Science & Soccer: Booker T. Physics Students Collect Data At FC Tulsa Practice

Science & Soccer: Booker T. Physics Students Collect Data At FC Tulsa Practice

Physics students from Booker T. Washington High School took science to the soccer field Thursday. 

As FC Tulsa kicked off practice ahead of this weekend's game, Booker T. Washington students walk into the Titan Sports Complex for physics class. 

The juniors and seniors brainstormed exactly what data they were looking for. Then it was time for science, on the soccer field.  

“Science to me is how the body works. It's important that players know, and they have an understanding of benchmarks and numbers,” FC Tulsa Head Coach Michael Nsien said.  

Nsien is a Booker T. grad himself, and proud to welcome students to the sidelines.  

"When I coached youth, I coached Booker T. kids and it's like, you always have that sense of pride in knowing the history of the community and that school, and you always can identify with that,” he said.  

Students used their cell phones to capture certain moves. The video and information collected Thursday will go far beyond the field. Students will be studying this data for the rest of the semester, then presenting it to the soccer team.  

"I'd like to see how we can use that, if possible, throughout the season to help better our players as well,” Nsien said.  

FC Tulsa also collects its own data, including each player’s heart rate. Students will incorporate data from the team in their work.  

Senior Alvin Mwangi said seeing science in a real-life context makes it easier to understand. He also shared how it’s helping him shape what he wants to do when he graduates.

"Hopefully something in like computer science. When I was little kid, I kind of hoped that I would do this, but physics is really hard. So, I still love physics but I'm a computer science nerd at heart,” Mwangi said.  

Students at Memorial High School also studied FC Tulsa’s practice this week. This brand-new collaboration with FC Tulsa could soon be part of the curriculum at Tulsa Public Schools, called "Kicking for Kinematics: The Physics of Football.”