US Olympic Training Center

We visited the US Olympic Training Center recently, which is very close to downtown Colorado Springs.

The USOTC is one of three facilities in the country where the US Olympic Committee’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes train and reside. The other centers are located in Chula Vista and Lake Placid.

Tours to the center are FREE, and happen at the top of the hour.

If you’re looking for things to do outside, this is a great choice, as 70% of the tour is walking throughout the grounds and watching the athletes from viewing areas while they train.

Upon your initial entrance to the grounds, you’ll see several massive bronze statues depicting Olympic athletes, which are not only impressive to look at, but make excellent photo opportunities, especially with Pikes Peak standing so proud in the background.

Once inside, make some time before the tour starts to discover what the Visitor Center has to offer.

There is plenty to find—from the Olympic torches on display from past games, to hundreds of athlete photos lining the walls, to the Hall of Fame room.

You’ll also find the US Olympic Store, where you can buy t-shirts, medals, hats, and other Team USA paraphenalia.

Once the US Olympic Training Center tour is announced over the loudspeaker, you’ll head to the auditorium.

We began with a 10-minute movie filled with exciting footage of the games over the years, and an inspiring message about overcoming physical and mental adversity. This was punctuated with celebratory music and motivational words from medal-winning athletes.

It was a nice reminder of what the Olympics are all about, and what it actually takes to get there.

After getting primed with the competitive spirit, we headed out to the grounds.

Our tour guide was an actual Olympic athlete, reigning from Denver and specializing in weight-lifting.

Our small group—a family of four, an out-of-town visitor, and us—kept her busy with lots of questions about her sport and her way of life at the US Olympic Training Center.

She was more than happy to answer every question, but she also told us all about the complex itself, as we walked in and around the sights. Some of what you’ll see…

The Sports Centers

Simply called Sports Centers I and II, these massive multi-sport gymnasiums are each over 50,000 square feet in size and can accommodate several different sports. While we were there, a group of male gymnasts were warming up for practice.

Our guide pointed out several cameras around the corners of the gym, as well as huge monitors mounted on the walls. She told us that coaches will tape their athletes’ practice and then play them back to review techniques.

We also watched wrestlers spar with opponents from Japan as they prepared for competition the next day.

And we looked in on weightlifters as they heaved multi-colored, rubber-coated weights via the “snatch” and the “clean & jerk.”

The Shooting Center

We didn’t realize we lived so close to the largest indoor shooting center in the Western Hemisphere. Inside this center, you’ll get to take a look at the US Olympic training center ‘s gigantic indoor range, and hear about how truly demanding the shooting sports can be. This isn’t just point-and-shoot, of course, there’s quite a bit of science and training going on.

The Aquatics Center

We would have liked to have gotten a closer look at the pool, but turns out they don’t let visitors dive in. Oh well. You are allowed to watch swimmers do their thing, though, and we found it fascinating to learn that coaches actually communicate with their swimmers via underwater speakers. 810,000 gallons of water? Now that’s Olympic-sized.

Other Highlights

One thing we especially enjoyed was seeing so many athletes walking around like on a college campus. After seeing them “larger than life” on TV for so many years, it was nice to remember they are just like you and me. Except with super-human strength, stamina, endurance, and accuracy.

Another highlight was walking up the stairs to the torch on the outdoor balcony, which overlooks the entire US Olympic Training Center grounds. With flags flapping nearby, and the Front Range on the horizon, it makes you feel a little bit like you just won the gold.

Getting There:

Located just east of downtown Colorado Springs, at 1750 East Boulder Street.

From I-25, take Bijou Street exit east to N Cascade Ave. Turn north to E Boulder St and drive east 1.6 miles to the USOTC entrance.

Toll-free phone: 888-659-8687
Visitor’s Center: 719-866-4618

(Reservations are required for 10 or more. Please call 719-866-4656)

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