Photos from the grand opening  If there is one part of the U.S. Olympic Training Center (USOTC) in Colorado Springs, Colo. that is vitally important to the success of the United States Olympic Team, it is the strength and conditioning room. This is the place where athletes in all sports build their power and endurance, vital components to athletic success.     Now, wrestlers and all of the other athletes at the USOTC will have a state-of-the-art training facility.    The U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) and its sponsor 24 Hour Fitness celebrated the renovated Irwin Belk Olympic Sports Complex workout facility, which is located directly next to the wrestling room at the training center. Hundreds of people, including Olympic-caliber athletes and coaches, attended the ceremonies to re-open the workout facility on Thursday, Dec. 4.    There were more than 250 new pieces of sports and training equipment provided by 24 Hour Fitness, which worked the USOC staff to redesign the entire facility. Included were new stationary bikes, treadmills, elliptical machines, free weights, weight machines and entirely new flooring.    24 Hour Fitness has been a longtime sponsor of USA Wrestling, as well as some other national governing bodies within the Olympic family.     "We are excited about our relationship with 24 Hour Fitness and what it means to all of our athletes and the Olympic movement," said Jim Scherr, USOC Chief of Sport Performance and its acting chief executive. "24 Hour Fitness stands for many of the things that we believe in at the U.S. Olympic Committee. We want to thank 24 Hour Fitness for the state of the art machines and equipment."    "We are pleased to be partners with the U.S. Olympic Committee," said Kevin Stelle, Vice President of Sports Marketing for  24 Hour Fitness. "We have had many Olympians work for us. This is a very dear relationship for us. We had a great relationship with some of the National Governing Bodies, and it provided the spark for getting involved with the USOC."    Those in attendance admired the new equipment, as well as the new layout of the training area.    "This relationship is important," said Dana Healy, who directs the USOC Strength and Conditioning Department. "This is tangible. Our athletes can see it, touch it and use it every day. You can come here and see every day how important this relationship is to our athletes."    Healy indicated that the value of the renovation was more than $400,000 and that her staff played a vital role in selecting the machines and adjusting the layout of the training space.    "This is more efficient," said Healy. "We get high volume in the morning, between 50-60 athletes. Most of the training we do is with free weights on platforms, and having just six platforms was not enough. We went from six to 12 platform areas."    "There is more efficient open space here," she continued. "We doubled the cardiovascular equipment and increased the dumbbells and free weights. My staff created the design, picked the equipment and set it all up. We need to thank 24 Hour Fitness for giving us the means to do this."    A special ribbon-cutting ceremony was held during the celebration, and a sparkling new 24 Hour Fitness sign was installed in the training facility.     A number of USOTC resident athletes were introduced, displaying 24 Hour Fitness clothing and assisting in the ceremonies. Included in the group of featured athletes were female wrestlers Sally Roberts and Ashley Sword, as well as male wrestlers Dane Valdez and Matt Stolpinski.    "I am very excited about the new facility," said Sword.    "I would like to thank you for all of your support," said Valdez.    "I really enjoy this new facility," said Roberts. "I haven't decided on my new weight class, so I am going to use the cardio equipment often."    The ceremony was catered with lunch for the attendees, who represented many of the sports that use the training facilities at the USOTC. A special time-lapse video, which showed the creation of the new training design was shown, giving an impressive view of how the training facility was set up from start to finish.    U.S. wrestlers in all three international styles will have the opportunity to take advantage of the new equipment and the improved design of the facility.    "I like it," said Greco-Roman wrestler Ethan Bosch. "It will be much easier to get a good workout here."    "It's nice; I like the weight racks," said women's wrestler Katie Downing. "It will be better when there is more than one team training. It was crowded before. There will be more room in here for all of us."    "I have been lifting in here this week and I like it better this way," said Greco-Roman wrestler Quincey Clark. "The floors are even with the lifting area; it is perfect. I like the new pullup bars with handles. I really like the new setup."    The goal of the USOC and its national governing bodies is to have sustained competitive excellence on the international level. The renovated workout facility, made possible by 24 Hour Fitness, will play an important part in the future success of U.S. Olympic teams.    "We are proud to be part of the USOC and to help the athletes," said Kevin Stelle of 24 Hour Fitness.