Good to Know | Let’s Go
Atrium, exterior: Jason O’Rear. Visitors at touchscreen: Nic Lehoux.Running prostheses: Michael Svoboda /Getty Images.
LET’S GO
Keeping the Flame Alive
U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum inspires athletics fans. By Anna Sutterer VIBE: Energetic, inspiring, and heartwarming, like the Olympic torch’s eternal flame DRIVE TIME: About 1.5 hours from downtown Denver, a few blocks from downtown Colorado Springs businesses TIP: Only Visa cards are accepted at the museum, due to the longstanding partnership between the games and the company. Bring cash for the reverse cash ATM on site in order to obtain a prepaid Visa card. Set in the foreground of Pikes Peak, the sleek and stately U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum invites families to follow the centuries-old epic of elite athletes and discover the details of Olympic competition. INTERACT WITH EXHIBITS Upon entering, guests receive a coded badge to customize with sporting event preferences, and a stylus to use with touch screens. Badges unlock a personalized experience throughout the museum, including deep dives into Olympic event history and interactive training modules.
Screens stretch floor-to-ceiling or are mounted at wheelchair/kid height; they include audio-described video, text-to-speech readers, and larger font sizes.
HISTORIC MOMENTS The exhibits begin with the foot race won by a cook in 776 B.C. Greece, the game said to have started it all. Peer at some of the Olympic torches carried hundreds of thousands of miles. Meet folks who made history in the games, including U.S. wheelchair basketball coach Junius Kellogg; Muslim American sabre fencing medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad; and track star Jim Thorpe, first Native American to win U.S. Olympic gold.
The museum was built with guidance from Paralympic athl etes.
TRAINING AND TECH Guests find a strip of track for racing, bows and arrows to test sharp-shooting skills, and ski jump simulations; and gather tips for technique while learning what it takes to compete. Tech-brains and designers will savor the collection of sports equipment innovations, including specialized chairs for wheelchair basketball, and 1996 sprinting legend Michael Johnson’s golden track spikes. HEART OF THE GAMES Kids can ask athletes questions (virtually with prerecorded answers) about their personal journeys, and build knowledge of world events during the Olympic competition years. Finish the visit in the art gallery filled with paintings by LeRoy Neiman, and watch a short film that drives home the passion and camaraderie of the games.
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Colorado Parent | February 2021
A running prosthesis like this blade and socket design helped Paralympian Scout Basset gain confidence and a competitive spirit.
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