USOC HQ moving to chicago?

www.chicagobusiness.com/.../news.pl So I can get moving the corporate offices because of international travel but not the training facilities. I don't know if any of you have trained there but anyone I know that has talks about how hard it is to breath while there and then will swim these amazing times at a meet immediately after training. My husband contends that the altitude isn't that high there but I still feel that it's an advantage. I was an athlete in residence (track & field - 50km racewalk) there and also a member of the Olympic Committee. The altitude in just over 6,000 feet and you notice it, but it's not horrible - above about 7,000 feet, it starts to get much tougher. (My favorite workout was to speed hike up to the top of Pikes Peak (14,110 feet) and then do sprints in the parking area.) Current theory actually holds that it is better to train below 1000 meters and then sleep at as high an elevation as you can manage. It IS helpful to live there if you are an endurance athlete, but it is also a pain due to the logistics of trying to get to/from Colorado Springs, especially in the months that the weather can be bad. Although Colorado Springs is not a small town, I'm sure there is more money to be tapped elsewhere and that is probably the appeal of a place like Chicago. It is also hard to get athletes with $$$ to come to Colorado Springs to train due to the inconvenience factor and the fact that they can afford to train elsewhere. Some of the poorer sports have found the place a blessing, however. So, I'd say, let the administrative offices go elsewhere, raise as much $$ as they can, and keep training facilities in The Springs. God, I miss the The Springs. -LBJ

www.chicagobusiness.com/.../news.pl So I can get moving the corporate offices because of international travel but not the training facilities. I don't know if any of you have trained there but anyone I know that has talks about how hard it is to breath while there and then will swim these amazing times at a meet immediately after training. My husband contends that the altitude isn't that high there but I still feel that it's an advantage. I was an athlete in residence (track & field - 50km racewalk) there and also a member of the Olympic Committee. The altitude in just over 6,000 feet and you notice it, but it's not horrible - above about 7,000 feet, it starts to get much tougher. (My favorite workout was to speed hike up to the top of Pikes Peak (14,110 feet) and then do sprints in the parking area.) Current theory actually holds that it is better to train below 1000 meters and then sleep at as high an elevation as you can manage. It IS helpful to live there if you are an endurance athlete, but it is also a pain due to the logistics of trying to get to/from Colorado Springs, especially in the months that the weather can be bad. Although Colorado Springs is not a small town, I'm sure there is more money to be tapped elsewhere and that is probably the appeal of a place like Chicago. It is also hard to get athletes with $$$ to come to Colorado Springs to train due to the inconvenience factor and the fact that they can afford to train elsewhere. Some of the poorer sports have found the place a blessing, however. So, I'd say, let the administrative offices go elsewhere, raise as much $$ as they can, and keep training facilities in The Springs. God, I miss the The Springs. -LBJ