The brightest minds in the sports world descended upon Colorado Springs this past weekend for the USOPC Athlete 360 Data Summit at the Olympic Training Center.
"We're trying to work together, kind of support each other, collective efforts to better understand the athlete, and keep them well as best we can," USOC Senior Director/Performance Projects Scott Riewald said.
Taking place over a three-day span, members of the USOPC, 20 National Governing Bodies and top specialists from several professional leagues came together to share cutting-edge analytical data.
"If you were a fan, it's basically how the "Moneyball" movement is affecting all aspects of sport," Head of Data Science-Performance at Vancouver Whitecaps FC Dr. Johann Windt said.
The event covered a wide range of topics from athlete nutrition and recovery to performance and the evolution of sport.
"The more that we can come together, the more that we can collaborate, the more we can leverage the expertise of the group we bring into the room," Riewald said. "The better off we are and we individually and collectively benefit from that."
Without question, the idea is to maximize the potential for each sport and athlete with several important national and world competitions ahead in the coming year and beyond.
"It is wake up and grind but along with that, it's health, nutrition, in order to bring everything together," Team USA boxer and Olympic hopeful Amelia Moore said. "On top of that, so much is review and studying of what we do."
The second annual event proved to be a huge success and should only increase in popularity with the increased emphasis on data, analysis and improved in technology.
"How can data increase performance, stop injuries, get athletes healthy when it matters most," Windt said. "Being in a room full of people that have that expertise in those environments has been incredible."
