What sport taught me about science

Tristan Clemons
@clemo_11

Dr Tristan Clemons debuted for the Australian men’s hockey team in 2011, which coincided with his first year of PhD studies at the University of Western Australia. In 2018, he retired from the national team. Again, this corresponded with a major life shift: the beginning of a second post-doc with Professor Sam Stupp at Northwestern University.  But what did sports teach him about research? Here are some of the lessons he learnt as a research scientist juggling an international hockey career and how they can help you channel your inner athlete in your research pursuits.

Do you remember your first titration? It probably happened in an undergraduate research laboratory. The intense focus watching that slow drip, sweat dripping down your brow, a shaky hand poised on the tap, ready to close it rapidly to ensure you don’t overshoot the endpoint. Oh, the pressure! It’s almost as if you are describing a key moment in a sporting match. For me, I have been fortunate enough to experience both: plenty of clammy hands and tense times in the chemistry laboratory as a PhD student, and even more on the hockey pitch as a goalkeeper for the Australian men’s hockey team. So now, recently retired as a hockey player and enjoying a piece of chocolate cake and a coffee at the café (I can do that guilt free now with no trainer planning to pinch my fat in the near future), I have been reflecting on some of the more helpful parallels between elite sport and research science. I am a better research scientist because of my hockey experiences, and I was a better hockey player because of my research. Here is why.

I am a better research scientist because of my hockey experiences, and I was a better hockey player because of my research.

I was balanced. If I had a bad day in the laboratory where everything I touched seemed to fail (I’m sure you all know those kinds of days), I could go out on the hockey pitch and work hard at something that was a long-term goal of mine: to represent my country. Likewise, if I had a setback in hockey, such as missing selection for a major tournament, I could get back into the laboratory and work on my projects. My PhD was based on developing nanoparticle delivery vehicles for diseases such as cancer and heart disease. When I think of the applications of my research, it was always easy to find the perspective I needed. Hobbies and interests outside of your research keep you balanced and are good for your mental health. Fortunately for me, I have found a few activities to fill the void since my retirement, after recently becoming a father and a novice knitter when I find the time.

I am a team player. Being a good team player is simple. Do what is best for the team first, treat others with respect and be someone people want to spend time with. I pride myself on the last point. I would classify myself as an optimist: my glass is almost always on the half full side of the equation. Why is that important in elite sport or science? Well, if you can be optimistic about your teammates hitting hockey balls at you at over 100 km/h during a cold morning training session, then you can be optimistic about almost anything. In research, the importance of teams, especially when working across disciplines, is so important and these lessons from hockey have held me in good stead. The ability to build strong relationships with your teammates and to enjoy each other’s company makes for a greater chance of success when the pressure is on or the odds are stacked against you. Research teams face these stresses every day.

I am a leader. I learnt how to lead from hockey, and I will continue to lead as a researcher. Leading isn’t about being the boss. Leading is about having vision and the ability to inspire and rally others to join you towards that vision. When you are in a match and the tactics don’t go to plan or the other team is on top, you need to take control as a player. You need to be willing to call the shots and accept the consequences for those actions. A coach can help with this, but in reality, at the pace of an international match it really is up to the players. This isn’t the responsibility of one or just a few, but the whole team. Leaders have vision and great leaders know how to act to make sure others follow them towards that vision, solving problems along the way. This applies perfectly to what I do on a daily basis in research. Have a vision, have an end goal and whatever comes up as a roadblock solve it and continue to move forward towards the goal.

Leading is about having vision and the ability to inspire and rally others to join you towards that vision.

As an athlete, I learnt how to deal with stress. You are put in stressful situations all the time and you are constantly under scrutiny. The pressure not to eat because it will add to your skin folds, the pressure to be seen doing the extra chin-ups in the gym. Every training session analysed, every game on video, slow motion, mistakes magnified, the stakes high, the possibility of a gold medal for your country: and so the pressure builds. The ability I developed to cope and learn ways to deal with this stress will serve me well in my future. I would struggle with making time for myself: we used to call it ‘going to your third place’. I never quite understood why it was the ‘third place’ when I had to be in about six! But taking time off represents doing something for you: not hockey, not research, not business, not family, not friends; just something for you. I used to find that when the pressure was on, the first thing I let slide was time for myself. I felt guilty for taking time out when my ‘to do’ list was so long, but in reality, this time made me more efficient in all the pursuits of my life. In high pressure careers like elite sport and research, designating time for yourself is ever important. For me as an athlete, this meant getting in the ocean for a swim to catch some waves, or getting a good coffee and reading the newspaper.

I used to always think my time spent on the hockey pitch would hinder my research career. The more I reflect on this, the more I realise that being involved with the number one team in hockey for the better part of eight years has been a great apprenticeship for research. It has provided me with the personal tools and assets for what my future in research science will require.