Olympic spirit shines at Colorado Springs museums
If you can’t attend the Tokyo Summer Olympics in person this year — the Games run through Aug. 8 — perhaps the next best place to experience that spirit is right here in Colorado Springs.
Our growing town bills itself as “Olympic City, USA.” And for good reason. This is the home of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, the U.S. Olympic Training Center and 24 National Governing Bodies.
This is also the home of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum, as well as the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame.
Hard to believe, but the 2022 Winter Olympic Games are scheduled to start in just six months. They will run Feb. 4-20 in Beijing.
If you are so inclined to visit our local museums, you can easily do so in one day. The World Figure Skating Hall of Fame (20 1st St. near The Broadmoor) and Olympic Museum (200 S. Sierra Madre St. near Weidner Field) are well worth your time.
And you just might run into an Olympian or two or three at either place.
On June 19, Carl Lewis — arguably the greatest American Summer Olympic track and field athlete in history — toured the Olympic Museum and spoke to reporters for about 15 minutes.
“It’s so important to talk about the history,” Lewis told reporters that day. “Me, being a college coach of 23- and 24-year-olds, a lot of time I think they think the world began in 2000. It’s important for them to see the history of the Olympic Games and see the stories of the people.”
While Lewis was being interviewed, a short distance away was Peggy Fleming, the most famous American figure skater in history. She was there for the Lewis event with her husband of 50 years, Greg Jenkins.
The three of them posed for photos and chatted with each other for a while before taking separate tours of the museum. Lewis was accompanied by an entourage, while Fleming and her husband did their own self-guided tour.
“This is the perfect location because the U.S. Olympic Committee is here and U.S. Figure Skating headquarters are here,” Fleming said. “This is perfect for me and this means a lot to me because Colorado Springs is where I trained. The setting with Pikes Peak is spectacular.
“This museum is a work in progress. It has a lot of stuff that’s very high-tech. And lots of stories to tell.”
Fleming, of course, became world famous in the 1960s after she moved to Colorado Springs from Northern California to train with the Broadmoor Skating Club and coach Carlo Fassi. She attended Cheyenne Mountain High School, and in 1968 won the gold medal in women’s figure skating at the Winter Games held in Grenoble, France. Hers was the only gold medal won by an American athlete at those Olympics.
Fleming has done a great job of working with and supporting the Olympic Museum and World Figure Skating Museum. The dress and skates she wore at the 1968 Olympics are on display at the Olympic Museum, while some of her other personal figure skating items are featured at the World Figure Skating Museum.
“I have a lot more stuff at home I can give them if they want it,” Fleming said with a laugh. “They only have so much space.”
There are several plaques and items of interest featuring Fleming at the World Figure Skating Museum. Her legacy as one of the greatest Olympians — winter or summer — was forever cemented in 1968. She became the face of the U.S. Men’s and Women’s Figure Skating team after the 1961 plane crash near Brussel’s, Belgium, that killed the entire team and most of its coaches.
The Summer and Winter Olympics always give rise to the importance of the Games. The fact that many current and former Olympians live here or come to visit is an added bonus for fans who might be fortunate enough to bump into them from time to time.
In June, former Olympic heroes Carl Lewis, left, and Peggy Fleming caught up at the United States Olympic and Paralympic Museum in downtown Colorado Springs.
Peggy Fleming and her husband, Greg Jenkins, toured the United States Olympic and Paralympic Museum when they were in town for an event honoring Carl Lewis. They are standing next to a display dedicated to Fleming’s 1968 Winter Olympic performance.
A huge display honoring the 1980 U.S. men’s hockey team is at the United States Olympic and Paralympic Museum. The hockey team trained in Colorado Springs prior to the 1980 Games.
On display at the World Figure Skating Museum are outfits worn by American figure skaters, left to right, Tara Lipinski, Kristi Yamaguchi and Linda Fratianni.