2016 HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 16-1015 BY REPRESENTATIVE(S) Roupe and Lee, Mitsch Bush, Arndt, Becker J., Becker K., Brown, Buck, Buckner, Carver, Conti, Coram, Court, Danielson, DelGrosso, Dore, Duran, Esgar, Everett, Fields, Foote, Garnett, Ginal, Hamner, Humphrey, Joshi, Kagan, Klingenschmitt, Kraft-Tharp, Landgraf, Lawrence, Lebsock, Leonard, Lontine, Lundeen, McCann, Melton, Moreno, Navarro, Neville P., Nordberg, Pabon, Pettersen, Primavera, Priola, Rankin, Ransom, Rosenthal, Ryden, Saine, Salazar, Sias, Singer, Thurlow, Tyler, Van Winkle, Vigil, Willett, Williams, Wilson, Windholz, Winter, Wist, Young, Hullinghorst; also SENATOR(S) Merrifield and Baumgardner, Aguilar, Carroll, Cooke, Crowder, Donovan, Garcia, Grantham, Guzman, Heath, Hill, Hodge, Holbert, Jahn, Johnston, Jones, Kefalas, Kerr, Lambert, Lundberg, Marble, Martinez Humenik, Neville T., Newell, Scheffel, Scott, Sonnenberg, Steadman, Tate, Todd, Ulibarri, Woods, Cadman. CONCERNING THE RECOGNITION OF THE UNITED STATES OLYMPIC TRAINING CENTER IN COLORADO SPRINGS, AND, IN CONNECTION THEREWITH, CELEBRATING THE OLYMPIC GAMES AND ITS ATHLETES. WHEREAS, The United States Olympic Complex in Colorado Springs, former home of ENT Air Force Base and headquarters of the North American Defense Command, is the flagship training center for the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the Olympic Training Center (Center) programs and has been home to the USOC since 1978; and WHEREAS, In August 2009, the USOC and the city of Colorado Springs finalized a 30-year, $42.3 million economic development agreement for improvements to the Center and future plans to retain and expand the National Governing Bodies in Colorado Springs and build an Olympic museum; and WHEREAS, The renovations and future expansions are expected to increase Olympic candidates' training and success at the Olympics; and WHEREAS, Located on a 35-acre complex near downtown Colorado Springs, the Center includes a state-of-the-art sports medicine and sport science center and an athlete center that provides dining, housing, recreational facilities, and other services for over 500 coaches and athletes at a time; and WHEREAS, With sports venues and support facilities for fencing, gymnastics, judo, modern pentathlon, shooting, swimming, taekwondo, weightlifting, wrestling, boxing, basketball, volleyball, and track cycling, the Center is important to the training of America's athletes; and WHEREAS, As a result of the wide range of sports featured at the Center, athletes from all over the country and world train there, diversifying and adding international flavor to both the city of Colorado Springs and the state of Colorado; and WHEREAS, For some athletes, the Center is their primary training facility, making it essential to the success of our Olympic and Paralympic teams; and WHEREAS, In addition to supporting resident athletes with their competition and training commitments, the Center also supports their personal needs by providing education, recreation and community activities, computer workstations, communication resources, and job opportunities; and WHEREAS, The USOC also operates a world-class velodrome, a cycle-racing track with steeply banked curves, and a recently added dome, making it an all-weather facility, in Memorial Park, one of only 29 in the United States; and WHEREAS, With several world records having been set there, the velodrome is considered to be among the top cycling facilities in the world, featuring a 333.3-meter banked cement track, which wraps around a 200-meter track for roller sports, and a 1,000 seat facility that is open to the public and hosts local, national, and international events; and WHEREAS, Because the Center offers world-class training for athletes, there have been a number of famous Olympians who have trained there, including in the past 10 years: Michael Phelps, 22 medals, swimming; Katie Ledecky, gold medal, swimming; Natalie Coughlin, 12 medals, swimming; Missy Franklin, 5 medals, swimming; Amy Van Dyken, 6 medals, swimming; Nathan Adrian, swimming; Ryan Lochte, 11 medals, swimming; Matt Grevers, 6 medals, swimming; Steven Lopez, 3 medals, taekwondo; Deontay Wilder, bronze medal, boxing; Lopez Lomong, flag bearer, track and field; Dartanyon Crockett, bronze medal, Paralympic judo; Michael Shea, silver medal, Paralympic snowboard; Keith Gabel, bronze medal, Paralympic snowboard; Curt Tomasevicz, 2 medals, bobsled; Steve Holcomb, 3 medals, bobsled; Paul Hamm, 3 medals, gymnastics; Matt Emmons, 3 medals, shooting; Apolo