The Department of Sport and Exercise Science at SETU Waterford recently hosted a panel of experts to discuss the application of sports science specifically to female athletes.
Kelly McNulty
The first guest speaker was Kelly McNulty, a post-doctoral researcher in UPMC Waterford and TUS Athlone. Kelly presented data from her recently submitted PhD in Northumbria University, which investigated the effect of the menstrual cycle and hormonal contraceptive use on performance, recovery, and adaptation in sportswomen.
Summarising her research, Kelly highlighted the fact that because every woman’s response to their menstrual cycle is different, changes across their lifespan, and can vary from cycle to cycle, there might never be universal guidelines to direct performance and training in all sportswomen.
Her take home message was that we need to move beyond a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach and instead determine ‘what size fits the individual’ as this will help sportswomen to unlock their full health and performance potential.
Kelly advised attendees to start tracking how they feel and perform over a three month period using whatever methods they consistently use. This will allow women to identify any apparent trends of how, if at all, they are impacted by their menstrual cycle and adapt their training accordingly. During lockdown, Kelly also founded ‘Period of the Period’, a digital education platform which aims to change the narrative for women's health and performance by promoting awareness, increasing education and providing support.
Eoin Molloy
Eoin Molloy is a postgraduate research student on the SETU Waterford campus and coach with Triathlon Ireland. Eoin shared his current findings from his PhD he is currently aiming to gain a better understanding of the effects of fasted training and menstrual phase on endurance performance in female athletes.
The objective is to demonstrate the need for individualised, periodised training plans for female athletes based on female only research. Eoin also shared ideas of applying his theoretical knowledge into practice in his coaching.
Dr Paula Fitzpatrick
Dr Paula Fitzpatrick, lecturer on the SETU Carlow campus discussed the FASTr (Female Athlete Science Translated) initiative which encourages researchers to focus on the inclusion of female participants in sport science research. At present, only 35 percent of participants in sports science research are female and only 6 percent of studies focus exclusively on females.
The FASTr initiative aims to build on the legacy of the hugely successful 20x20 programme which sought to change the subliminal bias that exists in female sports and targeted 20 percent more media coverage for women’s sports, 20 percent more female participation and 20 percent more attendance at women’s sports events by the end of 2020. Paula provided thought provoking examples on the gender data gap and she also shared some of her own experiences from competing as an international rugby player.
Dr Eanna McGrath
The final presentation of the day was from SETU Waterford lecturer Dr Eanna McGrath, who is coach to Carolyn Hayes, the Irish triathlete who competed at the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games. Eanna presented Carolyn’s training data, highlighting the specific preparation completed for key events in the run up to the Olympics. Eanna and the team at HupHup Triathlon employed a mix of traditional and cutting-edge training and monitoring to ensure that Carolyn was able to perform at her best when it mattered most. The session was wrapped up with a brief, but engaging panel discussion, where each of the presenters answered questions from the in-person and online audience. The event was attended by SETU students, staff and the general public, both in person and remotely via the livestream.