Northern Arizona University

BACKGROUND

1968
Elite endurance athletes travel to Flagstaff for training, seeking an altitude environment in which to prepare for the Olympic Games in Mexico City, held at an elevation of 2,240m (7,349ft.). As part of his PhD dissertation research, Jack Daniels conducts physiological tests in Flagstaff on Jim Ryun, U.S. record holder in numerous running events. Other athletes training in Flagstaff include Canadian Olympic Gold Medal rower Rodger Jackson, U.S. Olympic Gold Medal runner Billy Mills, and U.S. steeplechaser George Young. Ryun and Young go on to win silver and bronze medals, respectively, in the '68 Olympic Games.

1978
Altitude training continues in Flagstaff and is increasingly used to prepare for competition at sea level. As Head Coach for Women’s Track and Cross Country at the University of Texas in Austin, Daniels brings a group of female distance runners to Flagstaff for altitude training.

1985
While employed at Nike, Daniels tests 50 top U.S. Junior and Senior swimmers in Flagstaff at the newly-constructed Natatorium at Northern Arizona University (NAU) as part of a research project for USA Swimming. Sports Committee members at the Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce ("The Kachinas") begin to conceptualize a formal administrative entity responsible for marketing and managing altitude training in Flagstaff.

1990
The Kachinas present their idea to Flagstaff Mayor Chris Bavasi, and NAU president Clara Lovett. It is agreed that, with the depth and breadth of training facilities available on the campus, NAU is the logical choice for the new administrative entity's headquarters. NAU employee and long-time sports leader in the Flagstaff community, Rick Smith, takes on the responsibility for fully developing the program and establishing a base of operation on the university campus.

1994
The High Altitude Sports Training Complex (HASTC) is established at NAU, with Rick Smith as the founding director, and officially hosts its first team: the Norwegian Canoeing Association. A core staff includes NAU students who assist with team management, and volunteer Ben Brown, who provides expertise in the international marketing effort.

1995
After one year of operating out of the campus Recreation Center, HASTC holds the grand opening of its new administrative offices in newly-renovated Lumberjack Stadium. Team activity immediately escalates as teams travel to the U.S. in preparation for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. Representatives from the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) conduct a site visit to HASTC, establishing open communication between the two organizations.

2000
HASTC gains a reputation in the international sports community as one of the world's preeminent altitude training site and broadens its scope of support services. The percentage of those teams returning to Flagstaff for altitude training approaches 75%, providing opportunties to forge long-term relationships with such National Governing Bodies as the Japan Swimming Federation.

2004

NAU Head Track & Field Coach Ron Mann and HASTC staff meet with USOC representatives, leading to the university being designated a U.S. Olympic Training Site and home to a Community Olympic Development Program. The designations are based on a formal collaboration between HASTC, USA Track & Field, and the USOC, identifying NAU’s commitment to provide training services to U.S. distance runners. Coach Joe Vigil provides post-designation guidance for programming that explicitly serves the needs of elite post-collegiate runners.

2005
The Flagstaff Running Project officially begins with the hiring of Dr. Jack Daniels, offering support and training opportunities for elite and emerging elite U.S. distance runners. In conjunction with a university-wide rebranding effort at NAU, the name of the organization is changed to the Center for High Altitude Training (the Center).

2006
The USOC announces that NAU has been selected as its sixth U.S. Olympic Community Partner. Flagstaff joins five other cities around the nation in the delivery of Olympic education and outreach programs to the general public, reinforcing Olympic values and messages promoting Fair Play, Good Sportsmanship and Showing Respect.

2007
The Center creates Team Altius, a community-based running club serving youth and adults. The name TEAM ALTIUS is derived from the Olympic Motto Citius, Altius, Fortius. The motto translates to Faster, Higher, Braver or, more commonly in English, to Swifter, Higher, Stronger.

2008
The Center surpasses 6,000 team members from 43 countries served since its inception. The upcoming Beijing Olympics provide an opportunity to add to the 191 Olympic and Paralympic medals won by athletes who have trained at NAU since the 1996 Atlanta Games.