Internationally Successful Athlete Development Models.DOC

INTERNATIONALLY SUCCESSFUL ATHLETE DEVELOPMENT MODELS: An Analysis of German and Swedish Biathlon Programs and a Comparison to the U S Biathlon Program Tim Gibbons, M.S Endurance Training Coordinator Sport Science and Technology Division United States Olympic Committee October 1997 Introduction Why members of the German National Biathlon Team continue to dominate the results list year after year? How does Sweden produce overall World Cup Biathlon champions? Since 1991, and the unification of Germany, the men’s team has placed second in Nation Cup standings in 1991, 1995, and 1996 and first in 1993 and 1994, and 1997 The German women’s team has placed second in 1995 and 1996 and first in 1991 and 1994 and 1997 Nation Cup points are awarded to the best four athletes of each country in 11 designated World Cup races Four German men and three German women can win a Biathlon World Cup race on any given day Sweden, working with a smaller program, has produced two overall World Cup champions in the last four years Mikael Lofgren, second in the overall standings in 1992, won the overall Biathlon World Cup in 1993 Magdalena Forsberg, fifth in the overall standings in 1995 and 1996, captured the overall World Cup title in 1997 Throughout this paper we will examine in detail the common critical success factors of the German and Swedish biathlon programs These critical factors include but are not limited to talent recruitment and identification programs, junior athlete development (year-round, structured training programs, sport science and medicine support and service) excellent yearround training facilities, and highly educated coaches By analyzing the critical factors, structure, and philosophy of athlete development programs, we can better understand the reasons for success in these programs We can also make comparisons to these programs and current U S biathlon development programs Importantly, the concepts and models used in German and Swedish Biathlon programs can be generalized and applied in a broad range of U S endurance sports During my travels over the last year I interviewed sport scientists and coaches about athlete development programs in biathlon Last September during a visit to the Deutsche Sport Hochschule (German Sport University) in Köln, I spoke with sport physiologists Jens Geist and Ulrich Hartmann on the topic of monitoring training intensity and overtraining While working with the U S Biathlon Women’s team in Idre Fjäll, Sweden in November I interviewed Jens Geist on talent identification and junior development in Germany In June, I traveled to Sweden and interviewed Biathlon coach, Tommy Hoglund of the Torsby Sport School about the development of junior biathletes WHY IS GERMANY SUCCESSFUL IN BIATHLON? Several factors are essential to the success of a national training system How these components function to provide systematic athlete development will be described in detail Five critical success factors: • • • • • youth programs for 8-13 ages recruitment and talent identification junior athlete development facilities Coaches education Talent Identification Figure depicts the development ladder of the German National Team Our discussion will center on the first three rungs of the ladder: a talent search group, a talent support group, and a development training group In the northwest part of Germany is the Hochsauerland region In this area, the towns of Willingen and Winterberg have a long tradition of developing worldclass athletes and hosting international events From the federal level to the local level many sport organizations work together to search, identify, support and develop new talent in 20 different sports in a program titled, The Regional Project Hochsauerland Sixteen summer Olympic sports and six winter Olympic sports including biathlon, cross country skiing, Nordic combined, ski jumping, bobsled, and luge are part of the program The Regional Project Hochsauerland is supported by the following organizations: Χ National Ministry of the Interior, Department of Competitive Sports Χ Regional Government of Hesson and the Ministry of the Interior and Culture Χ Regional Government of Nordheim-Westfalen (NRW): Ministry for City Development, Culture and Sports in NRW Χ Regional Sport Association Χ German Sport University in Köln (Cologne) Χ Olympic Performance Centers in Westfalen/Aussenstelle, Rhein/Ruhr, and The Regional Project Hochsauerland Competition International National National Regional National Team A, B, C, Squads High Performance Training C/D Squad D1-D4 Number of Participants (5 year period) 2,000 Build-Up Training Support: Sport Science, Medicine, School Counseling Regional Talent Support Group 12,000 Basic Training Talent Search Group 28,000 Basic Training Köln/Bonn/Leverkusen Χ National Governing Bodies for the sports of Biathlon, Cross Country Ski, Ski Jumping, Nordic Combined, Bobsled and Luge Χ Local Sport Schools in Willingen and Winterberg According to the German Constitution, talented youngsters will be supported This mandate from the federal level provides resources to develop athletes and coaches The partnership of all these organizations allows for a sharing of resources and knowledge to identify and develop talent in winter sports Three Olympic Performance Centers in