Since GMTM first launched a Virtual Event in 2020, a lot has changed on the platform. New social feeds have allowed athletes and coaches to interact in brand-new ways and organization management has been revolutionized with new Front Office tools. But, at the same time, the mission of GMTM has remained the same since the first videos were uploaded two years ago: Help Athletes Find Opportunities.
That mission has certainly expanded from space for athletes to share more content into being the best platform for streamlined talent Identification and total program management. Olympic teams have hosted tryouts that sent GMTM athletes to Olympic trials and national camps have changed the way they share video content with their athletes after in-person events.
“We’ll never leave GMTM. It was created out of Covid and now we will never not have it… The amount of video and validated data from an athlete’s previous sports has helped us recruit.” -Mickie Knous of USA Bobsled & Skeleton on how GMTM revolutionized their program’s recruitment process
Thousands of athletes are creating GMTM profiles each month that help them get connected to college coaches, national team programs, and their next great opportunity in sport. That number continues to grow month over month as athletes and sports organizations are inviting new athletes to connect and participate.
Through new features like Social Feeds and Messaging, coaches are able to interact more easily with athletes while athletes gain a more transparent look at what is needed to move their careers forward.
“Through GMTM I found my next opportunity for success in sports.” - Riley Compton, U.S. Marine and member of a U.S. National Team
Some exciting new use cases came in 2022, as more organizations have moved more of their marketing and Talent identification processes to GMTM. Org pages on GMTM have allowed teams to grow their reach with fans and help existing team staff meet a new community. Digital Combines and Virtual Tryouts to discover more athletes at a fraction of the cost of existing recruiting methods.
New innovations and exciting use cases are sure to be right around the corner, but as this year in sports comes to a close, let’s look at how some partners have leveraged GMTM in the past year.
USA Weightlifting Hosts High School Throwdown
Ever wondered who holds the title of strongest high school athlete in America? USA Weightlifting leveraged GMTM to host a digital combine to answer that question.
High school students from across the nation participated in the free online event held this past fall. Four activities allowed participants to upload videos for coaches, record their metrics and gain exposure from USA Weightlifting’s Olympic athletes and staff. From the huge collection of videos they collected, USA Weightlifting was able to name a champion in each weight class and award them new equipment.
USA Weightlifting Results on GMTM:
- 600,000+ impressions from GMTM users and other social media posts
- Over 3,500 video submissions from 18 different states
You can read more about the event here.
USA Football Hosts Adult Flag National Team Tryout
While the high school football season was in full swing this fall, USA Football helped to grow participation among females and adults alike. In fact, USA Football hosted a virtual Tryout on GMTM to identify talent for their Adult Flag Football National Team.
Hundreds of hopeful athletes submitted video content to National Team coaches. From shuttle runs to high school and college game film, athletes were able to easily put their names in front of coaches in order to play flag football on an international scale.
USA Football Results On GMTM:
- Over 1.4-million impressions across GMTM and other social media platforms
- 10,000+ athlete views and event submissions from athletes across the country
You can read more about the USA Football Tryout here.
USA Bobsled & Skeleton Hosts Digital Combine
For the third consecutive season, USA Bobsled and Skeleton hosted a digital combine to find new talent. The Digital Combine has replaced some of the in-person evaluations for Team USA coaches and made the sport accessible to more athletes from every corner of America.
In their first two seasons of hosting the Digital Combine, USABS was able to find dozens of new athletes to invite to development camps at two of America’s sliding venues in Lake Placid and Park City.
USA Bobsled & Skeleton’s Results On GMTM:
- Thousands of NCAA and NCSA coaches have been activated in the community
- 300 Potential Olympic athletes have found through Virtual Events
- Over 50 Athletes invited to in-person camps and team tryouts
You can read more about the USA Bobsled/ Skeleton Digital Combine here.
USA Team Handball Launches Collegiate Handball Network
Team Handball is gaining popularity in the United States and more clubs than ever are competing for national championships. This is a stark contrast to where the sport was a decade ago, and that’s thanks to the work of USA Team Handball and college ambassadors like J.D. Orr at Ohio State.
Last year, USA Team Handball launched the Collegiate Handball Network to introduce the sport to more college-aged athletes. Like Bobsled & Skeleton, Team Handball athletes come from a variety of backgrounds. The Collegiate Handball Network offers more access to the sport to athletes who may not have been exposed to it before, all while growing the game at local colleges and universities.
USA Team Handball Results on GMTM:
- 64,000+ impressions and interactions from new and existing athletes
- Three athletes were selected for the Women’s National Team following Virtual Tryout in 2021
You can read more about USA Team Handball here.
Volleyball Canada and Ontario Volleyball Association Host Virtual Tryouts
One organization whose talent identification process has been revolutionized by its use of GMTM is Volleyball Canada. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, Volleyball Canada has been using virtual tryouts to replace in-person tryouts. This has helped them make their tryout process more accessible for thousands of Canadian volleyball athletes who uploaded tryout content from home.
This year, the Virtual Tryout was used to identify new talent for Team Canada’s National Excellence Program, a development program to prepare athletes for the National Senior Team and professional volleyball.
Volleyball Canada’s Results on GMTM:
- Over 2,000 athletes have participated in Virtual Tryouts on GMTM
- Over 10,000 video submissions have been collected across 10 campaigns
- +300 percent increase in program revenue and a -900 percent decrease in costs associated with talent identification
You can learn more about Volleyball Canada’s Virtual Tryouts here.
Currently, the Ontario Volleyball Association is also using GMTM for Talent Identification. OVA has invited athletes to upload game footage and other video content as part of their Talent ID process for their Youth Indoor Volleyball and Beach teams.
You can learn more about OVA’s Virtual Tryouts here.
Climbing Canada Hosts Virtual Qualifying Runs
Climbing Canada is another national team from north of the border that has used virtual events to replace in-person competition. In this case, Climbing Escalade Canada hosted virtual qualifications for the Youth Speed Climbing National Championships.
Through an online activity in their Virtual Tryout, Canadian athletes - ages 14 to 19 - uploaded a video of a full speed run in an effort to qualify for an in-person climbing competition. The video was reviewed by CEC's national team coaches and event organizers.
You can learn more about Climbing Canada’s Virtual Qualifier here.
US Ski & Snowboard Hosts Digital Combine
The next generation of U.S. Ski & Snowboard athletes was on display on GMTM this year in the U.S. Aerials Ski Team Pipeline: Digital Combine. Aerials skiers come from various sports backgrounds, like gymnastics, trampolining, and BMX biking. This Digital Combine was a chance for top American Ski talent and athletes from other sports to display their athleticism for Aerials Team coaches who may recruit them to try extreme skiing.
The best part about the event was even athletes far from snow and mountains were able to participate. Through questionnaires, video uploads, and messaging to connect athletes to coaches, young talent was able to interact with an Olympic team and start the process of competing for a spot on an Olympic team.
You can learn more about the U.S. Ski Aerials Digital Combine here.
