7/8/2010 - BIGGER, STRONGER, FASTER

TROY TROJANS UTILIZE MODERN WEIGHING TECHNOLOGY

Football teams all over the nation are concerned with their players' health during hot preseason practices. Body weight lost through sweat is not easily replaced and must be continually monitored. It is generally accepted by athletic trainers that players should lose no more than two percent body weight during practice or games. Any player who loses more than this must be immediately re-hydrated to avoid serious health risks including loss of kidney function, stroke, or even death.

Football programs from the NFL to the NCAA to larger high schools monitor lost body weight continually during August "two-a-day" practices. The vast majority of these programs utilize a student trainer with a clipboard and a list of players. Players weigh in before practice and again after practice. Percentage of lost body weight is then computed and athletes who have exceeded two percent body weight loss are re-hydrated immediately.

Robert Proctor (Birmingham-Toledo / Montgomery Scales & Systems) contacted Richard Shaughnessy, head strength coach at Troy University, regarding this process. "I asked him if a player had ever left the premises before his excessive loss of body weight had been realized by the training staff. He replied that it happened often as players hurried to get to other activities,” said Proctor.  Proctor then asked if Coach Shaughnessy would prefer to have an automated system that eliminated this risk. He was immediately very interested.

The system is a huge success. Players now step onto the electronic scale and are prompted to enter their ID number. Their weight is recorded and immediately sent to Coach Shaughnessy’s computer.  After workouts the process is repeated, and the difference in weight is automatically computed. Excessive weight loss is "red-flagged" within the system and is easily identifiable on the computer screen. Players are no longer making it off campus before their risk for potential physical problems is caught.

The system is such a success that it has been added to all university athletic programs. All athletes' weights are now tracked automatically from the time that they walk onto campus until the time that they graduate. This is not only a health resource, but also a recruiting tool, as athletes may see proof of what the university's weight training program can do for them.

Birmingham-Toledo repeated the system for another university in Alabama, based on the premise that excessive weight loss must be seen instantaneously at multiple sites. Redundant reporting would help to avoid the weight loss being overlooked.

The second system is also a huge success. Players’ weight is recorded and immediately sent to the desktop computers of the strength staff, training staff, their position coach, as well as the head coach.

This huge system with its copious amount of data is now housed on the university's server utilizing XML programming. BTI/Montgomery Scales technicians worked with the university's IT staff to make the system a reality. The university now has a system in place that helps to ensure the health of its athletes while also providing a valuable statistical tool for multiple uses.

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