The U.S. Olympic Committee and Northern Arizona University have combined efforts to host an Altitude Training Symposium in Colorado Springs, Sept 27-29.
The symposium, co-hosted by the USOC’s Performance Services Division and NAU’s Center for High Altitude Training, is open to U.S. National Team coaches as well as sport scientists and coaches from around the world. It will focus on the practical application issues associated with altitude training.
“NAU has a tradition of providing athletes one of the world’s premier programs for altitude training,” said NAU President John D. Haeger. “This symposium provides a unique opportunity to focus on the effective application of sport science research and provides an additional avenue for the university to serve TEAM USA as a U.S. Olympic Training Site and Community Partner.”
Doug Ingram, managing director of the USOC Sports Performance Division, added “We are pleased to partner with Northern Arizona University in this important symposium that could eventually help athletes all over the world in their performances. Since both organizations have training centers at altitude we feel that this is a very important issue in preparing national and international coaches and athletes to compete at the elite levels of sport.”
Randy Wilber, USOC senior sport physiologist and author of altitude training and athletic performance, has organized the symposium along with Northern Arizona University staff, and will give its opening presentation on “Altitude/Hypoxic Training: An Update on Research and Practical Application.”
Other speakers and topics include:
- Jack Daniels, head distance coach at Northern Arizona University’s Center for High Altitude Training, “Altitude Training: An Historical Perspective and Practical Application of Altitude Training”
- Joe Vigil, renowned expert on high altitude training and distant running, and Bob Larson, four-time Coach of the Year at the UCLA men’s track and field program have been the guiding force of Team USA Running. Vigil and Larsen will be providing the keynote presentation, “Altitude Training Program of 2004 Olympic Medalists Deena Kastor and Meb Keflezighi”
- George Dallam, associate professor in the Department of Exercise Science, Health Promotion and Recreation at Colorado State University-Pueblo, and U.S. triathlete Hunter Kemper, “Altitude Training as an Integral Component of Hunter Kemper’s Training Program”
- Belle Roels, a research fellow in exercise and sports physiology in the School of Sport and Education at Brunel University West London, “Intermittent Hypoxic Training”
A roundtable discussion will be held with the above-listed speakers plus Bobby McGee, a coach who has created a knack for peaking athletes for major events through his knowledge of exercise physiology, sports psychology and coaching experience, Ron Mann, third-year cross country and track coach at the University of Louisville following a successful 24-year stint as a coach at Northern Arizona University, and Mike Crowe, representing U.S. Speed Skating.
For information, contact Bob Condron, USOC, (719) 866-4529 or bob.condron@usoc.org.