Regents pass resolution supporting Colorado Springs RTA application

Illustration of the proposed sports medicine center at UCCS.

The University of Colorado Board of Regents passed a resolution supporting the city of Colorado Springs application for the City for Champions project, which is seeking funding from the state’s Regional Tourism Act to proceed with the multi-faceted project.

The RTA proposal includes four elements:

• A U.S. Olympic museum
• A downtown stadium and event center
• A sports medicine and performance center at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs
• A gateway at the Falcon Stadium Visitors Center at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

The nine-member board approved the resolution 8-0 at its Aug. 7 meeting, with the chair not voting, as is his prerogative.

“My colleagues on the board and I believe this project has the kind of synergy that not only will benefit Colorado Springs and our UCCS campus, but also will build on the strengths of our faculty and provide opportunities for students from across the CU system,” said Regent Kyle Hybl, R- Colorado Springs, who sponsored the resolution.

The UCCS Sports Medicine and Performance Center would be a clinic for the education, training and treatment of high-performance athletes and wounded active-duty and retired military members. It would build on UCCS faculty strengths in biomechanics, athletic training, sports dietetics and exercise and sports physiology, among others. It also would provide opportunities for collaboration with faculty in the CU School of Medicine, which is opening a branch on the UCCS campus this fall. UCCS and School of Medicine faculty have practices focused on the training and treatment of high-performance athletes, as well as several focused on disabled athletes.

The facility would be part of the UCCS Health and Wellness Village, an integral part of the campus’s strategic plan that calls for eight facilities supporting health-related instruction, research and services. The first facility in the complex, the Lane Center for Academic Health Sciences, is under construction on North Nevada Avenue and is scheduled for completion in January 2014.