The spirit of the Olympic Movement now has a foothold in the Greater Lansing area, as MSU’s Demmer Center will host a Community Olympic Development Program for archery, rifle and pistol as part of a menu of programs that are offered to the community. The Demmer Center is expanding Olympic and Paralympic sport outreach and awareness by promoting diversity and providing more opportunities for young athletes to train from the ground up to becoming the next Olympian or Paralympian.
“The Demmer Center’s model aligns very well with our mission to provide opportunities for youth to participate in Olympic and Paralympic sport,” said Alicia McConnell, U.S. Olympic Committee director of training sites and community partnerships. “We look forward to working with MSU as they continue to support USA Archery and USA Shooting with long term athlete development”.
“The U.S.A. Shooting team is most pleased to have MSU’s Demmer Shooting Sports and Education Training Center as an integral part in the development of Olympic-style shooting that offers the opportunity for those desiring to engage in our sport and pursue the Olympic path,” said Robert Mitchell, executive director and CEO of U.S.A. Shooting.
“We are very excited about the opportunities that the Demmer Center will provide as a designated CODP facility,” U.S.A. Archery CEO Denise Parker said. “The Demmer Center has successfully hosted many national events for U.S.A. Archery and we look forward to seeing increased grassroots development of archery within the Michigan community.”
The Demmer Center’s enhanced CODP vision includes the following:
- Developing a sport club that recruits and involves diverse youth and adults with and without physical and visual disabilities in sports and physical activities regardless of skill level or interest.
- Fostering a comprehensive, community-based Olympic and Paralympic sport club network as a foundation for an athlete pipeline.
- Providing sport program opportunities for injured service members and veterans to continue sport participation upon integration back into their home communities.
- Creating a national, unified, Olympic and Paralympic sport club network that provides a grassroots campaign to educate individuals on the benefits of sports and physical activities for those with or without physical and visual disabilities.
The Demmer Center is open to the public and provides educational, recreational and competitive shooting sports opportunities for the whole family. They facilitate the activities of MSU shooting teams and provide a home for the possibility of future NCAA shooting teams.