I am looking for MAJOR track meets this summer USA based

[RHBfactor]

It is Summer and I am looking to take a tour of the major big meets in the USA in major DMA markets. I mean the big meets, 15,000 or more paying fans of track and field. Track...or so they say on the major track website is the number two most "Popular" sport in the world. Well that aint true because we as a nation are the most prosperous media market in the world with major major players such as Adidas and Nike plus hundreds of products to endorse. I certainly don't see Jeremy Warner? Is that how you spell it? On billboards. So....

Here is my request for a Good Sam Club meet circuit for RHB to go on.

LA late July - major meet
Dallas - late july major meet
NYC - late july major meet
Atlanta - early August - major meet
Washington DC/Baltimore - major meet August
San Fransisco, major meet - August

The qualifying standard is 10,000 fans to be major. Sort of a standard like when Mater Dei faces Long Beach Poly in HS football.

My thanks for all of your help on planning my trip to the greatness of track and field in the USA during the prime months of outdoor competing.

[gh]

rotsa ruck finding athletes who would really want to run in those cities at that time of year (meaning weather).

[RHBfactor]

rotsa ruck finding athletes who would really want to run in those cities at that time of year (meaning weather).

okay...not LA? Okay....

San Fran? why not?....okay.....hmmmmm manhattan?

wait....miami....

out of the top 50 DMA markets in the USA...where are these meets?

[RHBfactor]

rotsa ruck finding athletes who would really want to run in those cities at that time of year (meaning weather).

okay...not LA? Okay....

San Fran? why not?....okay.....hmmmmm manhattan?

wait....miami....

out of the top 50 DMA markets in the USA...where are these meets?

I hear crickets boys....CRICKETS...the number one media nation in the world...with California alone sitting as a top six nation in the world on products and development...are you telling RHB we have no major 20,000 plus meets in the USA this summer? It has to be impossible. We have major hotels...Hilton, we have major suppliers such as Red Bull, Volcom, Quicksilver, Chevron, Pepsi, Anheuser Busch Inc, Nike...wait, I know this has to be false...are you telling me so far in the major nation of media in the world...the home of Jim Lampley...there are no major meets post NCAA's or Pre in the USA - the greatest nation in the world on marketing?

Cmon, this is the number two sport in the world...so they say on the T and F website....

Who are our top major media athletes and current commercials running for product endorsement on TV, Print, Direct Mail, or online....

Hard questions boys

[Jerome Marrow]

If it was possible to "like" messages, I would like this one.

So true....

[NCAA5000]

Gee, sounds great.

Based on those cities it could be call the 'Heat & Humidity Track Circuit' with the exception of SF.

To the best of my knowledge there isn't an outdoor facility in SF that could hold 10,000 screaming track fanatics for the 'Fog Finale'. The JC (City Coll of SF) might accomodate it.

BTW SF doesn't provide many elite track athletes ... this is not a slight to my native city, but it's true. Shannon Rowbury is the ultimate, latest exception! I guess Ollie Matson (Geo Washington HS 1948) was the best ... two medals in Helsinki .... lest we forget .... (OJ @ CCSF running the sprints / 440 Relay. OJ was part of a world record 440 Relay @ USC.)

I'm sure there are a few other elite athletes but they escape me now.

If CCSF can't accomodate the "Circuit" we probably ought to move back to the Cow Palace where we had some great indoor meets in the 1960s. In fact, they were outright fun!

Those meets included the "Devil Take The HindMost" Mile Run. On the 11 laps to the mile track, after each lap, the runner who was in last place had to drop out until the last lap or two when there were only two runners left!

And don't forget the Weightman's Relay ... it was great seeing Shot Putters hand off the baton to a 35 lb. weight man!!

But, in SF, we probably couldn't pull those events off. We have to be 'politically correct' and having a person drop off at the end of each lap provide stress to that 'victim'.

Even today, the agents wouldn't go for it. Well, how are we going to attract the "non-track" fan if we don't get a bit creative? Hmmm.

