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'Sport Science': Skull Breaks Like A Coconut

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By WALT BELCHER | The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 20, 2009

Take a little bit of "MythBusters," add an element of "Jackass," put in a dash of "Super Dave" and throw in some superstar athletes and you've got the formula for a TV series that appeals to both jocks and geeks.

The rather mundane title "Sport Science" doesn't do justice to a series in which the host is described as a "human crash test dummy."

"SS" is where all manner of sport activity is measured, from the force of a body slam by ultimate fighter Quinton "Rampage" Jackson to the impact force of Sumo wrestlers going belly to belly.

And great questions are answered such as:

• "Can Seattle Seahawks defensive back Marcus Trufant run faster backwards than a Corvette speeding away in reverse?"

• "Does the wacky golf shot used by Happy Gilmore really work?"

• "How much pressure per square inch can a human skull take before cracking?"

Viewers learned last season that a skull fractures at about 1,400 pounds per square inch, roughly the same as a coconut.

2nd Season Starts Sunday Night

The Happy Gilmore hockey puck golf swing from the Adam Sandler movie and the Marcus Trufant in reverse questions will be answered in the second season, which begins at 9 p.m. Sunday on Fox Sports Network.

In fact, more than 100 new experiments will be featured over 13 episodes.

"We use the latest scientific gadgets to measure things that have never been measured before," says host, producer and series creator John Brenkus, a filmmaker turned human guinea pig on this series.

While state-of-the-art crash test dummies are also used, sometimes a real person is needed to show the biological impact of being hit by a linebacker or slammed by a hockey puck.

And that's where Brenkus steps in to take the blows for the common man. "I've been battered, bruised and scraped, but so far no broken bones," says Brenkus, who came close to breaking his foot kicking a frozen soccer ball.

Football And Soccer

This season Brenkus goes head-to-head with National Football League defensive tackle Kris Jenkins at the line of scrimmage, tries to hang on to NFL tight end Vernon Davis with a ski rope and tries to stop a free kick from a pro soccer player.

The show uses the latest research in biomechanical technology. Wireless accelerometers, high-speed cameras, tactile sensors, gyroscopes and other gizmos track speed and power down to fractions of seconds. The experiments are conducted in an airport hanger that has been converted into a massive sports lab.

Ray 'Battering Ram' Lewis

Last season, among the many cool factoids revealed on "Sport Science" was that when NFL linebacker Ray Lewis rushes, he creates more force than a SWAT team battering ram. And they also proved that there is no such thing as "hang time." High-speed cameras revealed that leaping basketball players are never in the air for more than 1 second.

This season, MMA fighter Houston Alexander takes on the series' most dangerous experiment ever - testing what generates more punching power, natural adrenaline or an adrenaline shot as he is injected with a dose of epinephrine to find out if an adrenaline dose can turn a fighter into a real-life "Incredible Hulk."

Also, boxer Chad Dawson faces off against the western diamondback rattlesnake to see who strikes quicker. And in a battle of the sexes, can a woman hit as hard as a man? The answer promises to surprise.

Reporter Walt Belcher can be reached at (813) 259-7654.

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