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were school kids (and some of them still are in school, of course: colleges are among the biggest tech users in sports). From studying video on iPads in the dugout or on the team bus, to watching computer models of their swings or their motion, athletes are calling on the tech they’ve grown up with to help them win. Meanwhile, scientists are giving these athletes a wide array of tools to improve per- formance and success. There’s an App for That H andheld electronics are one of the most vis - ible and popular uses of tech in sports. According to a Nielsen poll, more than 46 million Americans accessed fitness or health apps in 2014. Smartphones can be loaded with a wide variety of apps that do ev- erything from count a runner’s steps to show how far a soccer player has run during a game. There are literally hundreds of apps that can track data for athletes. Some are worn dur- ing exercise. The sensors in the smartphone record pace, heart rate, calories burned, dura- tion, and other factors. Some apps can then provide a post-workout analysis so athletes can see how they are improving . . . or not! Such apps also keep track of ongoing workout data so athletes can compare their progress. Other apps guide athletes through workouts, either by audio or video “coaching.”

WORDS TO UNDERSTAND algorithm a series of instructions or code given to a computer to perform a task stamina a measure- ment of how long or hard a person can maintain an activity

stem in sports: technology

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