Frans van der Merwe

Frans started at Wintec in 2007 studying towards his Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science degree. Now, four years later, he has successfully completed his Masters Dissertation receiving excellent feedback from his external supervisors.

Frans studied sport science in South Africa for a year because he loved sport but says it wasn't till he enrolled at Wintec that he really developed a passion for his studies. He recalls: "I initially chose to study at Wintec because some people I know knew some of the lecturers and recommended it. I don't for one minute regret enrolling at Wintec because the lecturers have a real pasion for what they do and do a stand-up job at instilling this passion into their students. My supervisors where always there to support me and to bounce off ideas, any time of the day."

Through his studies at Wintec, Frans was also given numerous opportunities to work with professional athletes and encouraged to gain experience with several sporting bodies including the Waikato Rugby Union, Paralympic athletes and the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic Netball Team. His research focused on the functioning of the lower extremities in hypermobile individuals. The aim of his study was to assess whether muscular pre-activation of the lower extremities is affected by hypermobility and information gained from it may possibly also give greater insights into landing based injury mechanics.

His career goal is to work in the tertiary education sector. "I want to be able to pass on my knowledge and passion for all things related to sport to a new, younger generation. Working in the tertiary education system will allow me to work with varied groups of athletes ranging from amateur to professional and will also allow me to do research in the field of exercise rehabilitation."