RheinRuhr, Köln/Bonn/Leverkusen, and Westfalen oversee the program Essentially, experienced coaches work directly with physical education teachers in elementary and secondary schools to provide a curriculum in 20 sports Approximately 3500 schools and 2000 sport clubs participate in the program Figure describes the project in more detail The bottom tier describes the Talent Search Group, which focuses on youth age 8-12 Over the last five years 28,000 children have participated in talent search groups At this level, children are introduced to several winter Olympic sports through their physical education program at school For example a unit in cross country skiing would be followed by ski jumping, Biathlon, and bobsled and luge during the winter period The focus is on basic physical training and skill development The end of the winter physical education program culminates in a regional Winter Olympics It comprises two ski races and two luge events Children complete a two-kilometer obstacle cross-country ski course testing coordination, ski technique, and endurance In addition, psychological components such as motivation, willingness to risk, bravery, coping with competition stress, team spirit, ability to assert oneself, and management of winning and losing are assessed during the competition Sportsmanship and responsibility are also evaluated The second ski race is a typical cross-country ski race of two-three kilometers in length The luge events are a luge start and completion of the last four corners of a World Cup course Children are encouraged to participate in all four events It should be noted that the emphasis for this competition is on participation and for the athletes to have fun Sport scientists from the German Sport University in Köln design and administer the events of the Winter Olympics Results are calculated and given to coaches and physical education teachers The best athletes age 11-13 years, receive further testing and 4-5 training sessions per week This is the Talent Support Group and the top athletes are given recommendations to sport schools and sport clubs Twelve thousand youngsters have taken part in talent support groups During the summer, a track and field competition is organized with individual and team competitions The individual competitions include 60 meter run, three hop test (bunny hop), and ball toss with a 500-gram ball Team competition consists of a 400m team run, a tennis ball toss to knock down soda bottles or milk cans, and 200 meter run to the finish with all members holding onto a baton A fall competition includes a 1500m cross-country run The focus of the Regional Project Hochsauerland can be summarized in five points Partnership of federal and regional governments, national governing bodies, Olympic Performance Centers, local schools, and sport club Development of physical training, basic skills, and versatile competitions Education and continuing education of junior coaches and physical educators Scholastic excellence and medical care of competitive junior athletes Exchange of experience and knowledge from sport professionals, sport scientists, and sport administrators Junior Athlete Development The third component is Development and 2,000 juniors age 14-18 years have been identified as D1-D4 Development athletes Development athletes receive an extraordinary amount of support and services and these are: • • • • • • Sport medical care Performance assessment through field and laboratory tests Training assistance for coaches and competition program from German Sport University Physical therapy (massage) Psychological care in training and competition Counseling for academic and career School versus Sport: Making it work During training camps and competitions away from the home site, a sport physiologist from the German Sport University in Köln and several teachers from the home school travel with the coaches and athletes to provide sport science assistance and school lessons Last fall, I observed a two-week on-snow camp for 20 athletes including cross-country skiers, Biathletes, and Nordic combined athletes in Idre Fjäll, Sweden Support staff for 20 athletes included three coaches, three teachers, and a sport physiologist I was impressed by the support given to junior athletes First, resources and money had been combined to work with athletes in three sports Secondly, adequate support was available for coaching, sport science, and academic tutoring Third, a long-term commitment had been made by many organizations to follow and develop these talented endurance athletes These athletes understood the long-term commitment and years necessary to achieve success in endurance sport Fourth, the coaches and sport physiologist in order to monitor training intensity and overtraining collected an immense amount of information daily Table shows how much information was collected by the German Junior Development Group as compared with the U S Biathlon Women’s Team A larger German staff permitted the collection of the last four variables listed in Table Note how much information was collected for a junior development team versus a national team with senior athletes Every morning before breakfast each of the 20 athletes had his or her blood checked for urea concentration This procedure was used to monitor overtraining German Junior Development Group United States Biathlon