Before TCU track star Ronnie Baker even made it to the Tokyo Olympics, he trained at the Athletic Performance Ranch, a sprawling and upscale facility in Southwest Fort Worth.
"I guess we were like, 'If we build it, they will come,'” said Greg Sholars, a former TCU track star himself who has run AP Ranch since it opened in 2012. "We've been able to grow the thing through word of mouth. No real marketing."
Another Olympic sprinter, Dalilah Muhammad, also trained at the ranch.
She's from New York but thought training in Fort Worth would get her ready for the Tokyo heat.
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"I'm doing good. I've been training in Fort Worth now so I'm familiar with the humidity,” she told NBC Sports after winning her heat in the women’s 400M hurdles. She later won Silver in the finals.
But that's not the end of the ranch's Olympic connections.
Allyson Felix and others also practiced in Fort Worth.
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Sholars said he’s proud of the athletes he helped train who are now in the world spotlight.
“The best part about it was the grace they all showed while they were here,” he said. “They were all kind and warm. It was a family atmosphere."
Sholars also is proud of the work the ranch does every day with children as young as six years old in a variety of sports. The facility was founded by wealthy Fort Worth businessman Michael Dry.
Sholars is now busy coaching younger athletes who just might become the next Olympic stars.
"It's really amazing because you feel you know them when you see them on TV,” he said.
