Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Today we visited the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center, aka the Olympic Training Center. One of three Olympic Training Centers in the US, this one opened in 1995 to serve athletes training for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. It was taken over by the City of Chula Vista at the beginning of this year. The United States Olympic Committee continues to provide funding (at least through 2020) for the facility. There is no charge to the athletes.

The training center sits on 155 acres, with views of the Otay Mountain Wilderness and access to the Otay Reservoir. We saw several sky divers over the mountains on this perfect day for leaping out of an airplane.

There are fields for hockey, soccer, rugby; BMX race courses, archery ranges, both inside and out, plus much more. Athletes can stay on site at one of the three dormitories.

We were able to see members of the US Rugby team in action and young BMX racers from the Netherlands. We could see several people training on the track, including at least one team comprised of a visually impaired athlete and his/her guide. These two are tethered together for the race, so the guide needs to be at least as fast as the athlete.

We spent the afternoon at Dave and Kathy’s home. They have been very gracious hosts over the past week and a half. This surprise connection has proven to be one we greatly appreciate.