National Team Loop Time Range Time Loop Time Range Time Number of misses Number of misses Heart rate Heart rate Blood lactate Urea concentration Nutrition log Video Table Collection and analysis of data during daily training sessions Data was analyzed immediately and given to the coach with training recommendations As an example, blood urea collected in the morning was used to construct baseline values for each athlete If urea concentration was at least mmol/L or higher than baseline values, without an expected increase, then the sport physiologist would recommend to the coach for a reduction in intensity and/or volume Essentially, a recovery training session would be prescribed for that particular workout If the value was much higher or had remained high for two or more days, then one or more days of rest (no training) would be recommended It is important to note there are times in the training program when a rise of mmol/L or higher is expected on one or more days This can occur during a microcycle of high intensity or high volume A repeated pattern of high urea concentration during a microcycle is thought to be deleterious to the training and recovery process Other physiological variables such as morning heart rate, previous training heart rate and blood lactate, performance times, and athlete perception of fatigue are used to decide the proper course of action The following is a summary of an interview with Dr Ulrich Hartmann on the application of urea concentration to overtraining Determine average blood urea concentration value for each athlete This needs to be determined during weeks of high volume, intensity, and recovery weeks To learn an individuals baseline requires continuity and commitment to data collection over a long period Collect blood samples once every day or every two days Best time may be in the morning immediately after rising from bed Monitor hematocrit (Hct) to show changes in plasma volume (dehydration) Dehydration will increase blood urea concentration Watch changes in dietary protein, especially excessive amounts of red meat Urea concentration may be artificially high after high amounts of red meat Volume of training may have a greater impact on urea response than training intensity This may be due to: a) A greater contribution of protein sources - breakdown of amino acids b) A shift in plasma volume (dehydration) Urea concentration reflects changes in training response about 1-2 days post Utilize urea concentration as a marker or red flag and with other factors such as power output, morning resting HR, lactate concentration during workouts, and athlete perception, to base recommendations for a change in training Changes in urea concentration of more than one standard deviation (about mmol/L) from the average of an individual athlete are cause to look closer at the training program and training response Two to three days at this percentages in training intensities, modes of training, number of rest days, sick days, training days, and competition days These variables are graphed against each other to see the patterns in training load, peak performance, and illness Appendix is an example of a yearly training program of a Torsby biathlete Of particular interest is the number of hours in each training mode and training intensity shown in Table Close to 13% of the training load in hours was devoted to developing strength and specific strength and approximately 62% of training was roller skiing and skiing during 11 months of training Hoglund’s coaching philosophy is to keep endurance training simple Thus, there are two training intensities: a distance pace and race pace Hoglund uses a variety of sports to maintain and improve concentration skills such as orienteering, which are close to the mental skills of Biathlon He believes that juniors must compete often to make competitions a normal part of life He blends a mix of formal and informal races into the program The total number of yearly biathlon competitions for Torsby athletes can vary from 40-55 Χ 20-25 formal biathlon competitions Χ 20-30 informal competitions (time trials, short relays, range drills, and the 1-shot set up drill) Yearly Training Hours in Different Training Modes and Intensities Mode Hours Percent Intensity Hours Percent Run 71.00 15.70% Distance pace 302.70 66.92% Roller Ski Pole Run Skiing Strength 108.75 6.20 171.50 58.50 24.04% 1.37% 37.91% 12.93% 32.25 22.50 41.25 17.25 7.13% 4.97% 9.12% 3.81% Other 36.40 8.05% High intensity Race General Strength Specific Strength Other 36.40 8.05% TOTAL 452.35 452.35 Table Yearly training hours in different training modes and intensities Hoglund’s philosophy is to make performance standards easy He does not compare results of individual athletes with other athletes He records training and competition performance for each athlete to chart improvement over time It is evident from the Torsby program that the important components of a biathlon program are similar to the German system A structured, year-round training program, daily coaching, and education of the athlete are key ingredients to success The major difference between the two programs is the philosophy of athlete development The Torsby program philosophy is one the U S can apply with the best chance of success Education of the American athlete should be a high priority Facilities The school