Student helps GB water polo team

A WARRINGTON student is helping the GB women’s water polo team during training sessions in London for the Olympics.
Luke Miller-Briggs, 21, from Latchford, recently graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University with a 2:1 in Sport and Exercise Science.
He has been working closely with the GB team to film training sessions and games, which will then be used by the coach to pinpoint areas for improvement and decide strategy.
Luke said: “In our second year our lecturer, Dr Payton, talked to us a lot about opportunities and encouraged us to get out there and knock on people’s doors.
“I did and got some experience, and then just before Christmas he gave me a ring and told me this opportunity would be coming up.”
Luke has been spending two half day sessions a week filming the team’s training sessions, and recently visited the team’s holding camp in Hungary where they made last-minute preparations.
During the games he will be poolside at every match making sure he captures every pass and shot and will also be filming the opposing teams so they can be analysed.
Luke, who is planning to study for an MA in Biomechanics at the university, said: “I’m very excited and a bit nervous, but everything I need to do I have done before on my course, and even though this has more of a performance analysis aspect the skills are directly transferable from biomechanics, which is my speciality.”
He is also hoping to continue his association with the team after the Olympics, following positive feedback about his work from the coach and staff.