LAFAYETTE, CO - USA Rugby together with USA Weightlifting, USA Cheer, USRowing, USA Bobsled/Skeleton and USA Triathlon will host six combine style events at universities throughout the country in a joint effort to expand their talent pools.
Each Team USA Pro Day is free to participate and will feature athletic testing to include sprints, jumps and skills tests and scouts from each National Governing Body (NGB) will be on hand to identify potential talent in their respective sports.
Pro Days will allow collegiate athletes of various sporting backgrounds to showcase their established skills in a unique and challenging environment, helping national team staff identify talent that can be a benefit to national teams and also provide players with the opportunity to pursue new avenues in their athletic careers.
In rugby sevens alone, Team USA's Olympic rosters have included several crossover athletes including 2016 Olympian Lauren Doyle who ran track in college, as well as fellow Olympian Carlin Isles who was both a decorated track & field athlete and played football.
USA Rugby's National Development Manager, JD Stephenson said: "We've seen some really successful athletes from a wide range of sports, which show us the road to our national teams is not always linear. Talent transfer athletes expand our playing pool and add a unique competitive dynamic into our squad selections. This initiative will be an excellent opportunity for us to diversify our talent identification and provide more collegiate athletes with the chance to become Olympians.'
While each Pro Day will be hosted on a university campus, participants are not required to be enrolled or a student-athlete to participate. Pro Days are open to 18 to 24-year-olds. Athletes identified for their potential talent will be individually invited to train with sport specific coaches in their area.
In addition to partnering together, USA Rugby and fellow NGBs are excited to work with the United States Olympic Committee’s Next Olympic Hopeful program. The talent identification program, presented by Milk Life and supported by 24 Hour Fitness, aims to increase the pipeline of world-class athletes pursuing Olympic sport in the United States. Results from the Pro Day on May 5 at Baylor University in Waco, Texas will be shared with Next Olympic Hopeful scouts.
From The Next Olympic Hopeful, one winner from each sport will be invited to join national team camps and will be eligible to receive financial, training and medical support as they prepare to compete for a spot on Team USA at the Olympic Games. Athletes are invited to apply through the online portal here.
The following test events will be conducted at each Team USA Pro Day:
- 10m, 30m, 40m sprint
- Vertical jump
- Triple hop (two feet)
- 10 sec max watt row
- 1 minute average watt row
- 3RM back squat
- 1RM power clean
- Rugby Skills event
- Cheer skills event
- Max pull ups
- Burnout row
Team USA Pro Day Schedule (Click to register):
USAFA – Saturday, April 13, Colorado Springs, CO
Northern Michigan University – Saturday, April 27, Marquette, MI
University of Montana- Monday, April 29, Missoula
Baylor University – Sunday, May 5, Waco, TX **NOH AND USOC**
UNC-Chapel Hill – Saturday, May 18, Chapel Hill, NC
East Tennessee State University – Sunday, May 26th, Johnson City, TN
For more information, please visit teamusaprodays.com