and local ski club, Ski Club Bore, have excellent indoor and outdoor training facilities At the school they have a classroom for the study of physiology, biomechanics, and psychology Other facilities and equipment at the school include: laser/video system to analyze shooting performance, weight training room, locker rooms, wax rooms, separate locker and wax rooms for coaches, a secured room for Biathlon rifles, and offices for the coaches From the school you can run, roller ski or ski to the ski stadium located about one km away A clubhouse maintained by Ski Club Bore has a cafe and locker rooms with showers and sauna The skiing facility has five kilometers of a paved roller ski loop with a shooting range and additional 30 kilometer of ski trails Both the roller ski loop and range are equipped with lights for training during the dark hours of the winter season Similar to the town of Winterberg, Germany the facilities at the Torsby Sport High School and the local club are centrally located These facilities provide an ideal training environment year-round The facility receives heavy use from early morning to evening hours Coaches Education Of the eight coaches from Torsby and Sollefteå Sport High Schools, six of them have a sport science degree from the Idrottshogskolan (Sport University) in Stockholm A typical background includes former national team or Olympic team member or national coach combined with a sport science education This combination of experience and formal education is responsible in large part to the success of Swedish athletes All of the coaches are former athletes and some have achieved a high level of success at the international level After retiring from full-time competition, they may pursue two options within coaching: seek a job as a junior coach at the club level and/or complete the equivalent of a masters level sport science degree Coaches may spend several years coaching at the national team level and then return to the Sport High Schools to impart their knowledge and experience Path to the National Level in Sports in Sweden A recent study by Rolf Carlson at the Stockholm Sport University (Carlson, 1993) reveals why certain athletes achieve national team status It is apparent there are many reasons besides physical talent for the success of world-class athletes Mental skills and socialization into elite sport culture are the issues discussed in the study It is included here to provide a large picture perspective of talent identification and athlete development In addition, there may be parallels between athlete development in Sweden and the United States Carlson compared athletes who had made national teams in seven different sports to a group of athletes who were very successful up to the ages of 12-16 The seven sports included wrestling, swimming, cross country skiing, orienteering, ice hockey, handball, and soccer National team members started physical activity on a regular basis before the comparison group Between the ages of 7-9, 83% of the boys and 68% of girls in the national team group had joined a sports club and were participating in regular, organized training Between ages of seven and 16 national team athletes experienced success in a variety of sports, but this single factor does not guarantee athletic achievement later in life The experience and impressions from the sports clubs became important for future development Parents and friends were the major determinants for introduction to organized sport However, coaches were the primary reason for future involvement Close to 80% of national team members praised their coaches from early years of sport participation, while 50% of the comparison group blamed coaches for their failure in sport Members of the national group recalled less demand for success from parents and coaches and remembered workouts being more fun Physical skills did not differ between the two groups until after age 16 The national group displayed physical talent at an early age, but no more than other children What separated the two groups was the ability of the national team athletes to develop physical, mental, and social skills and to integrate the values of competitive sport into their own lifestyle A variety of sport involvement during early years suggests a more beneficial development of physical and motor skills The positive roles of the coach indicate probable causes for improvement in mental skills Based on this study predicting future success in sport from physical performance before or during adolescence is difficult Thus, it was concluded that other factors such as developing mental and social skills and integrating the values of competitive sport into their lifestyles are important aspects of elite athlete development Summary and Conclusions Similar to Germany, Sweden has a comprehensive training system to develop biathletes between the ages of 16-20 The Sport High Schools make up the basis of this system Unlike the German programs, Sweden has less of an authoritarian coaching philosophy and more of a human approach It places more emphasis on athlete responsibility, education, and independence The following is a summary of critical success factors that are responsible for the Swedish Biathlon Program (1) The Sport High School system is the primary developer of national team biathletes in Sweden Ninety percent of