Words and Photos by Jonathan Nguyen
This Tuesday, October 22nd, with tons of excitement, we started the Sports Analytics cohort with our first Expedition Day. We first met in the library to discuss our interests in numbers, sports and why we put this cohort as our first selection. We realized that we have a lot in common: all of us are eager to find out more about the sports analytics industry. Then, we watched some videos and documentaries of some professional sports teams who have been successfully using and applying sports analytics to develop their performance, particularly the Houston Rockets. We were exposed to different devices they attach to the players in order to record their shots, mechanics, etc. Then, Mr. Bates and Mr. Geddes showed us unique formulas that the NBA, NFL, and ESPN use to calculate players' efficiency in each game. Although calculating the numbers was hard and complicated, we were very excited to find out how our favorite players perform each game, based on complex numbers. Infographic was the last thing we touched on before going to lunch.
The best part of the day was in the afternoon when we had the opportunity to visit the Victoria Royals Stadium. The experience was fantastic. When we got to the stadium, the assistant coach of the team showed us the stadium, the players' locker room, the gym and the daily routine of a Victoria Royals' hockey player. Especially as a boarding student from Asia, it was really cool to get to know about the hockey culture in Canada. Then, we were introduced to some basic hockey terms and we watched some of the Royals' Power Play. Our job was to analyze how the play was organized, who took the shot, how did the goalie react to the shot, etc. After about half an hour of watching different Power Plays, I personally learned a lot of hockey strategies and terminologies. I think that I have started to like this sport! To conclude our day, we took a group picture outside of the stadium. All of us were really happy with the experience we got in the first Expedition day. I am looking forward to seeing how this year is going to be.