BEMIDJI — Years ago, the Bemidji State girls soccer team evaluated a player’s usage based on the number of minutes logged. But, like the technology at hand, this strategy has evolved.
“Anything that helps us have that little edge on somebody — and if it’s GPS units — hey, we’re going to do it,” assistant coach Mike Korman said.
Every practice and every game, the Beavers wear clothing with a GPS tracking chip inside. The technology tracks their sessions—everything from total distance to hard runs to top speed and more.
Madelyn Haasken / Bemidji Pioneer
Called Sports Performance Tracker, the system helps BSU understand the workload on each position player. The team will take the information and apply it to their training.
“It’s great because you can see how far you ran in a game, how fast you ran,” senior Halle Peterson said. “You can see your speed, your distance. You can see where you spend most of your time on the field. … It helped a lot.”
“They help us gauge where everyone’s feet are for the week,” senior midfielder Maggie Cade said. “If you run long distances, you’re going to be a little late in practice just because you want your legs ready for the game.”
Madelyn Haasken / Bemidji Pioneer
Shutting down an unhealthy player for a practice or two might be a little unusual, but longevity is the goal. And the results, according to Korman, speak for themselves.
In the year “I see the benefits where they have new legs because we’ve shut them down so many times,” said Korman, who joined the staff in 2019 and implemented SPT in 2021. It helps us stay fresher all year round. I think from 2019 to 2021, and as the season (the season) goes on we think it’s even newer.
Players can access their personal data on apps and computers. You can also see the team’s best performance in each category.
He contributed.
He contributed.
Korman said coaches can sometimes spend hours tracking all of the team’s data, but having it at their fingertips has been a game-changing tool.
“I think it was great. … And we’re still learning every day,” Korman said. “We’re trying to make sure we don’t kill them during the week, so when the games come, their legs are fresh. More or less, it helps us figure out who we can push a little bit more, who needs a little bit more mileage.”
To open their season, the No. 9 Beavers will be up against a strong program every year in South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits haven’t had a losing season since 2012 and have made four Division I NCAA Tournament appearances, including last season.
“They’re going to be a great team to play against,” Cade said. “It helps us see where we are. Of course it’s early in the season so we know we’ll be better, but it gives us a good indication of where we can end up.
Micah Freeze / Bemidji Pioneer
Bemidji State has had recent success in the Division I tournament. BSU beat North Dakota 2-0 in last season’s opener and 1-0 in 2018. The Beavers’ last DI loss was to none other than SDSU, a 3-1 loss in 2014.
This year’s season opener begins Sunday, Aug. 28 at 1 p.m. at Bemidji State in Brookings, SD, followed by a pair of road games at Northern Michigan (Sept. 2) and Michigan Tech (Sept. 4) before the NSIC begins. Games until September 9.
The Beavers believe such a conference slate — especially their Division I opponent — will set them up well for a highly competitive North Sun.
“I think it’s exciting,” Peterson said. “Playing a team like SDSU, it’s like playing a lot of teams in our conference. I feel like most of our conference is good and can play at that level. It’s a good way to start the year and see where we’re at.”
Jillian Gandsey / Bemidji Pioneer