You know that the SF Indoor meets were going to be great when they were organized & managed by Track & Field News founders and staff; the put together great program with full page inserts from T&FN and even the Meet Announcer was from T&FN. The Cow Palace was annually packed throughout the 1960s.

[RHBfactor]

Gee, sounds great.

Based on those cities it could be call the 'Heat & Humidity Track Circuit' with the exception of SF.

To the best of my knowledge there isn't an outdoor facility in SF that could hold 10,000 screaming track fanatics for the 'Fog Finale'. The JC (City Coll of SF) might accomodate it.

BTW SF doesn't provide many elite track athletes ... this is not a slight to my native city, but it's true. Shannon Rowbury is the ultimate, latest exception! I guess Ollie Matson (Geo Washington HS 1948) was the best ... two medals in Helsinki .... lest we forget .... (OJ @ CCSF running the sprints / 440 Relay. OJ was part of a world record 440 Relay @ USC.)

I'm sure there are a few other elite athletes but they escape me now.

If CCSF can't accomodate the "Circuit" we probably ought to move back to the Cow Palace where we had some great indoor meets in the 1960s. In fact, they were outright fun!

Those meets included the "Devil Take The HindMost" Mile Run. On the 11 laps to the mile track, after each lap, the runner who was in last place had to drop out until the last lap or two when there were only two runners left!

And don't forget the Weightman's Relay ... it was great seeing Shot Putters hand off the baton to a 35 lb. weight man!!

But, in SF, we probably couldn't pull those events off. We have to be 'politically correct' and having a person drop off at the end of each lap provide stress to that 'victim'.

Even today, the agents wouldn't go for it. Well, how are we going to attract the "non-track" fan if we don't get a bit creative? Hmmm.

You know that the SF Indoor meets were going to be great when they were organized & managed by Track & Field News founders and staff; the put together great program with full page inserts from T&FN and even the Meet Announcer was from T&FN. The Cow Palace was annually packed throughout the 1960s.

well at least someone chirps...shows you though...how low track is in the USA...someone is not minding the helm...

drake stadium sits empty at UCLA....name the meets there this summer?

[RHBfactor]

If...as our T and F body says...Track is the number two

If track is the number two popular sport in the world...
Why do we not have a major summer circuit in the USA...the number one media and sponsors market in the world?

[Gleason]

I was on the T&FN staff in the 1960s, but as much as I honor the memory of giants of our sport such as Bert Nelson, Payton Jordan and Vern Wolfe (who introduced me to T&FN), I prefer now. World Championships every two years, in person reports from people at meets such as NCAA & USAT&F and this message board are a vast improvement over the 1960s.

Credit must go to Garry, Jon and Sieg for the latter. With Ed on the business side, they are modern giants of the sport IMHO.

[lovetorun]

It is a sad state of affairs...we are just used to the fact that the major track and field happens in Europe...all the big meets in California in the 50's and 60's were pretty exciting for me growing up, but now it's down to about zip.

But, if we could get some big meets going, they'd have to be in the Northwest or West in the summer...to avoid the heat + humidity.

[lovetorun]

It looks like I'm saying Garry, Jon and Siegs contribution is a sad state of affairs...but Gleason's post was not there when I was writing mine. I totally agree with Gleason re: their influence. I love this site and message board.

[RHBfactor]

weLL

It looks like I'm saying Garry, Jon and Siegs contribution is a sad state of affairs...but Gleason's post was not there when I was writing mine. I totally agree with Gleason re: their influence. I love this site and message board.

Well boys, I am looking to plan my summer around big meets,,,,,,20,000 or more in the west in the USA ....let's say I roll in a motor home...Good Sam Club....name me the major USA meets West of Tombstone?

boys, it's marketing, we have not had marketeers in track since the Frankens...the only surviving great meet is Pre and Penn...the rest are fan filled stadiums because of relationships to the athlete...NO ONE BOOKS A TICKET TO THE NCAA...
like going to concert west or Al's tickets in Biloxi

MY PREMISE...we have a total lack of marketing leadership in track and field...the sponsors are there...the athletes are there....the products are there...but we have no one that links all three
We have lost our momentum...the big MO...and its going to get worse

[The Atheist]

I remember a back when I was around 10-12 years old my dad used to take me to track meets at Mount Sac every so often.

