"A walk through the lives of our present or future Olympic hopefuls."
*Note- All the following pictures are copyrighted by me, and may not be copied or reproduced*
The Olympic Training Center (where Dominique is currently training) is situated in the wonderfull Colorado Springs area. The above picture is of Pikes Peak from a running trail near the area.
As you enter through the security gates to visit the Olympic Training Center, the first thing you notice is a beautiful Visitor's Center and a torch to the left. Also there is a sign with a countdown to both the Olympics in Sydney and the Olympics in Salt Lake City.
You can go up on top of the Visitor's Center to look at the torch, and get a broad view of the Training Center facilities. You are able to look all the way down "Olympic Lane" to the Athlete's Center.
Here's another look at "Olympic Lane". Along this walking path there are figures and information about every Olympic sport.
There are windows looking
into several of the facilites that the athlete's train in, such as swimming
and volleyball. Above is view from "inside" the swimming pool area.
In the background you can see a window where tourists are looking in.
Towards the end of the lane, one can better see where the athletes live, eat, and sleep. The first picture above shows a great window "wall". The athlete's eat their meals directly inside here. The second picture shows one of the two main dormitory's. There is one on the left and one on the right of the dining area. The dorms and cafeteria are connected.
Now for a look "inside" the OTC. Back behind the Athlete's Center there are three more dormitory's that are mainly used for individuals not staying for years at a time. Looking west from the Athlete's Center, you can see Pike's Peak.
The four picture's above are from inside the Athlete's Center. It is a wonderful area. Everything is clean, and the food is Fantastic! The last picture shows where every person gets there food. There is food for just about every appetite.
One of the greatest parts of the OTC is the Sports Science and Sports Medicine divisions. The have physiologists, psychologists, and therapists on duty to help the athletes reach their optimal potential. The first picture is right outside the Sports Science part of the building. It has magazine articles in which Olympians have been featured that have used the services of the Sports Science/Sports Medice divisions.
Now for the part you are probably most interested in. =) I only have one picture, but it should give a pretty good idea of what the gymnastics part of the OTC looks like. I assume this is where Dominique is currently training.
The last picture is of a statue by the Visitor's Center. It shows the joy and triumph that athletes can achieve. Hopefully Dominique will conquer her goals, just as these "statues" seem to have conquered there.