Virtual Talent Identification Camps Brought Changes, But Also New Opportunities

Clara Brown competes in road cycling. Brown was one of the cyclists who offered advice virtually to new Para-cycling recruits. (Photo: Joe Kusumoto)

Team USA’s Para-cycling program has a tried-and-true way of finding new talent. The coaches sort through email inquiries and online questionnaires, and annually invite Para-cyclists to come gather for a few days of riding and evaluation at a talent identification camp.

This is a serious, but still collegial, way to let new riders meet Team USA, and for the Para-cycling coaches to get to know the people behind the big dreams. It’s a moment to see what it takes to become an elite Para-cyclist and see where the hopefuls stand.

The world threw a major wrench into that method over the past 12 months, as safely traveling and meeting in person for a tryout camp was impossible because of COVID-19. But like many things during a pandemic, creativity and technology enabled the Para-cycling coaches to still successfully run a camp last December.

They moved three-day event online, using the virtual cycling platform Zwift for the training rides and having real-time audio chatting through the popular VoIP app Discord. The result was positive, as 17 Para-cyclists participated in the talent identification camp — nearly double the attendance for an average in-person event.

“I really wasn’t sure how well it was going to go, because we have never even thought about doing something like this online — don’t you want to see the riders in person?” said Jim Lehman, who has been an elite coach for the U.S.Para-cycling team since 2003 and took the lead role in 2020. “Well, I was wrong. We had a great camp. We really opened our minds to the possibilities of being online and how we could make it a strong experience for everybody. We walked away feeling really good about the talented athletes we saw, even if it just was being virtual. It was good, and I think we found some strong riders to develop.”

Lehman said a lot of effort was made to replicate the in-person experience, from making sure new riders had info on how to get classified, to finding their necessary medical documentation for the process, to discussing training principles.

He knows a lot of the riders may have been nervous, as is the norm for a talent identification camp, but he feels there was a cohesive group enjoying the moment.

Katie Walker, 34, was one of the nervous newbies in the camp. Walker, a former elite Para-track athlete, recently turned to cycling and wanted to get involved in Team USA. She admits she was scared about being at her best before the coaches and other riders, and then had a massive equipment issue to navigate.

“It was chaos for me, because I couldn’t find the equipment I needed for the camp,” Walker, a San Diego resident, said. “I needed a smart trainer, and it was not in stock anywhere. I was racing around last minute to get it. I found one, but it had some of the bike bolts missing, but I got it going anyways. I just wanted to get in there and get going on Zwift. I gave it everything I had.”

Walker said she had never done anything like that online but felt quickly at ease with the group and coaches. She has participated in track and field camps before, but this was a unique experience.

After the opening time trial, the coaches sorted the riders by time, and placed them in groups to keep going on the Zwift rides. Two-time Paralympic medalist Samantha Bosco and rising stars Clara Brown and Brandon Lyons also popped in virtually to share their stories and chat with the hopefuls.

“I think it was a really unique and super productive,” Walker said. “I learned so much from us being able to ride together and talk to each other. It was informative, because we could ask questions, they could help us, and we were all doing the best we could.

“I would not have thought that would have been possible since we were really not in person. But I felt like we were together, because it was pretty cool talking over Discord. Hearing those voices was neat.”

Steven Wilke was also riding in the camp, from his home in Salt Lake City. He is still healing from a road bike training accident last August, so he did the best he could on the Zwift rides.

“I thought it was pretty awesome,” Wilke, 37, said. “I really had not done Zwift like that, and I loved connecting with people virtually there. With the Discord, it felt like we were riding together, and I felt like I could look over at them while I was in my living room. I was riding with people. We were just chatting along, getting to know each other.”

The authentic personal connection, normally not a hallmark of virtual interactions, was established through laughs, honest questions and answers, and the sharing of personal stories. In other words, it was the best of being on a team with other athletes and coaches.

“We put in a good hard effort, and it was really cool to be there,” Wilke said. “I was really excited when I got the invitation, and it was even better when we were doing it.”

Lehman sees the virtual camp in a new light. For some, coming in person may be time or cost prohibitive. Not everybody can take a few days off of work or leave behind other responsibilities. The costs of flights, lodging and expenses to attend the camps are on the cyclists, so that may also limit who can participate.

Having a virtual camp opened the opportunity to more hopefuls and kept everybody safe during a pandemic. Lehman sees virtual evaluation events as a huge advantage for finding more talent.

“I can definitely see us doing this again, it worked really well,” Lehman said. “Obviously, the ideal is getting together, sharing the time and really getting to know the athletes up close and personal. But we can’t always do that, for a lot of reasons. 

“Having this virtual option is a big deal. I can’t say I am happy that COVID made us do this, but I am happy to say we found a new way to make things work for everybody — and that is really good.”