in athletes and builds on a previous project investigating the characteristics of head impacts in children, and is funded by the NSW Sporting Injuries Committee.
“There is a growing understanding that repeated head knocks are causing damage to our athletes. This research aims to understand the mechanisms for early recognition of this change in function and one way we can look at this is through balance,” research team member Professor Gordon Waddington, said.
“If we can screen athletes to understand their balance and monitor how it changes over time, particularly after head knocks, we can make a more informed decision on whether or not they should continue putting themselves at risk on the slopes,” he added.
Mrs Kennedy-Sim, who is experiencing her best World Cup season since her debut in 2008 with two fifth place finishes in the FIS World Cup round in Canada, said the research would prove invaluable.
“As an elite athlete competing in a high-risk sport, I am directly affected by this research. We fall quite a bit in this sport and there is currently only one way to assess if we have recovered from the effects of concussion,” the Jindabyne product said, who has her sights set on competing in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games.
“Skiers often compete soon after a head knock which is a very risky thing to do, so any research that will improve athlete safety is a good thing,” she added.
Approximately 40 skiers and boarders will take part in the study. Researchers will conduct initial balance tests then monitor athletes’ progress over the ski season, re-testing them after a fall. The project will start in June/ July and is expected to take 18 months to complete.
The cross-faculty research team is made up of Associate Professor Tracey Dickson (Faculty of Business, Government and Law), Professor Gordon Waddington (Faculty of Health) and Stephen Trathen (Faculty of Arts and Design).
Mrs Kennedy-Sim leaves for Europe on Wednesday to compete in the final five events of the World Cup Ski Cross season.
- Professor Waddington, Dr Dickson, Mrs Kennedy-Sim and Mr Trathen are available for interview
- Photographs are also available on request
Contact the University of Canberra media team:
Amanda Powell: (02)6201 5422/ 0408 826 362
