Olympism, Performance at Heart of U.S. Olympic Academy -- On the Scene

The first United States Olympic Academy in 23 years focused on developing high performing athletes as well as extending the values of Olympism through education.

Speakers from the United States Olympic Committee, National Sport Governing Bodies, the IOC, and former Olympians discussed how the United States could better allocate its resources and make sure athletes get the support they need.

A joint project by the USOC and the Los Angeles 84 Foundation, the academy focused on the successes and shortcomings to developing U.S. sport since 1984.

The presentations aimed to establish the idea of Olympism, and then how the United States could use those ideals to improve their sporting development and growth at both an elite and grassroots level.

"Despite [the fact that] there is no specific definition of Olympism, there is a very precise belief that the Olympic Movement is something important," Anita DeFrantz, president of the LA 84 Foundation, said to begin the day.

Addressing the importance of Olympic education, Dr. Dionyssis Gangas from the International Olympic Academy spoke on developing the IOA and different national Olympic academies (NOAs).

"The IOA has a duty to assist in helping with the organization of any national Olympic academy and going into the community," Gangas said.

With the United States reviving its Olympic Academy, there are currently 147 NOAs worldwide.

Athlete Development Leading to Performance

A main goal of the program was to focus on how athlete development in the United States can be revised, and explaining the current model in high performance.

"We believe the best way to inspire people is to empower our athletes to be the best people they can be," USOC chief executive officer Scott Blackmun said.

USOC chief of sport performance Alan Ashley discussed how all sports are looked at and assessed to ensure the United States is competitive in all disciplines and sport.

Ashley discussed how the USOC encourages Olympic athletes to "inspire Americans" to create the next generation of sportsman. The United States has launched the "Team USA Ambassador Program" to focus on "what’s possible" in the future for national team members.

"Our mission at the USOC is to raise as much as we can in resources to support our athletes," added Blackmun

Blackmun highlighted the growth of resources available to the USOC since the Los Angeles Games, and how that has allowed the USOC to also focus on post-Olympic success.

The USOC has recently launched the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Foundation as well as a pilot program in the Athlete Career and Education Program. Both programs were presented to show progress made by the USOC in both fields.

Performance with Participation

Supporting athletes at all levels was stressed by all speakers in the program.

While the United States has been successful at the international level, much improvement is needed on grassroots sports.

"Start them young. Get them involved in the activity. Do lots of training, then ultimately get them to this topic," Dr. Wade Gilbert, a professor of sports science at California State University, Fresno, said on athlete development.

Gilbert stressed that the gap between "performance" and "participation" can be lowered while promoting elite athletes to perform well on a global scale.

Initiatives by the USOC such as Olympic Day allow elite athletes to connect with young athletes in America, but the academy asked, "Are we doing enough?"

USA Hockey presented a case study in how its sport was able to grow in participation and on an elite level.

"It’s not about hockey. It’s about change," Ken Martel, technical director of the American development plan for USA Hockey, said about the success of the plan, which has seen an increase in participation and retention at the youngest level.

The future of the Academy has not been finalized, but Anita DeFrantz said she "would love for it to continue," though the decision is up to the USOC.

Written by Aaron Bauerin Los Angeles

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