Ohno, 8 medals, speed skating; and Hunter Kemper, triathlon; and WHEREAS, Colorado has also been home to many sports competition events. In 2015, Vail and Beaver Creek hosted the 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, with over 700 professional skiers from 70 countries and $58 million towards improvements of Vail and Beaver Creek mountains; and WHEREAS, Also in 2015, the USA Pro Challenge, a 115-mile cycling race, took place from Steamboat Springs to Downtown Denver, and was estimated to draw in one million spectators and add more than $100 million to the state's economy; and WHEREAS, Other competitive events that have been held in Colorado include: The 2012 USA Pro Challenge, the 2014 U.S. Grand Prix, the 2015 Junior Grand Prix, the 2013 Burton U.S. Open, the 2010 and 2012 USA Boxing National Championship, the 48th USA Racquetball National Singles Tournament, and the Annual Colorado Springs Amateur Hockey Association Presidents' Day Hockey Tournament; and WHEREAS, While most other countries' Olympic committees are funded by their national government, the USOC relies on donations and corporate sponsors for much of its revenue; and WHEREAS, Depending on their sport, some athletes elect to participate in training camps held in the host city or country before the Olympic Games (games) commence, but most athletes arrive just a few days before the Opening Ceremony and stay for the 2-week duration of the games; and WHEREAS, The games, which will be hosted in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Rio) this year, are a worldwide celebration of athleticism, patriotism, and excellence, bringing the world together in the spirit of unity and competition; and WHEREAS, On April 21, 2016, the lighting of the Olympic flame, a long-standing symbol of the games, will take place starting in Olympia, Greece, and will usher in the games at the Opening Ceremony in Rio a few months later; and WHEREAS, The choice of Olympia as the departure point emphasizes the link between the ancient and modern games and underlines the profound connection between these two events; and WHEREAS, The origins of the Olympic flame lie in ancient Greek mythology and in the celebration of the ancient games in Greece where a flame burned throughout the duration of the games; and WHEREAS, According to the International Olympic Committee, in the context of the modern games the Olympic flame, specially lit by the sun's rays as a representation of its purity, is a manifestation of the positive values that man has always associated with the symbol of fire -- knowledge, mastery, and the use of fire being among the most important achievements of humanity; and WHEREAS, The Olympic torch exemplifies the enduring Olympic spirit and is a symbol of achievement, excellence, and international friendship; and WHEREAS, The goal of the Olympic Movement is to contribute to building a peaceful, better world by educating youth through sports practiced without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding and a spirit of friendship, solidarity, and fair play; now, therefore, Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Seventieth General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the Senate concurring herein: That we, the members of the Colorado General Assembly, officially recognize, honor, and support the United States Olympic Training Center headquartered in Colorado Springs, Olympic City USA, the United States Olympic Committee for training our athletes, and the outstanding athletes representing Colorado and the United States in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to Governor John Hickenlooper; the United States Olympic Committee; the United States Training Center in Colorado Springs; Larry Probst, chairman of the USOC's board of directors; Alan Ashley, USOC's chief of sport performance; Rick Adams, USOC's chief of paralympic sport and NGB organizational development; the Colorado Association of Commerce & Industry; Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers; each member of the Colorado Springs city council; Vail Mayor Dave Chapin; each member of the Vail town council; and Colorado's Congressional Delegation. _________________________________________________________ Dickey Lee Hullinghorst Bill L. Cadman SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE PRESIDENT OF OF REPRESENTATIVES THE SENATE ____________________________ ____________________________ Marilyn Eddins Effie Ameen CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE SECRETARY OF OF REPRESENTATIVES THE SENATE