How to Prepare for the Colorado Springs Olympics

Visitors to the United States Olympic and Paralympic Museum can select an athlete to race against and then sprint around the track. Here, a visitor “competes” with Jesse Owens. (Richard Bittles, provided by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Museum)

For the world’s best athletes, the path to the Paris Summer Games is filled with hours of training, competitions and qualifying trials.

For me, a mere mortal who plays in a three-on-three recreational basketball league in Broomfield, the road to the Olympics is, well, Interstate 25 southbound.

Ahead of the Summer Olympics, which begin July 26, day-tripping Coloradans can try to win gold in Colorado Springs, visit the United States Olympic and Paralympic Museum, visit the training center or, more informally, hike the same high-altitude environs that fuel the lungs of top Olympians.

While some U.S. destinations – Salt Lake City, Atlanta and Lake Placid, New York – are famous for hosting Olympic Games in the past, Colorado Springs is unique because it’s where athletes train and committees and National Governing Bodies (NGBs) work behind the scenes. develop logistics.

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee moved from New York to Colorado Springs in 1978, and the city has been home to Team USA ever since. Strengthening their credentials, 26 NGBs took up residence in Springs.

Here’s how to achieve Olympic-level knowledge just south of Denver.

Visit the American Olympic and Paralympic Museum

On the third floor of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs, visitors can test their own skills at a half-dozen stations. Here, downhill skiing is on the left and sled hockey is on the right. (Richard Bittles, provided by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Museum)

If you’re not yet in the Olympic spirit, you will be the moment you enter the United States Olympic and Paralympic Museum. Here you are greeted by the 400-pound bronze sculpture “Olympus Within” by artist and Olympic fencer Peter Schifrin.

It is accompanied by a scenario: “The spirit of the Olympic Games is not reserved for Olympians or Paralympians. The Olympic spirit lives in everyone…”

Once registered, you can complete a profile that will allow you to personalize your experience at the museum. I let the booth know that my favorite sport at the Summer Games was basketball and that helped me organize the Hall of Fame, with an interactive exhibit featuring the U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team of 1956 who left the Melbourne Olympics with an 8-0 record and the gold medal. The exhibition even showed a black-and-white game clip, with images of free throws shot from below (or “grandma-style,” as the kids I coach call it).

The museum also gives visitors a good introduction to the Olympic tradition, starting with an explanation of the ancient Greek calendar that marked time in four-year increments called the Olympiad. And here’s some Olympic trivia for you: The first Olympic event recorded in history was the 192-meter race won in 776 BC by a cook named Koroibus.

During my trip to the museum, I was joined by children from day camp who took over the most popular part of the museum, the third floor, where museum visitors can test their own skills in a half-dozen of stations more fun than any other. Nintendo Wii game. (Among them: timing timed races on a track, measuring your accuracy with a virtual archery bow and target, and strategizing for a sledge hockey game.)

One of the exhibit halls at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs. (Richard Bittles, provided by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Museum)

In celebration of the Summer Games, the museum will open a few new exhibits, starting with “Return to Paris: 1924-2024” on June 28 and “All Eyes on the United States: The Paris 2024 Games,” which opens July 19 and features artifacts and storylines from America’s best-known competing athletes.

Olympic fans can also purchase “Podium Package” tickets, which include a tour of the museum and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center to see how athletes prepare for the world stage.

The United States Olympic and Paralympic Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ticket prices start at $15.95 for children ages 5-12; $27.95 for adults (13 years and over) and children up to 4 years old, free admission.

Three more Olympic activities to do in Colorado Springs

Attend the Downtown Summer Fest: The Parisian celebration kicks off at Olympic City USA from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 27 with the Downtown Summer Fest. It’s free and includes a torch lighting ceremony, meet and greet with the athletes, sports demonstrations and much more. The event is hosted by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Museum (USOPM) and Colorado Springs Sports.

Hikers Bekah Manning, front, and her husband, Billy, descend the steep steps of the Manitou Springs Incline in Manitou Springs on April 23, 2024. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)

Hikers Bekah Manning, front, and her husband Billy, descend the steep steps of the Manitou Springs Incline in Manitou Springs, Colorado on April 23, 2024. The Manitou Incline is considered an extreme trail that begins at 6,600' and ends at the summit at 8,550' over the course of approximately 2768 steps. The Manitou Springs Incline, also known as the Manitou Incline or simply Incline, is a popular hiking trail rising above the picturesque town. The trail is the remnant of an old 3-foot (914 mm) narrow-gauge funicular whose tracks were swept away in a landslide in 1990. The Incline is famous for its panoramic views and steep slope, with a slope averages 45% (24°) and up to 68% (34°) in places, making it a fitness challenge for residents of the Colorado Springs area. The number of steps changes occasionally depending on trail maintenance and deterioration. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post) — Hikers Bekah Manning, front, and her husband, Billy, descend the steep steps of the Manitou Springs Incline in Manitou Springs on April 23, 2024. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)

Company. The USOPM will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; a ticket is required.

The museum will continue the festivities through September 8, with daily artifact demonstrations, opportunities to meet Team USA athletes and live coverage of the Paris Games on a 40-foot LED wall. For more information, visit coloradospringssports.org.

“Competition” at high altitude: Looking to complement your stay or day trip to Colorado Springs with your own sporting exploits? Ride the Manitou Incline, popular with athletes because of its 2,000-foot elevation gain in less than a mile.

Visit the World Figure Skating Museum and Hall of Fame: The small museum features a collection of skating costumes and memorabilia as well as videos of figure skating routines. 20 First Street, Colorado Springs, 719-635-5200.

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