The University of Newcastle, Australia

Students and staff from the University of Newcastle Central Coast campus will today put theory into practice as they undertake performance testing on some of the region's up-and-coming athletes.

Graduating students from the University's Sports Science program are teaming up with a squad of Central Coast Academy of Sport (CCAS) junior surf lifesavers to test their fitness and endurance.

Senior Lecturer in Sports Science, Dr Dan Dwyer, said the session showed how the relationship between the University and the CCAS produced wide-ranging benefits.

"For our students having access to high-calibre athletes, including a number of junior state champions, gives them valuable experience in putting what they've learned in the classroom into action," Dr Dwyer said.

"For the athletes, they are getting valuable feedback on their fitness and endurance levels. It also gives coaches the information they need to get maximum benefit from the training regimes they design for the athletes they train."

The surf lifesavers, many of them beach flag competitors, will be put through a range of high-tech testing regimes. The tests cover performance during beach sprints, leg strength assessment and abdominal endurance.

"The University of Newcastle is entering an exciting new era in sports science education with the introduction of a revamped degree program in 2008," Dr Dwyer said.

"The new Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science degree program will qualify graduates for a range of existing and expanding career opportunities in the fitness and leisure industry, elite sports performance and the health sector.

"The program continues our focus on combining the theoretical and practical components of the discipline that reflect the nature of industry and the need for people skilled in clinical exercise testing."

Photo opportunity: Students and staff will be testing CCAS athletes during a training session at Toowoon Bay Surf Lifesaving Club at 5pm on Tuesday 18 December.