GMTM has partnered with Team USA and the Paralympic Movement to launch an innovative adaptive athlete identification platform. This digital initiative runs parallel to GMTM's successful in-person combines, creating truly equal pathways to elite sports representation for all American athletes. VIEW HERE
The Access Revolution
For decades, identifying Paralympic talent has faced unique challenges. Geographic limitations, travel costs, specialized equipment needs, and accessibility concerns have created barriers that many promising adaptive athletes simply couldn't overcome. The result? Countless potential Paralympic medalists never got their opportunity to represent Team USA.
GMTM's new platform dismantles these barriers entirely to ensure adaptive athletes receive identical visibility and consideration from Team USA coaches—regardless of where they live.
"We believe talent knows no boundaries," explains Connor Dietz, co-founder at GMTM. "The world of sport and how organizations engage with athletes is changing. Our partnerships are founded on innovation and pushing boundaries to find future medalists from day one."
A Proven Model
This isn't GMTM's first venture into revolutionizing talent identification. The company has established successful digital identification programs with numerous Olympic National Governing Bodies, including USA Bobsled & Skeleton, USA Triathlon, USA Team Handball, and U.S. Ski & Snowboard.
These partnerships have already produced remarkable success stories. Charlie Volker, a former Princeton University football player, discovered GMTM's bobsled virtual combine during the pandemic when NFL minicamps were canceled. Within months of submitting videos from his backyard, Volker was invited to train with Team USA in Lake Placid and later selected for the National Team—all without a single day of prior bobsled experience.
This model—identifying raw athletic talent and creating direct pathways to elite teams—is precisely what the adaptive athlete platform aims to replicate for Paralympic hopefuls.
How It Works
The platform's functionality mirrors the simplicity that has made GMTM successful with other sports. Adaptive athletes create profiles showcasing their athletic backgrounds, and who they are.
Athletes can upload videos demonstrating core athletic movements and sport-specific skills from any location—their backyard, local gym, or community field. Team USA Paralympic coaches review these submissions, identifying athletes with the potential to excel in Paralympic competition.
The platform accounts for the diverse classification system in Paralympic sports, ensuring athletes are evaluated appropriately based on their eligible impairments. This digital approach removes the traditional geographic and logistical barriers that have historically limited Paralympic talent discovery.
Democratizing Opportunity
For adaptive athletes in rural communities or those with mobility challenges that make travel difficult, this platform represents their first realistic path to Team USA consideration. It's not merely a technological solution—it's a fundamental reimagining of how Paralympic talent should be discovered.
"Paralympic sport development supports the nationwide athlete identification and development strategy that introduces Americans with Paralympic eligible impairments to Paralympic sport and leads them into the athlete pipeline for the U.S. Paralympic Team," states the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. GMTM's platform directly supports this mission by creating unprecedented nationwide access.
Building America's Paralympic Future
With the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games on the horizon, this initiative takes on additional significance. America has the opportunity to develop its deepest Paralympic talent pool ever, with sufficient time to identify, train, and prepare athletes for home soil competition.
The USOPC and NCAA recently launched a new Para-college sport hub at paracollegesport.com—an online resource dedicated to supporting collegiate sports for adaptive athletes. GMTM's platform complements this initiative by creating earlier entry points into the Paralympic pipeline, identifying potential before athletes reach college age.
This comprehensive approach addresses a critical gap in American Paralympic development. While the U.S. team featured an impressive 225 athletes at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, other nations have demonstrated the power of comprehensive nationwide talent identification programs.
Transferable Athletic Skills
One of the most exciting aspects of the platform is its emphasis on athletic skill transfer. Many Paralympic medalists begin in entirely different sports before finding their Paralympic pathway. The digital platform specifically encourages athletes from various sporting backgrounds to explore Paralympic opportunities.
"Many of our top athletes have successfully demonstrated the ability to transfer athletic talents from other sports," noted Ryan Johnson, Former CEO of USA Team Handball, regarding their similar GMTM partnership. "The innovation of GMTM's features allows us to tap into a wide network of athletes with the opportunity to do the same."
This approach is particularly valuable in Paralympic sports, where athletes may discover their ideal competitive outlet after developing foundational athletic skills elsewhere.
The Future of Inclusive Talent Identification
What GMTM has created isn't merely a technological solution to a logistical problem—it's a fundamental reimagining of how talent identification should work in an inclusive sporting landscape. The parallel systems of in-person combines and digital identification ensure that every athlete, regardless of ability status, has an equal opportunity to pursue their Team USA dreams.
As Paralympic sports continue gaining visibility and recognition, this model represents the future of truly inclusive talent discovery. By breaking down traditional barriers and creating direct connections between athletes and national teams, GMTM is helping build a more equitable sporting landscape where talent—not circumstance—determines opportunity.
For adaptive athletes across America, the message is clear: Your Paralympic journey can start today, wherever you are. The playing field has finally been leveled.
Athletes interested in beginning their Paralympic journey can create a profile at GMTM.com and participate in virtual combines specific to their sports of interest. The platform is open to athletes with Paralympic-eligible impairments across all Paralympic disciplines.