Swedish Biathlon national team members come from Torsby or Sollefteå Sport High School (2) The Torsby Sport High School has a well-designed school curriculum and training program to prepare an athlete age 16-20 for top performance in the sports of biathlon and cross country skiing It seeks to develop the endurance athlete with a long-term approach (3) Daily coaching for eight months of the year prepares an athlete for success at the international level by developing physical, psychological, and technical skills (4) Athletes are provided formal education in physiology, biomechanics, sport psychology, and nutrition as part of their four-year program The well-informed athlete can make confident and intelligent decisions regarding his or her training (5) Both Torsby and Sollefteå Sport High Schools and their local ski clubs have excellent outdoor and indoor training facilities, which provide year-round sport-specific training (6) The coaching philosophy has a human approach They seek to educate and empower their athletes to become the best endurance athletes (7) Highly educated and internationally experienced coaches are on staff at the Sport High Schools (8) for Factors other than physical talent such as mental and social skills may be responsible success at the national team level Coaches and parents play crucial roles in providing a stable and supportive environment for athletes HOW IS THE UNITED STATES TRAINING BIATHLETES? Introduction The Regional Centers of Excellence (RCE), a program founded by the U S Biathlon Association (USBA), is the foundation of youth and junior biathlon programs in the United States Currently there are three Regional Centers of Excellence, which are in Burlington/Jericho, Vermont; Minneapolis/St Paul, Minnesota; and Salt Lake City/Park City, Utah Each RCE has a full-time experienced coach to run regular, organized biathlon training for athletes age 8-22 Talent Identification At each RCE in the spring between 20-50 athletes age 14-15 are invited to participate in a two-day biathlon recruitment camp These athletes are recruited from youth and junior crosscountry ski programs around the region and state There are several purposes of the camp First, a battery of field tests that assess aerobic capacity and upper body power are used to identify physical talent Second, to identify athletes with an interest in biathlon and are motivated to train and compete Additionally, two lecture sessions educate potential biathletes about endurance training theory and the athlete pipeline that will develop U S biathletes Twenty of the best athletes age 14-15 are selected from the three recruitment camps and are invited to participate in a 10-14 day training camp at the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, New York during the summer The camp focuses on basic ski training and technique and proper shooting position and technique A high coach to an athlete ratio of 1:3 and topnotch rifles insures a quality training experience In addition, athletes are tested at the OTC sport physiology laboratory to assess aerobic capacity At the conclusion of the camp coaches prescribe training for each athlete for the next seven months of training and competition in their hometown For many of these athletes there is not organized biathlon training in their local area This requires athletes to participate in frequently scheduled camps during the fall and winter that not conflict with high-school sports and activities This recruitment and identification program has been effective in identifying new and physically talented athletes for the sport of biathlon Junior Athlete Development School versus Sport: Making it work At the Minneapolis/St Paul RCE approximately two-thirds of the athletes enrolled in the program participates in high-school cross-country running in the fall During this time athletes attend biathlon training twice a week and follow an individualized training program designed to meet the needs and schedule of the athlete In addition, five fall training camps ranging from two to eight days in length are scheduled to increase biathlon-specific training During the winter season, athletes age 14-18 participate in biathlon training two to five times a week This is ancillary to high-school cross-country ski training The RCE coach may consult with the high-school coach to design an individual training programs to fit biathlon training and competition with high school skiing The biathlon coach typically uses the training sessions to develop biathlon specific skills such as shooting technique, combo training, and skating technique Most high-school students take part in skiing because their peers participate Secondly, they receive more recognition at the school and in the community than does a member of the World Junior Biathlon Team In the Minneapolis/St Paul school districts, high-school students in their junior year have the opportunity of a post-secondary option This option provides the student a more flexible daily schedule in which to take college classes and allows more opportunity for biathlon training All three Regional Centers of Excellence have the benefit of sport science services For instance, the Minneapolis/St Paul RCE receives testing from the University of Minnesota Regular laboratory testing to assess aerobic capacity, lactate threshold, and upper body