Natalie Darwitz, a 2002 silver medalist in ice hockey, is one of eight CODP graduates, who went on to represent the United States in Olympic competition.

The CODP, created in 1996, addresses the needs of progressing athletes from the beginning stages of development to the elite level. San Antonio, Texas, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn., Salt Lake City, Utah, and Atlanta, Ga., were selected as the pilot sites due to their rich history in amateur sports and their existing grass-roots sports infrastructure and organizations. In order to complete the mission of training talented and motivated young athletes, the CODP works closely with community sports organizations to take young athletes from the beginner level and train them for progression to national governing bodies’ (NGBs) elite programs. The sports selected for these communities were considered non-traditional sports and many athletes targeted were individuals in under-served components of the pilot cities.

The future of the CODP has included expansion to other communities, in partnership with the NGBs, while continuing to work with pilot cities.  Since 2002,  Palm Beach County, Moorestown, N.J., Springfield, Mo., Lake County, Ind., Brownsville, Texas, and Flagstaff, Ariz., were added as CODPs. 

Talent Identification and Development
In an effort to learn about the progression of young athletes to Olympians, the Athlete Development Division in conjunction with USOC Coaching and Sport Sciences, conducted "The Olympian Survey," in which over 800 Olympians responded. The survey produced two reports:

• The Path to Excellence
• Reflections on Success 

Both reports highlight objective information about Olympian development and subjective factors Olympians felt during their careers. The data from this survey will help the USOC, NGBs and Community Sports Organizations pinpoint the programs that are most effective in producing Olympians and medallists

The USOC Coaching and Sports Sciences Division has undertaken or assisted with several other talent development studies including studies reported by Dr. Dan Gould.

• Developing Psychological Talent 
  Highlights the important factors for success based on interviews with 10 Olympic medalists.  

• Positive and Negative Factors Influencing U.S.
  Olympic Athletes and Coaches at the Games 
  1996 Atlanta Olympic Games | 1998 Nagano Olympic Winter Games 

• 2000 Olympic Games: Learned Assessment
  U.S. Athlete and Coach Performance Lessons

Your local library has access to a wealth of information on talent identification, development and retention. Authors to research on the subject include Benjamin Bloom, Suzie Tuffey, and Martha Ewing, to name a few.

Community Based Organizations
The Athlete Facilities & Services Division continues to serve Community Based Organizations/Armed Forces/Disabled Sports organizations of the USOC.  Through this relationship, the department strives to enhance  relationships with grass-roots sports organizations that administer youth sports programs with the eventual goal of having talented young athletes, progress to elite level sports programs within the USOC and National Governing Bodies.

If you would like additional information on any programs offered by the Athlete Facilities & Services Division, please contact:

CODP Directory
	USOC Athlete Facilities & Services
	Alicia McConnell Director USOC Athlete Facilities & Services 1Olympic Plaza Colorado Springs, CO  80909 719.866.4868 office 719.866.4039 fax alicia.mcconnell@usoc.org
	Lori Hamacher Coordinator, Athlete Facilities & Services 719.866.4607 office 719.866.4039 fax lori.hamacher@usoc.org
	Atlanta, GA CODP
	Matthew Ryan Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta 100 Edgewood Ave., Suite 700 Atlanta, GA  30303 404. 527.7100 office 404.527.7689 fax mryan@bgcma.org
	Visit Atlanta's website: http://www.bgcma.org/
	Flagstaff, AZ CODP
	Natalie Harlan Center for High Altitude Training Lumberjack Stadium, Bldg. 34, Room 110 Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ  86011 928.523.0886 office 928.523.9401 fax natalie.harlan@nau.edu
	Visit Flagstaff's website: http://www.nau.edu/highaltitude
	Gainesville, GA CODP
	Connie Hagler Lake Lanier Canoe & Kayak Club 3105 Clarks Bridge Road Gainesville, GA  30506 770.287.7888 office 770.287.3444 fax conhagler@aol.com
	Visit Gainsville's website: http://www.lckc.org/
	Harlingen, TX CODP
	Martha Garza Harlingen Foundation for Valley Sports Airport Administration 3002 Heritage Way Harlingen, TX  78550 956. 466.2820 office martha.garza@hotmail.com
	Lake County, IN CODP
	Frank Eksten 399 Ellendale Parkway Crown Point, IN  46307 219.865.6969 office eksten_f@yahoo.com
	Visit Lake County's website: http://www.midwestweightlifting.com/
	Minneapolis, MN CODP
	Lenny Vannelli PO Box 240355 Apple Valley, MN 55124-0355 877.690.4005 (toll free)e lenny@codpmn.com
	Visit Minneapolis' website: http://www.codpmn.com
	Moorestown, NJ CODP
	Joe DeLago 7 N. Columbus Blvd. Philadelphia, PA  19106 215.574.0594 office 433.647.9650 fax jdelago@tpgphl.com
	Palm Beach County, FL CODP
	Teneka James-Phillips Palm Beach County Sports Institute 1555 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd. Suite 1410 West Palm Beach, FL  33401 561.233. 3121 office 561.233.3125 fax tphillips@palmbeachsports.com
	Visit Palm Beach's website: http://www.palmbeachsports.com/
	San Antonio, TX CODP
	Alma Martinez-Striker San Antonio Sports Foundation Alamo Dome, 100 Montana San Antonio, TX  78203 210.820.2113 office 210.820.2199 fax astriker@sanantoniosports.org
	Visit San Antonio's website: http://www.sanantoniosports.org/
	Springfield, MO CODP
	Linda Dollar HealthTracks Center 4331 S. Fremont Springfield, MO  65804 417.874.2174 office 417.863.1026 fax ldollar@ci.springfield.mo.us
	Visit Springfield's website: http://www.springfieldmosports.org/