Interested in biomechanics, Hastings College senior Alec Fichter spent the summer interning at the Pitching Lab, a biomechanics lab at the University of Nebraska Omaha, where he worked directly with players, calibrating cameras and setting up body markers to track their motion during workouts.
His goal was — and is as he looks to graduation and a master’s degree biomechanics — to help athletes succeed and improve just like the pitching evaluation that helped him grow as an athlete.
The exercise science major from Missouri Valley, Iowa, found out about the Pitching Lab during the 2021 College World Series. The lab had a booth setup, and after a visit, Fichter was hooked, and soon scheduled a visit so he could tour the facility and lab.
Fichter said he developed a strong interest in biomechanics during his sophomore year as a pitcher on the Hastings College baseball team. Biomechanics is the movement, force and mechanics of an athlete’s pitch or swing, and the lab aims to help athletes with knowledge and understanding of how their movement affects their health and performance.
Using high-speed cameras and sensors, the lab captures the pitch or swing of baseball and softball players, or the swing of a golfer.
After an evaluation, the Pitching Lab’s experts provide detailed analysis that can be used to develop a training program targeted at addressing each athlete’s specific needs.
After his visit, he suggested to his Hastings College coach that the team should visit the Pitching Lab for practice and winter evaluation. His coach agreed.
“I’m glad I mentioned the lab to my coach. He thought it would be a good practice experience for the pitchers and for the team overall,” he said.
Fichter was especially interested in all it takes to make the lab work — how the camera and computer helps the biomechanists share how the athlete’s form looked and what needs to be corrected.
Fueled by curiosity, Fichter reached out to Brian Knarr, the lead biomechanist of the Pitching Lab. He wanted to keep in contact with Knarr to ask questions and learn more about the program. Soon after, Fichter reached back out to Knarr and asked about internship opportunities.
“I think what really helped me secure the internship was the fact I was in constant contact with Brian Knarr. It helped a lot in the process, so I am grateful I stayed in touch,” Fichter said.
In addition to his regular internship duties, he took time to shadow some of the master’s program students at UNO as they would break down the data from a session, then consult and offer feedback to the athletes about their results.
“Sitting in on these consultations is rewarding, especially seeing the players and coaches receive feedback from the biomechanist based on the results from the study. Seeing the player taking the feedback and wanting to improve after further evaluation is even better,” he said.
Fichter said that without the resources at Hastings College, he wouldn’t have gotten the internship.
He credits exercise science professor Casey Krolikowski ‘19 with helping him secure the internship by giving him a reference and encouragement to push forward. He also appreciated his former baseball coach, Patrick Williamson ‘16, for accepting Fichter’s idea to take the team to the pitching lab to get evaluated.
After graduation, Fichter said plans to attend the University of Nebraska Omaha for a master’s degree in biomechanics and then work in a movement or biomechanics lab where he can help athletes succeed.
