Reality check: USOC on board with made-for-TV scouting camp

The quest for gold and America's insatiable appetite for reality television are merging this summer with an Olympic scouting camp that will ultimately be packaged as a one-episode reality show.

— In the first phase of the project, the USOC is looking only for athletes for cycling, rugby and the sliding sports of bobsled and skeleton.

[...] a rugby hopeful would need to squat around two times his or her weight for three repetitions; a man trying out for bobsled or skeleton would need to broad jump nearly 11 feet (at most NFL scouting combines, about a dozen players reach that distance).

Patriots special teamer Nate Ebner is one of three players to wear NFL uniforms who went on to earn a spot on the U.S. rugby team in the reintroduction of that sport to the Olympics last year.

The USOC and leaders in the four sports will choose eight athletes — one man and one woman for each sport — to become eligible for financial, training and medical services as they prepare to compete for their spot on the Olympic team in their sport.