USA Weightlifting Announces Launch of National Team Program
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COLORADO SPRINGS - The future is now. Weightlifting in the United States just leveled up. USA Weightlifting is excited to share the launch of its new National Team Program (NTP). Designed by Senior Director of Sport Performance Mike Gattone and based on lessons learned as USA Weightlifting has ascended to become a world power in the sport, the program represents the next step in USAW’s commitment to develop and support the best weightlifters in the world.
The NTP is designed to support the most competitive athletes at the senior international level while simultaneously developing a strong pipeline of promising athletes for the future. The program is open to youth, junior, and senior-aged U.S. weightlifters and offers numerous developmental opportunities, including regular training camps, biomechanical analysis, and consultations with National Team coaches and performance experts, along with the opportunity to receive performance-based funding and bonuses. The NTP officially goes into effect January 1, 2025.
“The National Team Program is a fresh and proactive approach for how we support and develop our athletes,” Gattone said. “In addition to providing strong financial support, we’re providing our athletes with national team services and benefits to expand their support throughout the year. We’re also involving a pipeline of youth and junior athletes at the national team level, giving them a greater feeling of belonging to Team USA and aiding in their development. I developed the program based on years of experience and lessons I’ve learned since taking on leadership of USAW’s high performance efforts, and I’m confident that we’ve developed the best possible plan for our athletes and our national program.”
The National Team Program splits athletes into gold, silver, bronze, and developmental levels based on age and performance history. The top-12-ranked athletes in each gender, which make up the gold and silver levels, have the opportunity to receive monthly funding and expense reimbursement opportunities to aid their continued success. The bronze level focuses on developing the two highest-ranked U23 lifters in each gender after the gold and silver levels, and the developmental level focuses on setting the foundation of the future of United States weightlifting by developing the top-25 youth and junior athletes who aren’t already in the gold, silver or bronze levels.
“The most consistent high performing teams in sport are relentless in their pursuit of excellence,” said Matt Sicchio, USA Weightlifting CEO and president. “Coming off of a generational success story at the Paris Olympic Games, USA Weightlifting is not resting on that result. The launch of the National Team Program demonstrates our commitment to excellence in developing athletes, and our intentional investment in building the best weightlifting program in the world.”
All levels of athletes in the NTP will benefit from a set number of international competitions being fully funded by USAW, giving all athletes at least one opportunity to gain international experience without the burden of financing the trip on their own. Athletes who medal at these international competitions will receive medal bonuses too. All athletes in the National Team Program will receive USAW National Team outfitting, a NTP banner for their respective club, waived registration costs for USAW national event competitions, and access to USAW’s sport psychology, nutrition, and biomechanical performance experts. Athletes will also have costs covered for select national team training camps.
To provide further explanation on the new National Team Program and give USAW members the opportunity to ask questions, Senior Director of Sport Performance Mike Gattone will be leading National Team Assemblies Nov. 12 from 10:00-10:45 a.m. MT and Nov. 14 from 6:00-6:45 p.m. MT via Zoom. Members are encouraged to submit questions about the program ahead of time via this form. Coach Gattone will address common questions before opening the floor for a brief Q&A. USAW members should check their emails for the NTP announcement email as details for the Zoom invitations are at the very bottom.
