Through Science, Technology and the Academy of Sport
The UWI’s St Augustine Academy of Sport (SAAS) is one of three that fall under the purview of the Faculty of Sport. Previously known as departments, the four academies (also at Cave Hill, Mona, and the Open Campus) represent a new era of commitment by the university to the potential of sport in the region. Dr Anand Rampersad leads the team at the St Augustine campus. August 2023 will mark his first year in the role.
"My involvement in sport goes back to primary school and my passion for cricket. Where I fell short in playing, I made up in other areas, such as scoring, studying history and writing about it. While growing up, the dominating prowess of the West Indies [cricket team] was both an inspiration and a motivation. We had positive role models whose focus was on unwavering success. Cricket was also a very different game for the Caribbean back then. The bat and the ball were weapons of mass destruction against the colonising powers of the time," he recalls.
Today, he reads about and views each and every sport voraciously and "eats, breathes, and sleeps sports, 24 hours a day, eight days a week".
Dr Rampersad's love for sport is only matched by his fascination for the sociological understanding of social phenomena. He was shortlisted for two positions on campus – the other as a lecturer in Sociology. Still, he chose to lead the SAAS as he saw it as an opportunity to bring his experience as a lecturer in the social sciences and marry it with his love of and respect for sports.
His long-term involvement in community sports also led to his formation of a women's cricket club with John Trumpet, and spending over a decade deepening the development of women in the sport built on his experience with men’s clubs, including Caldrac Cricket Club. He has also maintained a regular column with the Trinidad Guardian titled “Sportification”.
The SAAS is tasked with many areas of operation, including consolidation of existing sporting products like the well-known UWI SPEC International Half Marathon, which is carded to return in October, and with the planned introduction of a 5K. The academy also oversees the rental of all sports facilities on the campus, and recently hosted the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association’s girls under 14 competition over six weeks and its own under 23 Momentum Invitational Basketball League.
The UWI SPEC is also one of the three venues for the Cricket West Indies [CWI] Rising Stars Women under 19 regional tournament. In September, the academy will continue hosting Caribbean Premier League men's and women's teams to train at the Sir Frank Worrell Cricket Ground.
Academically, the SAAS offers a bachelor of science in Sport Kinetics and Sport Coaching. A certificate in the Art and Science of Coaching is also offered. The Faculty of Sport is a recent development, established in 2017 as the only new faculty at The UWI in over four decades.
"The Academy of Sport allows for something new and exciting – which is the scientific approach to sports. This takes place at two levels – sport for development and the development of sport in relation to elite athletes. Managing risk in training, nutrition, form, biomechanics, and leveraging technology are new conversations for us in the region, but the focus on these things will bring benefit in the long term," Dr Rampersad notes.
There is also a broader view. With the Caribbean region facing an onslaught of health issues concerning non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, sport has a crucial role in any strategic response. Dr Rampersad believes that the work at the SAAS can benefit students, staff, and the broader national community in promoting sports and healthy lifestyles, and he believes in tying sport into the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals with a strong focus on equal opportunities for gender inclusion.
"We are looking to establish a new record of runners at this year's UWI Half Marathon and 5K. Our goal is to break the 2016 record of 1600 participants with a minimum of 2000 participants. We would like to have at least 1,000 male and 1,000 female participants as we seek to promote gender equality and equity through sports. We hope to set and achieve this goal this year after a three-year hiatus and as we celebrate the university's 75th anniversary," Dr Rampersad says.
Dr Rampersad enjoys running and travelling when not lecturing or watching sports in his own time. He also has his eyes set on visiting 50 countries. He's currently at #33.
For more information on the St Augustine Academy of Sport, the Faculty of Sport, and educational opportunities in this emerging field, visit https://uwi.edu/sport/.