power is completed to monitor changes in training status and improvement In addition, frequent sport-specific field tests during dryland and on-snow training are done to monitor training intensity and track training improvement Two RCE’s receive laboratory testing seasonally, but not benefit from daily or weekly contact with a sport scientist One of the largest problems facing athlete development in biathlon is the lack of daily training and coaching contact in the 14-18 age group The German and Swedish programs begin daily coaching for eight to nine months at 14 and 16 years of age, respectively This is one of the main reasons for success in those countries Essentially, U S athletes are two years behind in development in comparison to successful European programs To combat this problem two programs have been initiated by the U.S Biathlon Association to provide a bridge between junior programs and the national team Athletes attend either the University of Vermont or Northern Michigan University on a part-time basis while receiving daily coaching during the school year These programs, staffed by highly experienced coaches, provide athletes age 18-24 structured training six days a week The coaching contact and structured training is not unlike that described in the German and Swedish programs A comparison of athlete development by country, using biographical data from the International Biathlon Union calendar, is illustrated in Table In Germany, the highly successful men’s team began the sport at the average age of 11.2, received their first medal at 23, and our currently 27 years old In France, one of the top six nations on the World Cup, male athletes enter the sport at the average age of 18.6, first medal at age 22.5 and our currently 28.6 Country Starting Age Age at First Medal Current Age Germany 11.2 23.0 27.0 France 18.6 22.5 28.6 Sweden 13.0 22.5 27.0 United States 18.0 24.3 Table Average age at critical milestones in the development of male World Cup Biathletes Sweden exhibits a pattern very similar to the German development model For the current U S Men’s National Team they entered the sport at 18.0 and currently are 24.3 Looking at the data from Table 4, the German team averaged 11.8 years in the sport before receiving a World Cup medal and the French team an average of 3.9 years before a top three finish The German progression can be viewed as long-term development and the French progression as accelerated development Once the French athletes entered biathlon, they received daily coaching from highly experienced coaches that enabled them to improve This is the philosophy, which drives the USBA athlete development program It is important to remember that French athletes have close to five years of year-round cross-country ski training before entering biathlon The lack of daily coaching between the ages of 16-22 is one of the factors separating the U S program from the German and Swedish programs U S biathletes need more daily coaching before age 22 to be adequately prepared for the demands of international competition Facilities Table shows the number of biathlon ranges that have adjacent roller ski loops and/or winter ski trails near the USOEC and RCE sites As reported earlier, these facilities are essential for sport-specific biathlon training and athletes may use these venues up to seven months of the year There are three venues near Regional Centers of Excellence that have biathlon ranges with adjacent roller loops and winter ski trails The best and most heavily used facility is Camp Ethan Allen in Jericho, Vermont U S Biathlon Ranges with Roller and/or Winter Ski Loops Facility Roller Ski Loops Winter Ski Loops Camp Ethan Allen, Jericho, VT   Elk River, Minneapolis, MN*   Camp Ripley, Little Falls, MN**   Lake Placid, NY  Park City, UT  Marquette, MI  Camp Williams, Salt Lake City, UT#  Table Biathlon ranges with roller ski loops and/or winter ski loops in proximity to RCE’s or USOEC programs Both facilities in Minnesota have summer and winter use, but are not near the population center and most of the RCE athletes *The Elk River facility is 40 mins west of Minneapolis away from the population center **Camp Ripley is two hours north of the Twin Cities #Camp Williams, located south of Salt Lake City does not receive dependable snowfall and is away from the regular training area in Park City A biathlon range and training facility is ideally located close to the athletes that use it It has a roller ski loop that mimics a winter ski course profile, and is near an area that receives dependable snow annually or has snowmaking capabilities The RCE in Park City and the USOEC in Marquette lack shooting ranges with roller loops A roller loop is to biathlon what an indoor ice arena is to figure skating, hockey, and speed skating Imagine training a junior or senior national team on a frozen pond In Europe and Scandinavia roller loops have been constructed on the same courses used for World Cup competitions in the winter This accomplishes several points Because terrain and course profiles are similar, year-round training loads can be more sport-specific In addition, training repeatedly on a measured loop makes it easier to monitor training and evaluate performance Combo training, which combines shooting with skiing or roller skiing, is carried out during the dryland period (May - November) Combo training is the central component of year-round training and is essential for yearly performance improvement Coaches Education Of the five coaches working at the USOEC and RCE’s two have sport science degrees with international coaching experience, two are former Olympians with 6-10 years of international competition experience, and one has received no formal coaching education in biathlon All of the coaches spend several weeks a year, during training camps and competitions, alongside head coach, Algis Shalna in an informal mentorship program Coaching education takes place on the biathlon range Summary and Conclusions The U S Biathlon Association was responsible, in large part, for the recent success of two juniors Rachel Steer, won a silver and bronze medal at the 1997 World University Games in Korea and Jay Hakkinen won the 10km Sprint race at the 1997 World Junior Biathlon Championships in Italy These performances were possible because both Rachel and Jay had two years of intensive training and daily coaching by highly experienced USBA coaches The German and Swedish biathlon programs have several critical factors in their training systems, which are responsible for developing athletes capable of international success These critical success factors are summarized in Table For the most part, these factors are present in the U S biathlon program, but are not fully developed They need further development to insure the U S can develop biathletes on a systematic basis The following is a summary of the strength and weaknesses of the U S biathlon junior development program (1) The USBA has developed an effective talent recruitment and identification program to bring new and physically talented athletes into the sport (2) The Regional Centers of Excellence provides structured training with experienced coaches for youth and junior biathletes (3) There is less daily coaching in the U S for athletes between the ages of 14-18 than the German and Swedish biathlon programs (4) All three RCE’s receive sport science services to track training improvement Two of three RCE’s, however not have the daily/weekly support of sport scientists to provide objective data, from which to analyze training and performance (5) There are several winter and summer biathlon ranges in the U S., however only two RCE’s have the benefit of year-round biathlon training facilities (6) The coaching education background of U S biathlon coaches represents a variety of international experience and formal education Final Summary After reading this document, the German and Swedish biathlon programs clearly have a well-defined training system To remain competitive, the U S program must have at least the critical success factors in their program on a basis equal to that of the successful training systems (i.e Germany and Sweden) See Table for a comparison of critical success factors The difficulty is to fit those critical factors into the context of the American culture and into the communities, which have biathlon programs Identifying talent and placing support and resources on the emerging athlete are the hallmarks of successful biathlon programs It is my belief that the United States has the resources necessary to develop world-class biathletes The challenge is to tap into those resources and build a successful American biathlon program A Comparison of Critical Success Factors for Developing Biathletes in Germany, Sweden, and the United States Critical Success Factors Germany Sweden United States Introduction of sport to youth Identify talent with field and lab tests Cooperation and resources outside of national governing body 1 1 Talent Identification Junior Development Daily coaching for 14-20 year olds Structured, year-round training 1 Sport Science services daily/weekly 3 Quarterly laboratory tests Sport Medicine services daily/weekly 1 Education of athlete 1 School programs designed to prepare athletes academically and athletically 1 1 Mandatory coaching education 1 Internationally experienced coaches 1 Master’s level sport science degree 1 Facilities Multiple year-round biathlon range and roller ski loops near athlete population Coaches Education Table A comparison of critical success factors for developing biathletes between Germany, Sweden, and the United States = Excellent program, application, or facility = Functional program = Needs improvement = Lack of program Address for correspondence: Tim Gibbons Endurance Training Coordinator USOC Sport Science and Technology Division One Olympic Plaza Colorado Springs, CO 80909 Phone: (719) 578-4778 E-mail: TGibbons@USOC.org REFERENCES Carlson, R., The path to the national level in sports in Sweden Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports 3: 170-177, 1993 ... of talent identification and athlete development In addition, there may be parallels between athlete development in Sweden and the United States Carlson compared athletes who had made national... systematic athlete development will be described in detail Five critical success factors: • • • • • youth programs for 8-13 ages recruitment and talent identification junior athlete development. .. competitive junior athletes Exchange of experience and knowledge from sport professionals, sport scientists, and sport administrators Junior Athlete Development The third component is Development and