USA Bobsled & Skeleton has been working to provide unique opportunities for aspiring athletes to showcase their skills and potentially start a career in an olympic sport.
On June 11, 2023 USA Bobsled & Skeleton hosted their first in-person combine that was free and open to the public for participation. The in-person combine was hosted at the U.S. Performance Center in Charlotte, NC, where participants were able to test their strength, speed, and agility, and receive guidance and tips from experienced coaches.
This was an exciting chance for athletes to get noticed by college and professional teams, and we encourage anyone with a passion for sports to participate. Athletes, 18 years and older, from all sports backgrounds were encouraged to come check out the event to see if they have what it takes to join a new sport. Athlete registration for the event was hosted on GMTM in order to collect athlete information and add to their growing talent database.
During the event, athletes performed several drills as part of the testing and a variety of metrics were collected. Physical measurements, including Height, Weight, and Reach, were collected from each attendee. Muscular power of the athletes were measured through vertical jumps and broad jumps. Finally, speed measurements were collected for all athletes ranging from a 10 yard dash through a 40 yard dash (in 10 yard increments).
Results that were collected for each athlete will be analyzed on an individual basis and also how they ranked comparatively within the group of attendees.
Through this event, USA Bobsled & Skeleton was able to connect with and evaluate athletes from a variety of athletic backgrounds. Athletes in attendance represented football players, track athletes, and even NASCAR pit crew.
Sam Shaud, former football and track athlete at Villanova University, and Logan Radik, a former DII collegiate wrestler at Maryville University of Saint Louis, are two of the athletes who took advantage of the opportunity to showcase how their skills from other sports might help them excel within a sliding sport like bobsled or skeleton.
USABS will be reviewing the data collected by the U.S. Performance through the Combine. Evaluation of the athletes and their results will be used to determine if one or two of the athletes will be invited to a rookie camp later this summer.
Stay tuned for updates on future events like this one and follow along to see what happens next for athletes like Sam, Logan and the other event attendees.
