Nike Track Nationals
When I was asked to cover the Nike track national inaugural meet I thought it would be just like any other meet but shorter in length with less athletes and fewer events.
And then there was the "bonus!"
The meet would be in Oregon where the average temperature is well below the 100 plus temperatures of my home state of Arizona......oh yes!
The plane ride to Eugene would have been boring if it were not for the Brophy team who happened to be on the same Southwest flight to Portland (photo below). Running into them in the airport was the highlight of the trip. Their excitement was contagious and even the airline attendants were talking about how “cute” they were. Brophy Pole Vaulter, Alex Bishop, had just returned from the USATF Junior Nationals and after being at the event by himself he was excited to share this new adventure with his teammates.
After the plane landed in Portland, the Brophy boys set out to join other teams for a little lunch and a bus ride to Eugene. I headed to the car rental for the 2 plus hour drive to the Eugene airport to pick up Aaron Rich, the Milesplit Eastern Editor.
Hayward Field
Aaron and I decided to check out Hayward Field before checking into the Hotel. I was very surprised at how beautiful the place really was. The grounds were well kept and even the gates made a statement. Athletes were everywhere buzzing with excitement as they entered an area under the statdium know as the “Spike Shed.” Each team took a turn in the "Spike Shed" and was greated with their own team banner in front of the “Team Locker Room” where the athlete’s names were attached to lockers holding their team uniforms, sweats and training shoes. The next stop in the “Spike Shed” was the shoe station where the team chose shoes and laces then off to the Nike Team facility were athletes could relax, play pool, meet other teams and enjoy a root bear float! Yum!
Friday
Wanting to experience as much as we could we went on a little tour of Eugene including a quick visit to the accident site of Prefontaine. The memorial known as “Pre Rock” is displayed at the site of the accident and there were many visitors paying tribute to the great runner.
We headed over to the meet about 2 hours early so we could get to know Hayward Field a little better and take everything in (and get a good parking spot). We spent some time talking to coaches and friends and then I met the Arizona teams over at the Bowerman statue to take some team photos. The atmosphere was electric and the excitement was evident, however, I noticed something different in the faces of the athletes. I couldn’t put my finger on it but something was different. I took the photos of all the Arizona teams (photo below: Chandler girls back left, Desert Vista girls back right and Brophy boys) and the Wayne, Ohio and then headed for the in-field.
The NTN meet started with the girl’s discus and the boy’s shot put. The event went quickly and was over before I could blink with Chandler’s Hanna Carson winning the discus and Steve Wade taking the shot put.
I walked up to Hanna and congratulated her on her win but she had a very worried look on her face telling me, “The win isn’t as important as the points and I don’t think I got enough points for the team.”
And there it was………..
It was the look I had seen on the athletes earlier. It wasn’t about the individual win, it was about the team. Each athlete only had one chance to do the best they could and what if their best wasn’t good enough. What if they false started off the blocks or had a “no hight” in a field event. However each of them performed would affect the entire team. The rules were different and they couldn’t rely on their team depth anymore. It was just them…..one athlete per event and each event was needed for the team score. Everything counted. EVERYTHING.
As Hanna walked off the field, teammate Cadja Harris looked concerned and mentioned something about needing a miracle. The Chandler team came into the event ranked 2nd in the country and had a chance to unseat #1 Long Beach Poly but could they do it?
The meet results were not determined by the traditional scoring but by the decathlon point system. The same way the teams earned their way to the meet would be the way they would be scored at the event.
As the meet continued coaches, parents and athletes were trying to calculate the points and teams scores to determine where their team ranked after each event but everyone eventually gave up. All would have to wait until after the last event to find out who finished on top.
The mile was the last event of the night and proved to be very interesting as many of the runners also competed in the 800 meter run just an hour earlier. All in attendance were asked to line up along lane 6 (photo above) to give support to the runners as they ran each lap. I didn’t really hear the announcement but figured it out pretty quickly when I saw the track filled with cheering fans.
