Break in Euro/GP schedule ... ??

[Guest]

I noticed that after the Madrid meet on 7/19, there's a noticeable break in the international schedule (esp. the GP/GL meets) until 7/31, when the action gets hot again up until the break for worlds...

Anyone know why that is? Is it because most Euro countries will be holding their national championships between 7/20-30 (like WE should be doing?? )

[Guest]

Re: Break in Euro/GP schedule ... ??

it's more or less there every year and that is when most European countries hold their national championships.

[blacklily]

Re: Break in Euro/GP schedule ... ??

Anyone know why that is? Is it
>because most Euro countries will be holding their
>national championships between 7/20-30 (like WE
>should be doing?? )

Some don't. Germany, Poland, Ukraine have already had their champs. Outside Europe, so have most of the Caribbean countries & some of the Asian countries. Besides, how many people will attend a U.S. track meet -- other than the Olympic Trials -- in the middle of summer? People are on vacation, which would hurt attendance even more.

[gh]

Re: Break in Euro/GP schedule ... ??

<<. Besides, how many
>people will attend a U.S. track meet -- other
>than the Olympic Trials -- in the middle of
>summer? People are on vacation, which would hurt
>attendance even more.>>

We'll never know unless we try. (and we should try)

And the "vacation" angle might actually be a wash. There are probably a significant number of people who don't normally go to Nationals who might if they could combine it with a vacation trip. The non-interested spouse spends the day at Fisherman's Wharf while the interested one takes the kids down to Stanford for track.

[Guest]

Re: Break in Euro/GP schedule ... ??

The Discovery Museum on Woz Way or the Winchester Mystery House or the Great Mall in Milpitas. Anyplace but that tourist trap in San Francisco, please.

[Guest]

Re: Break in Euro/GP schedule ... ??

Never underestimate the American public's capacity for enjoying tourist traps.

Hamburger helper anyone?

[Guest]

Re: Break in Euro/GP schedule ... ??

I heard there's a 2000+ pound gopher on I70. You see signs for it every few miles. Maybe nationals should be in eastern Colorado?

[Guest]

Re: Break in Euro/GP schedule ... ??

><<. Besides, how many
>people will attend a U.S.
>track meet -- other
>than the Olympic Trials --
>in the middle of
>summer? People are on
>vacation, which would hurt
>attendance even
>more.>>

We'll never know unless we try. (and
>we should try)

How much worse could attendance get? How much worse could TV ratings get? Heck, USATF barely got the Golden League on US television -- and then in a format even worse than usual. I've said before that if the first few Golden League meets were hyped as leading up to the USA championships, they'd draw a lot more attention in the press. Besides, we might actually develop some small domestic meets for the not-quite-ready-for-GP players (like the Can-Am distance series).

I've heard more than one person say that USATF does things just because that's the way they've always been done. Apparently, their attitude is that if it ain't broke, don't fix it; and if it is broke, maybe it'll fix itself.