Tweet
How come every year at the US Champs, folks always say This area is the most knowledgeable or that area is the most knowledgeble about track and field and is the best place to have it...With results like Penn Relays YEAR IN AND YEAR OUT...(MIND YOU THIS WAS B4 TELEVISION ADVERTISEMENTS TOO!!!) We need to atleast have them on the east coast sometimes...I mean, that doesn't mean they need to be in NY, like they were several years ago but Having it at a place like Penn Relays will be great...any thawts??
-
-
Re: US National Champs needs 2 move east!!!
The '88 Olympic trial in Indy was great. I know it's midwest, but it's still east of Sacramento. I agree. Major meets should move around the country. Particularly within driving distance of Michigan : ) -
Re: US National Champs needs 2 move east!!!
I've been happy with the dry heat of Sacramento for the Trials; and close environment of Stanfords USATFs. Plus, the fact that I can drive to either of these venues works for me.Comment
-
Got Woo?
The 1976 NCAAs at Franklin Field had electricity in the air like no others. Plus, you can't duplicate "Wooo Corner" anywhere.Comment
-
Re: Got Woo?
Since I'm in Philly, there's a huge social aspect to the Penn Relays which needs to be considered.
My observation is...
California AND the area from Northern Virgina through Boston AND the GREAT NORTHWEST have the most interest in T&F.
Personally, I don't mind the trip to Sacramento this summer, although there are many T&F fans who can't afford to travel.
Some sort of regional accomodation over time might be a good idea to nurture the sport, USATF seems to like the SURE money in Sacramento.Comment
-
Re: Got Woo?
For the sake of the sport, Championship meets do need to move about the country. I was especially disappointed to see the ncaa give Indiana State 4 (?) straight xc meets.Comment
-
Re: US National Champs needs 2 move east!!!
We have a great facility here in Austin (Mike Myers stadium at the U. of Texas), but the heat is awfully brutal in June. California, on the other hand, seems to be pretty balmy year round, so it makes sense to have it there. Less dead distance runners that way.
UT will be hosting the NCAA championships this year; we'll see how that goes. Maybe it will lead to a USATF bid at some point.
It seats about 20,000, with all field events except hammer held inside the stadium -- you can stay in your seat and see almost everything.
Pic of the facility here: http://texassports.com/mainpages/001_st ... facil.html"Run fast and keep turning left."Comment
-
Re: US National Champs needs 2 move east!!!
Philly '76 was a rare NCAA I've missed in last few decades, so I can't speak first hand to Malmo's assessment of "electricity like no other" but I have a hard time believing it.
I've been to Penn, so have first-hand experience with the Relays electricity, but given that the attendance for last two days of the '76 NCAA was 5215 and 11,112 (in a stadium that holds some 60,000), I find it hard to believe that there haven't been multiple meets elsewhere that didn't rate a bit higher on the juice coefficient. A crowd that small in a building that big just gets eaten up.
But the real reason that Penn can't host the meet is the fact that it only has 5 legal lanes. As noted in the intro to the meet in T&FN:
".. this is not really a good place to hold the nationals. The odd track (only 5 legal lanes) makes for some weird staggers, time finals, jostling at the beginning of the waterfall starts, etc. The short homestretch was also an unfamiilar and unwelcome factor to most competitors."
In his coverage of the 4x4, Walt Murphy wrote, ".... the final was run in two sections so that all teams could run on the outside track. This didn't sit to well with the fans, especially when they saw that Tennessee and Arizona State were in different sections. The latter had nipped the Vols in a thiller at the Penn Relays here and the fans wanted to see a rematch....."Comment
-
Re: US National Champs needs 2 move east!!!
How exactly is the location determined? Do cities make a bid package? How much consideration go into things like weather, likely fan attendance, etc?
Obviously, California and the DC/Philly/NYC megapolis are areas with huge amounts of people (30M+) with good locations, but it would seem that the predictability of the weather in CA may make it more desirable to produce top performances.Comment
-
Re: US National Champs needs 2 move east!!!
Can anyone name a facility in a major east coast area that would be adequate to conduct the US Natl. meet?
Franklin Field is good, but it has its querks...Comment
-
Re: US National Champs needs 2 move east!!!
Cal (Berkeley) is on the east coast of San Francisco Bay; that's far enough east for me. :-)Comment
-
Re: US National Champs needs 2 move east!!!
East coast cities who have hosted nationals or international meets - Buffalo, NYC, Philly, Knoxville, Durham, Tampa, Miami.
I think Boston, Baltimore, Wash. DC, Charlotte, Orlando, Columbus, all SEC towns are all capable of hosting major meets.Comment
-
Re: US National Champs needs 2 move east!!!
>East coast cities who have hosted nationals or international meets - Buffalo,
That's stretching the east coast definition just a tad unless you count the east coast of Lake Erie.Comment
-
Re: US National Champs needs 2 move east!!!
>>East coast cities who have hosted nationals or international meets - Buffalo,
That's stretching the east coast definition just a tad unless you count the east coast of Lake Erie.<<
At least Buffalo is in a state that is on the Atlantic Coast. How Columbus gets to be East Coast is beyond me.Comment
-
Re: US National Champs needs 2 move east!!!
USATF Junior Nationals are in Buffalo in June.
In general, the trend seems to be that major indoor meets are east coast and major outdoor meets (except Penn) are west coast.Comment
Comment