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Dixon Farmer has been a college coach or similarly employed in the athletic business for over 40 years. He has found success at the University of Washington, University of Michigan, San Diego State University and Occidental College. As Chair of Men's Development at USATF, Dixon has been exposed to a huge number of experts in innumerable fields and was a natural choice for Coordinator of Track and Field at the ARCO Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, CA.

RUSA: What is your position all about?

DF: I am the track and field coordinator at the Olympic Training Center. I oversee the Resident Athlete Program and I assist with the race walkers. I answer a lot of questions, facilitate communications and coordinate programming activities such as workshops and seminars. For example, this past weekend we had an elite pole vault competition, a decathlon and the USATF Association Championship, that all falls under my area.

RUSA: How many athletes are currently Athletes-In-Residence?

DF: Our quota is 10, but we have 12 right now, and 8 walkers. We also have athletes here for shorter periods.

RUSA: What services are offered at the Center?

DF: We have athletic trainers, medical staff, nutritionists, a psychologist and we offer special programs and seminars. For example, we just completed a marathoner's clinic with 40 coaches and athletes where we included treadmill testing, guest speakers and really tried to educate the athletes and also listen to the athlete's needs.

RUSA: What is the lifestyle of the Athlete-In-Residence like?

DF: AIRs, by definition, are staying for 3 months or longer. We also have people coming by for shorter stays or even for just a couple of days, but then they are usually part of a camp. The AIRs are required to do something, they can't just be "athletic vegetables", if you will. They can choose among going to school, working part-time or doing community service. Many of them choose the community service, and about one-third are working. They remain busy because most of them are working out twice a day and taking advantage of all the extra facilities.

RUSA: What complaints do you hear from athletes at the Center?

DF: Most of the feedback is positive but nevertheless, this isn't the best place for every athlete. I'm not the "coach-in-residence" but I try to help be a go-between for them with their own coaches. Some athletes don't like the fact that we're far from the heart of the city or that the dorms are a bit Spartan but we like to think that that is what a training center is all about.

RUSA: What is planned for the pre-Olympic season?

DF: We have space for as many self-selected athletes as want to come here. Many of them will want to bask in the glory of their newfound success and a few will want to capitalize on their status in European meets but after that dies down a bit and people start thinking, "Hey, I've got to get focused on the task and get into the best environment", we'll be ready for them.

RUSA: Any dark horses from the Center should we watch for at the Trials?

DF: Meb Keflezighi ran well at Eugene [13:48] considering he's been out for a little while and although San Diegans know him well, he's not necessarily on the forefront of the National scene right now. Also, Tom Chorny just ran 8:33 for the steeple and although it will probably take 8:20 to make the team, he's been lowering his PR's and is worth watching.

RUSA: How was President Clinton's visit to the Center?

DF: Terrific. You can like or dislike his policy, but he's a very personable guy.

Special thanks to 
Ryan Lamppa, Running USA Media Coordinator for providing us this press release.
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