The weekend went quick. And at an altitude of 6,000 + feet above sea level, all of my physiological systems were being tweaked. Nose bleeds, sleep abnormalities, digestion issues (I wont go there) and dehydration all left me feeling quite poor all weekend. But, I wasn't going to let my personal ailments hinder my experience. I believe the term is, altitude sickness. It was weird because I don't remember ever getting altitude sickness when I lived in Flagstaff Arizona which is at an altitude of 7,000-8,000 feet above sea level. I am out of shape which could be the reason.
Friday and Saturday were busy classroom days. We studied sport physiology, nutrition, cycling tactics and strategies, and training plan design. Much of what we covered I have known for a while now, but there were little things that I picked up which were very useful in gaining a better understanding of the entire paradigm of bike racing.
I am going to shift gears and talk about the facility a little. The USOTC is quite large. To put it into perspective, if you walk from one end of campus to the other it takes about 15 minutes. It is roughly 3-4 football fields long by 2-3 football fields wide. Our dorms were located in the back of the complex. We were housed with visiting national level volleyball players who were trying out for the Olympic squad this weekend. As you head from the dorms to the front of campus, you will enter the Athlete Center. This is where the cafeteria is and other administration is. When you walk in there is a front desk receptionist and on the other wall is a large round emblem of the USOTC with two American flags surrounding it. To get to the cafeteria you walk down a flight of stairs and swipe your card to gain access. If you don't an alarm goes off and everyone looks at you (yes this happened to me).
The meals that are planned for the staff and athletes are nutritionally balanced. All meals have one thing in common, nutritional density. Above each dish (buffet style) is the nutritional facts so athletes can quantify their consumption. There was also quite a bit of desserts, coffees and juices. It was awesome having access to these things. When you enter the eating area there is a recovery center that had bananas, oranges and a pre-mixed recovery shake for those interested. I tried it and boy was it delicious. Everything I ate was perfectly balanced and was meant to give our US athletes an edge over the competition.
Heading out the back of the Athlete Center was amazing. There was residential housing on each side of the complex and as you headed back toward the front of campus sort of inside the walls of the center there was sculptures all of various sports (wrestling, gymnastics, cycling, skiing etc.). Heading into the last building (or the first one you see when you enter the campus) you would find the gift shop and memorabilia of past victories of our country. Some of the Olympic torches were displayed in glass cases and there was amazing paintings of all sports competing in the Olympics. It was more of a galleria than a gift shop. Out the back of the building there were steps that went to the top of the gift shop where a torch is displayed when the Olympics are underway. What an amazing visit!
I left feeling inspired to venture into sport performance. The Olympic Games are one of the only peaceful things that brings our World together. To be a part of something like this would give me great satisfaction and fulfillment. With that, I am going to pursue this dream and somehow find a way to get involved with preparing our US athletes for the gold!
I have to go to school now and I will be updating with more information as time proceeds.
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