PARK CITY — When the Center of Excellence is completed in 2009, people from all over the country, and even the world, will be able to go online and get the very latest information on training for winter athletes.

Never, in the history of winter sports in the United States, has this been possible.

In fact, a lot of what winter athletes go through presently, said Ted Ligety of Park City, a gold medalist in the 2006 Olympics, is "old school ... This center will definitely make it possible for us to compete by maximizing our training ... winter and summer."

The new center will be located at the Quinn's Junction of U.S. 40 going toward Heber and state Route 248 heading into Park City. The land was donated by Vaughn, David and Dick Burbridge.

Groundbreaking on the $22.5 million center was held last week. By the spring of 2009, it will be operational, said Bill Marolt, president and CEO of U.S. Ski Association.

It will comprise 85,000 square feet on three levels, and will offer athletes the latest in science, technology, medical, education and physical training.

The center is patterned after those found in Australia, noted Andy Walshe, director of science and education for the ski team who came to the United States from Australia.

"There are several large facilities around Australia designed to support every aspect of athlete preparation, winter and summer," he added. "Athletes are able to pull up the best information on preparation and development from some of the best minds in the world, and use this information to make them better.

"This center will be tied to educational technology that will make it possible to send this information to everyone, not just the elite athletes. These resources will be available to developing athletes, domestic clubs, parents, volunteers and officials. We will be able to share this information almost real-time via the Web."

Coaches, too, will be able to sit almost anywhere in the world and watch live as their respective athletics are going through training.

"Obviously, we're not going to give away our secrets, but basic training and preparation information will be available," said Walshe.

"This is a fundamental step forward in the training of world-class athletes."

Ligety said the Austrians also have this technology available, "and you can tell. They have one of the strongest winter programs in the world. This will definitely help us."

Marolt said, "This is something we've been working on for 10 years. It started with the idea of having a place for athletes who are injured to come to rehabilitate. It grew from there into a full-blown national training center for skiers and snowboarders."

The center will be completed in time to aid those athletes headed for the 2010 Winter Games, and will be in full service for those headed for the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

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