Testimonials

Preparation/Planning: Obviously, there are some challenges and blind areas when starting up something that has not been done before on this scale within the sport and as it creates some new benchmarks and understanding for vital aspects within our sports. We had a good feeling on how previous projects/studies and Lee's knowledge could form a good and understandable project. This feeling came from Lee’s communication, positivity, and absolute passion for the topic and approach. Lee demonstrated a good support and understanding for our needs and wishes and even with limited background of hockey officiating, Lee was able to provide us with useful insights and suggestions on how we could work moving forward in terms of education and drills.

Distance was of course one of the challenges and looking back, at least one physical planning meeting could have been beneficial to enrich the cooperation and connection between the two parties. This was not something changing the outcome, etc., but could have been a beneficial part for future cooperations. We appreciated the flexibility from Lee's side as the IIHF project leader and the responsible on site for conducting the project was not the same person. However, even if the situation was not the best, Lee integrated very fast into the team of coaches and created a great relationship with the officiating staff, and that relationship was a key for a good environment around the testing and the various theoretical and physical aspects of the project.

The feedback was that there was a good balance to work with the officiating staff and still not interfering with their duties and 'normal work'. The mix between the theoretical presentation and to connect quickly with the findings with a project that is unique was impressive and gained a lot of trust in the group. There were multiple occasions where staff and officials alike were very impressed by the delivery, dedication, and ability to apply what was being discussed. Follow up/presentation: We had a good communication after the work in Basel and the physical presentation and the discussions in Zurich was a key factor for us to gain understanding of the results and how this could be beneficial for future coaching and education of game officials.

The video material and presentations/documentations was very well structured and informative and in a language that could be easily understood at which ever level of the organization was reading it. That was impressive. It helped us to understand and gain knowledge for future decisions and projects to benefit the work with officials within ice hockey. Lee is proactive in his approach to working with both officials and staff. He is able to work autonomously but still collaboratively with other members of staff. Lee’s work is safe and fit to practice.

For the most part, Lee and I have worked in tandem, collaborating with one another on our different skill-sets. Lee has predominantly taken the role of psychological skills development, utilising many popular tools in the process (REBT, imagery, mental rehearsal, biofeedback etc). In more recent years, Lee has added his specialism of eye training / tracking and other such decision-making tools to further compliment his arsenal. This most recent development has really seen Lee come into his own as a fieldbased practitioner. He has committed an inordinate amount of time in refining his craft and carving out a niche for himself as a sport scientist.

To the best of my knowledge, he is at the forefront of applied activity in this rather new field. In addition, his approaches have translated to performance improvements in multiple environments. Lee has also developed a fantastic way of working with athletes and staff alike to make his processes as engaging and informative for the individual. He is an excellent presenter. I have witnessed countless proposals and presentations of finding, of which Lee is able to tailor to the audience in question. In that regard he has chameleon-like quality to appeal to multiple people in different ways.

Lee’s work is nothing but autonomous, which should be comment enough in itself. All of his extra-curricular work is self-driven and sourced, surpassing any expectations that stakeholders would have imagined. Considering both the sensitivity of some of the work he conducts and of the equipment used for that work, Lee operates a practical and functional modus operandi that has led to no adverse outcomes.

Before, I considered vision as merely one of the many elements of the sport. Now, I understand it to be a foundational aspect that influences performance at every level, thanks to Lee's insightful guidance. His tailored assessments and actionable strategies have equipped me to train my athletes more effectively, enabling them to sharpen their focus, improve their reaction time, and make more accurate judgments on the field.

It was entertaining and really engaged the students imagination and got them thinking about how they might go about decision making in their own sport. The lecture was filled with entertaining information and activities. It set It sets the students up well for the practical session. Girls loved as did I.

His outstanding work with the International Ice Hockey Federation demonstrates his qualities and professionalism. In the research domain, Lee has developed a thorough understanding of the research process, quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis skills, and an ability to review, critique, and innovate research and theories. His progress on his PhD on the topic of decision-making and gaze-behavior in sporting settings demonstrates this, as well as his recent publications.

In the education domain, Lee's vast experience as a lecturer and a program leader has provided him with the knowledge and ability to help students learn in an efficient and engaging manner and to be creative in his approach to teaching.

If there's a success, you know Lee was in some shape or form. Great person overall - I recommend getting on a call with Lee for anyone curious about sport science and improving decision making in dynamic situations - you’ll be amazed.

The practical applications to rider performance and coaching practice were evident, and Lee discussed his experiences working within wider sports to contextualise the use of this technology in industry, with exciting stories of sports that are using eye tracking to enhance coaching, referee decision making and athlete performance. Lee took us through the software from start to finish, with a great introduction to visual attention, focus and memory, as well as allowing us to collect data from 2 of our Hartpury Academy Riders and 2 Coaches, including a BHS Fellow.

He was also kind enough to allow us to keep the videos of the data collected to reflect on in teaching practice with our student groups. We had a very enjoyable morning for the demo and are definitely looking forwards to welcoming Lee back to Hartpury again in future!