Saturday at the Olympic Training Center

I cannot figure out why there is so much space under my bed.
Colorado Springs, Colo - So I'll start at the end of my day and work backwards.

It's close to 11 o'clock and I didn't eat dinner. I skipped it to watch (the start of) a football game between Texas Tech and Oklahoma State. Then I fell asleep. Now I am awake, watching an episode of the original "Star Trek" series. This is one of the few times all year I have actually turned on the TV in my hotel room. (Just to clarify, I'm staying in a residence hall at the U.S. Olympic Training Center.)

I can't talk about sleep without mentioning the incredible bedding provided in my room. Hampton Inns is a sponsor of USA Cycling and they have provided the same comfortable mattress, sheets and comforter you enjoy in their rooms here. (The towels and washcloths also come from Hampton.)

So my long day began with breakfast at the dining hall of Olympians. It's always a treat to visit and take advantage of the free food and lodging (I was last here in 2006). The food is awesome and there's plenty of it.

Just about everyone here has a laptop - and is using it.
Today's sessions were held in a massive auditorium-like setting. It was actually one of three basketball/volleyball courts where the U.S. Olympians practice. Unfortunately, there were no basketballs around. (I have asked about getting some for tomorrow, though.)

Here's the rest of the day in pictures:

This is a large chess set outside the athlete center.

A large medal count banner hangs on the wall of one court.

Larry Martin (left) and Mark Guthart joined me
for the morning session.

Living Like An Olympian

My (single) room at the U.S. Olympic Training Center.
Colorado Springs, Colo. - So I'm back in Colorado Springs for the first time since 2006. That summer, I was here for a USA Cycling officials upgrade seminar. This time, I am here representing the Nebraska Cycling Association at the fourth annual Local Association Summit.

One of the more humorous things about the summit (in my opinion), is its abbreviation - "LA Summit." It's almost as if the folks at USA Cycling were trying to (in a sneaky way) remind us that cycling is all about the initials "LA." And you know who I am referring to...

So my travel began at Eppley Airfield, where the first signs of winter were beginning to appear. (I saw a snowplow at 50th & Grover - but no snowflakes.) The wind was blowing pretty good, driving temperatures that were in the 70s earlier this week down to the low 40s. So I hauled out my trench coat and stocking cap for the trip.

This plane (and mine) took a splash under the de-icer.
I got absolutely nothing accomplished on the 71-minute flight from Omaha to Denver. But I did meet a teacher from Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa, who teaches public relations. She had a new (2009 edition) book titled, "Public Information Officer" that I absolutely need to buy.

Here's the "puddle-jumper" I boarded in Denver.
Once in Denver, I grabbed a bite to eat (KFC, not my first choice) and tried to take advantage of the free wi-fi and catch up on e-mails and phone calls. My plane was scheduled to board at 2:30 and departure was at 3:05 p.m. What I didn't initially realize (because I am always looking for open space and outlets) is that I wasn't anywhere near my gate. At about 2:15, I realized that I didn't have my boarding pass because I initially flew United to Denver, then switched to Frontier.

With boarding pass now in hand, I resumed work. At about 2:45 and not having heard them call my flight over the intercom, I figured I better pack up and start looking for the gate. Much to my surprise - and near panic - the gate was a long way down a hallway. I practically had to do an OJ to get to the gate, where I found I was the second-to-last to board.

But the nice thing about being late is that there is less time to sit in the plane itself. And having not bothered to check the boarding pass for the arrival time, I chuckled when the (male) flight attendant said the "wheels up to wheels down" time would be 15 minutes. Certainly he had to be joking.

I had a nice view of the port (left) side landing gear.
He was not joking. No sooner had we made it to our "cruising altitude" than the pilot came over the intercom to let us know we would soon be arriving in Colorado Springs and that the flight attendants needed to prepare for landing. No beverage service. No in-flight use of electronics. No time to do much of anything. But I did get to watch that little poof of smoke when the tires first touch down to the runway.

This astronaut statue is at the Denver airport.
The drive from the airport to the U.S. Olympic Training Center is done by shuttle bus - with seat belts. It must be some type of government thing. Anyway, I knew six people on the bus, which was pretty cool. There are 46 of us on the conference roster, so I only have 40 more people to meet (and I already know four of them).

Two years ago, these sprinklers got me wet. Not this time!
As for my accommodations, I was looking forward to rooming with someone like I did the last time I was here. But they put me in a private room and I'm enjoying that, too. There's free wi-fi, but no coat hangers or iron. And I'll have to hunt down a cup because I have a sink in my room. And the restroom is just one door down the hall. The one drawback is that I'm on the third floor. Oh well. Stairs are a good thing.

The goodies - and a stack of towels - left on my bed.