COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.- Obed Bartee of Harvest and a recent graduate of Sparkman High has his sights set on a magical ride with athletics. The 19-year old spent nearly a month in Colorado Springs, Colo. with some of the best boxers in the world at the Olympic Training Facility as Team USA Boxing preps for the upcoming Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

“For me, I’m watching my dream unfold in front of me,” said Bartee.

The current USA Boxing’s 165-pound No. 1 ranked in Youth Men’s Division was invited to be part of the 15-member group of training partners for the USA Boxing Team along with several other Olympians from countries such as the Philippines, Jordan, and Australia. Bartee was the only trainer in the 165-pound division and worked alongside Troy Isley of Alexandria, Va. who will represent the United States in the Olympics. The 22-year old Islay, like the others on the U.S. Team, qualified for the games through numerous boxing tournaments and trials.

As for Bartee, he was chosen to assist the elite group of boxers for his past performances at the Nationals and numerous camps he has attended. He added, “You have to work for the spot I was in. They loved my work ethic at the camps and saw my potential for the future in boxing.”

Many of the boxers on the U.S. Olympic Team were in the same position as Bartee four years ago. They, too, worked their way up the boxing ladder through years of hard work and life-changing ways to become a member of the special group of athletes that want to stand in the boxing ring and proudly fly the colors of the Red, White & Blue.

“I’m beginning to accomplish what I want and working with others who have the same goals is great as we’re facing our future together,” said Bartee. “Facing the physical and mental hardships of boxing is difficult and it’s great to do so with others who understand.”

The boxers roomed at the MCM Elegante Suites and actually trained there for a week before moving their training to another facility, which was located inside a shopping mall and the athletes utilized an entire wing of what was a Macy’s Store. All of the necessary equipment was provided by the USA Team along with hotel accommodations and three meals a day. Bartee’s day usually began at 7:00 a.m. with a breakfast and the usual athletic training for a few hours while the women’s boxing team used the facilities for its training sessions. Upon the mid-afternoon time frame, Bartee and the remainder of the throng of fellow athletes took to the setting for bag drills, shadow boxing, boxing skills workouts and the all-important sparring for a three-hour session. Each Olympic boxer would spar three to 10 rounds per day. The day was completed around 7:00 p.m. with dinner back at the hotel restaurant.

“Through all of these workouts I became a better boxer every day,” said Bartee, son of Obed and Syria Bartee, who once played football and transferred his talents to boxing fulltime. “In the training at Colorado Springs you had to grasp the concept. If you wasted a day in training you didn’t get better. For me, each day is one step at a time.”

The athletes were given weekends off from their daily trainings. Those free days allowed the group to relax and conger up ideas to have fun and enjoy the majestic local scenery of the Rocky Mountains. Usually traveling as a group, the “new team” of Olympic hopefuls visited a mountain lake where their surroundings were spectacular and breathtaking. The treks away from the boxing ring gave each of them the time to enjoy the comradery of their fellow athletes and reflect on where they are in their lives.

“I’ve put a lot of my life into this as I’ve matured very fast and it’s paying off,” added Bartee, who stands 6-foot tall. “Each day is getting started on another day to help me reach my dream of making the Olympics. My experience alongside these Olympians was really eye-opening and I think I’m ready as I have the same skills as they do. It will soon be my time. I plan on one day of representing my country in the ring.”