THE ACT Academy of Sport believes it can discover ‘‘one rare freak’’ when it starts a talent search on Sunday to find Canberra’s next sporting star.
And across the hall, the Australian Institute of Sport will launch its own ‘‘draft’’ to try to recruit athletes into boxing and judo to chase Olympic glory.
Budding athletes from around the capital will converge at the AIS for the two separate talent identification programs.
They will be put through speed, power, endurance and agility tests, and the best-performing athletes could find themselves recruited into scholarship programs.
ACTAS discovered Orica-GreenEDGE rider and former under-23 world champion Michael Matthews at a talent search in 2006. Before being tested, Matthews had limited cycling experience and he attended the day only because his teachers at Melrose High encouraged him.
‘‘It’s about finding the fastest and fittest kids in the ACT,’’ ACTAS cycling coach and event co-ordinator Glenn Doney said.
‘‘The results will be passed on to all the ACTAS coaches. It’s about finding some needles in a haystack. Michael Matthews was a needle in a haystack. He did 15.8in a beep test and not many can do that. That’s what you’re looking for – something freaky. Something really out there that gives you a wow factor.’’
Australian sport is trying to find a way to rise back up the Olympic medal tally after a disastrous campaign in London last year.
Once of the focuses of the Winning Edge program is in sports Australia has neglected for more than a decade.
The AIS has been touring the country to find the best athletes suited to boxing and judo.
Aspiring boxing and judo stars will be put through similar tests to the ACTAS hopefuls, but their focuses will be strength and targeted results.
More than 50 Olympic medals are up for grabs in judo, boxing, wrestling and taekwondo. In the past these sports have been shunned by those allocating funds. In 2009, a national talent identification program was all but scrapped, despite having a success rate of 25per cent.
Winning Edge has created a new focus and put more responsibility on individual sports to succeed rather than relying on the AIS.
There were initial plans to start a ‘‘combat centre’’ at the AIS for judo, wrestling, boxing and taekwondo.
More than 50 junior athletes aged 12 to 16 have already registered for the ACTAS event.
The fittest ACT athletes will get a cut of $1000 in prizemoney.
‘‘You only need one Michael Matthews or Lauren Jackson out of that lot and that’s perfect,’’ Doney said.
‘‘You just want to find that one absolutely rare freak.’’
London gold medal winner in the K4 kayak Jacob Clear, dual rowing medal winner Kim Crow and diving silver medallist Brittany Broben are all products of talent identification programs.
Clear was in surf lifesaving before his father picked up an AIS talent pamphlet.
Crow was in athletics before she tried a switch to rowing and was supported by the AIS.
Broben was a gymnast and surprised everyone with her superb rise to the podium in London.
The AIS Draft will be held at the AIS Training Hall while the ACT’s Fittest and Fastest challenge will be at the indoor AIS soccer field.