I stood next to some nervous parents from Vista Murrieta who were holding on to the hope that the mile runner from Vista Murrieta would do well and help the team win. With every lap they shouted encouragement to Drew Dalton and when the race was over they waited for the results like everyone else.
The Chandler girls were in the lead going into the mile with Columbia in 2nd place but they did not have a miler in the event and had to wait nervously on the sidelines to see if anyone from Columbia could run a fast enough mile to get the points needed to beat them.
No one did.
The Chandler High School girls (pictured above) from Chandler Arizona won the Nike Track Nationals and would forever be known as the 1st team to win the event. The Chandler girls won all 5 field events with Hannah Carson taking both the shot put and the discus. Jasmine Todd's two events fell right on top of each other. Todd did one long jump and then ran over to run the 100 dash before running back to the long jump pit to jump two more times. Todd won the long jump and took 3rd in the 100 dash. Cadja Harris won the high jump and Haley Bowser won the Pole Vault.
What happened next was a little strange. After the boys mile race, Tommy Williams was walking off the track when Brophy (pictured above) was announce the team winners. Williams was on the big screen with a puzzled look on his face, “How did that happen,” he kept asking. The scores were shown and the team ran over to Williams to celebrate but 10 minutes later, after the scoring was recalculated, it was announced that Vista Murrieta (pictured below) were the true winners.
How did Brophy feel about having victory snatched away from them? Not bad at all. They new in their heart it was impossible for them to win but enjoyed the 10 minutes of being photographed and congratulated……..and for Harry Danilevics, “We knew we didn’t win but it was great being on the big screen. We just enjoyed the attention for awhile,” he said with a laugh.
And his teammates agreed.
Meanwhile the Vista Murrieta boys team was hugging, dancing and enjoying the moment with their coaches, family and friends. Fans, friends, family, athletes and coaches all merged on to the infield to congratulate each other on some great performances of the night.
With hours of work ahead (uploading video interviews, photographs and articles) we left the meet in search of a fast internet!
Saturday
Up early we again set out to find a speedy internet and worked until 11:30 before heading out to the Prefontaine Classic.
Ok…….so where do you park? Now we were in search of a parking spot and on first glance it looked like an impossible task. There were tons of empty spots just outside the stadium but they all had 1 hour parking meters and neither one of us wanted to keep running back to fill the meter up every hour.
Finally we found something close by……..the perfect parking spot. Only one problem, we could easily drive into the tiny little spot but had to find a creative way to get out of the car. I nominated Aaron to crawl on through the back (pictured below). And being the good sport that he is, he did it.
The Prefontaine Classic was a great way to end a fabulous weekend. You were not just at an ordinary track meet……….you were experiencing it. Each race was unique and the crowd was incredible. The announcer had a wonderful way of getting everyone involved in the meet and you knew what was happening at every turn in the track. When the announcer asked the crowd to help encourage the runners the entire crowd stood up and cheered.
As I watched the meet a thought kept creeping into my mind, “I wish we could have covered stadiums like this especially in Arizona where the temperatures can match those on the surface of the sun!”
All in all it was a great weekend and I decided to be a good sport and crawl in through the back of the car when we got back to our tiny little parking spot.
Special Moments
What made the Nike Track Nationals Meet?
It was a number of things………starting with the incredible facilities. Covered stadiums (why can’t we have these in Arizona), a huge video screen, and an amazing crowd added to the total experience.
Even though the event was all about team, individual winners took a victory lap around the stadium and were given a t-shirt to throw into the crowd.
Great coverage by the announcers.
The instant replay on the video screen.
Nike athletes were available to all the athletes.
The stadium has some pretty cool names like “The Bowerman Curve” at the 100 mark.
Getting to visit with colleagues (John Napolitan and Dave Devine) and meeting other Milesplit webmasters like Jim Finley (Ohio) and Kim Spur (Oregon).
Oh and the most important one for me………
The weather was perfect!!
Nike Track Nationals