Two winning ways to see U.S. Olympians
A gold medal from the Atlanta Games is displayed at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., which is one of two such centers open to public tours. Credit: Ellen Creager/Detroit Free Press/MCT
Here in Chula Vista, Calif., the javelin throwers are throwing, the rowers are rowing, the cyclists are cycling, the field hockey team is whacking little white balls.
It is just dawning on Americans that the 2012 Olympics are this summer.
But athletes have been training for years.
The United States offers no federal financial support for its Olympians. However, the privately funded, nonprofit U.S. Olympic Committee has three U.S. Olympic Training Centers: in Colorado Springs, Colo.; Chula Vista, and Lake Placid, where athletes get free housing, training, dining, recreation and professional development.
Although Lake Placid's center is not open to the public, those in Colorado Springs and Chula Vista are. So even if you can't get to the Olympics this July in London, you can see Olympians in action.
1750 E. Boulder St., Colorado Springs (about an hour south of Denver)
888-659-8687, teamusa.org
Because high altitude speeds up the dives of high divers and makes balls fly through the air faster than normal, some athletes can't train here. On the other hand, high-altitude training helps those in endurance sports, such as swimming. The Aquatics Center pool holds nearly 1 million gallons of water and has a catwalk above.
2800 Olympic Pkwy., Chula Vista (45 minutes southeast of San Diego)
888-659-8687, teamusa.org
When I visited, the field hockey team was practicing, as were javelin throwers and shot putters, rowers and archers. Paralympic athletes ran on the track. I also saw the women's rugby team; rugby will become an Olympic sport in 2016.
