This study was focused on the process of an adaptive transition to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO (further – the OTC) and guided by the research question: What were the dynamic transition experiences of elite resident-athletes that constituted their successful transition to the OTC? A retreatment of Poczwardowski, Diehl, O’Neil, Cote, & Haberl’s (2014) semi-structured interviews with six accomplished resident-athletes was conducted through the lens of the athletic career transition model (Stambulova, 2003) to propose a temporally based Transition to the OTC (further – the TOTC) empirical framework. The TOTC describes the successful transition as having four phases – preparation, assimilation, adaptation, and thriving – involving the dynamic interactions between the resident-athletes and the OTC programs/staff influencing the perceived transition challenges, barriers, resources, coping strategies, and outcomes throughout the four phases. Based on the TOTC, future research on the transitioning to residential training centers is outlined, and practical applications for the OTC staff, coaches, and sport psychologists (e.g., developmentally relevant intake protocols, strengths-based interventions, and orientation materials) are proposed. © 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.