Letter writer to T&FN had this to say:
<<To expand upon Claude Johnson‚s letter in the June T&FN concerning the
> suffering of fans at the Oly Trials at Sacramento, for years the powers that
> be have been downright fan-unfriendly in their selection of venues for the Oly
> Trials. 1972, 1976 & 1980 in Eugene ˆ wonderful; 1984 in LA ˆ tolerable (and
> lots of extra seats to spread out in); 1988 in Indy, 1992 in New Orleans, 1996
> in Atlanta, 2000 & 2004 in Sacramento ˆ brutal, just brutal. (L.A and Atlanta
> get special passes because they were the Olympic sites that year.) No one
> wants to sit in a stadium full of people for 10 days when it is 90 to 105
> degrees outside. We love track & field, but there really is no reason we
> should have to suffer that much for the sport.
>
> I‚ve got an idea for 2008 (and beyond): Edwards Stadium at Cal Berkeley. It is
> the oldest track-only stadium in America, is recently renovated, and holds
> 22,000 fans (and the seats are all built on honest-to-goodness substantial
> permanent structures, not collapsible temporary stands like those in
> Sacramento and Stanford). Edwards Stadium has witnessed 12 world records, 26
> American records and 24 collegiate records. From history‚s first 15-foot pole
> vault, by Cornelius "Dutch" Warmerdam, through Jim Ryan‚s 3:51.3 mile to Henry
> Rono‚s 13:06.4 5,000-meter run, history has been made at Edwards.
> Additionally, Edwards has hosted eight NCAA championship meets, a National AAU
> Championship and the 1971 and 1978 USA vs. USSR dual-meets. Oh, and there are
> wonderful views of San Francisco and the Berkeley hills & Cal campus to enjoy
> between events.
>
> Great venue, great weather (average July high ˆ 70!), everybody wins. Bring
> the Trials to Edwards . . .
>
> Disclaimer: I am not a Cal grad; I am actually a Stanford fan (although not an
> alum). But I do live pretty close to Cal.
<<To expand upon Claude Johnson‚s letter in the June T&FN concerning the
> suffering of fans at the Oly Trials at Sacramento, for years the powers that
> be have been downright fan-unfriendly in their selection of venues for the Oly
> Trials. 1972, 1976 & 1980 in Eugene ˆ wonderful; 1984 in LA ˆ tolerable (and
> lots of extra seats to spread out in); 1988 in Indy, 1992 in New Orleans, 1996
> in Atlanta, 2000 & 2004 in Sacramento ˆ brutal, just brutal. (L.A and Atlanta
> get special passes because they were the Olympic sites that year.) No one
> wants to sit in a stadium full of people for 10 days when it is 90 to 105
> degrees outside. We love track & field, but there really is no reason we
> should have to suffer that much for the sport.
>
> I‚ve got an idea for 2008 (and beyond): Edwards Stadium at Cal Berkeley. It is
> the oldest track-only stadium in America, is recently renovated, and holds
> 22,000 fans (and the seats are all built on honest-to-goodness substantial
> permanent structures, not collapsible temporary stands like those in
> Sacramento and Stanford). Edwards Stadium has witnessed 12 world records, 26
> American records and 24 collegiate records. From history‚s first 15-foot pole
> vault, by Cornelius "Dutch" Warmerdam, through Jim Ryan‚s 3:51.3 mile to Henry
> Rono‚s 13:06.4 5,000-meter run, history has been made at Edwards.
> Additionally, Edwards has hosted eight NCAA championship meets, a National AAU
> Championship and the 1971 and 1978 USA vs. USSR dual-meets. Oh, and there are
> wonderful views of San Francisco and the Berkeley hills & Cal campus to enjoy
> between events.
>
> Great venue, great weather (average July high ˆ 70!), everybody wins. Bring
> the Trials to Edwards . . .
>
> Disclaimer: I am not a Cal grad; I am actually a Stanford fan (although not an
> alum). But I do live pretty close to Cal.
Comment