I think my three most vivid memories from Mount Sac, when I was a little kiddo were the following:

1. I was leaning up against the guard rail at the side of the track (probably wasn't supposed to do this, lol, but oh well) and Marion Jones was running a race in the outside line (can't remember if outside lane is lane 8 or lane 9, but whichever the outermost lane was, she was in that lane and it was RIGHT next to the fence that I was leaning on, there wasn't much gap between the outside edge of her lane and where I was standing). I still remember she had this funky hairdo where it was like she made a bunch of these thick spikes or bumps out of her hair using a bunch of rubberbands, very distinctive. Anyway, so I'm leaning over the fence a little right as she zooms by and I could feel a huge gust of wind slam into me right when she flew past me, cuz she was close enough to me that the air she was pushing by running at 20+mph hit me. I must have been leaning a little further over the rail than I realized, in my excitement, lol, oops.

2. I remember at one of the meets we had to leave earlier than we wanted to, cuz there was something we had to go to or do back home later that night, I can't remember what, but Stacy Dragila was vaulting at the meet, and the pole vault competition wasn't over yet when we were getting up to leave. So we are walking up to the exit, which, if I remember correctly was kind of elevated way up high off the track, so we were about at eye-level with the pole vault bar where we were standing to watch her do one last vault before we walked out the exit. I can't remember if it was a world record or just very close to one, but it was definitely over 14 feet (which at the time was a big deal) and everyone was like ooooh shit!!!

3. I also remember watching Maurice Greene run at Mount Sac in the 200m. I was such pretty young at the time, and didn't know too much about professional track (I knew more about college track than pro track at the time since my dad mostly took me to UCLA meets or Pac-10 meets when we went to meets, since he was a huge UCLA fan, and he didn't normally go to pro meets unless it was at Mount Sac, since we lived LA so of course we didn't really have any excuse not to attend a big Mount Sac meet.). So anyway, I'm sitting in the bleachers near the finishline and everyone starts murmering to each other about something about this "Green Machine" that was about to run. So I turn to my dad and ask him what everyone is talking about what this "Green Machine" is. So my dad points at Maurice Greene and says "That guy. Keep your eye on him." So then he of course just destroys everyone and wins of course, and I'm like "Whoa, that guy is fast!" Lol.

[steve]

Re: weLL

It looks like I'm saying Garry, Jon and Siegs contribution is a sad state of affairs...but Gleason's post was not there when I was writing mine. I totally agree with Gleason re: their influence. I love this site and message board.

Well boys, I am looking to plan my summer around big meets,,,,,,20,000 or more in the west in the USA ....let's say I roll in a motor home...Good Sam Club....name me the major USA meets West of Tombstone?

boys, it's marketing, we have not had marketeers in track since the Frankens...the only surviving great meet is Pre and Penn...the rest are fan filled stadiums because of relationships to the athlete...NO ONE BOOKS A TICKET TO THE NCAA...
like going to concert west or Al's tickets in Biloxi

MY PREMISE...we have a total lack of marketing leadership in track and field...the sponsors are there...the athletes are there....the products are there...but we have no one that links all three
We have lost our momentum...the big MO...and its going to get worse

He's caught us boys! Soon everyone will recognize that we don't have summer meets and there goes our #2 status. I say we form a posse and hunt him down. We need to shut him up before we slip to #3 or 4 or even (God help us) #5. Lets get our horses and start west of Tombstone!

[gm]

RHB, this strikes me as the PERFECT time for such an enthusiastic and well-connected soul such as yourself to pick up the ball and run with it.

I nominate you to get the ball rolling by planning, directing and implementing the very FIRST "Summer in da City Series" event. You can use that name, too, free of charge.

Keep us posted on how the planning is going! This is gonna be grrrrrrrrrreat!!!