Sac State supposedly the favorite for 2008 Trials

[rainbowgirl28]

Don't believe everything you read in the Sacramento papers though... they are big on writing stories about how great they are.

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f ... ENK3E1.DTL

Olympic trials open for bid
Sacramento favorite to host 2008 meet
John Crumpacker, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, September 15, 2005

This tale of four cities involves a two-time champion, a sentimental favorite, a well-funded newcomer and a decided underdog.

For those who care about the sport, the bidding process for the 2008 U.S. Olympic track and field trials will bear watching, if only because the quadrennial selection meet is so compelling.

Sacramento has to be considered a favorite based on its successful hosting of the 2000 and 2004 trials, when 360,000 people filled Hornet Stadium on the Sacramento State campus for two editions of the meet.

Eugene, Ore., is the last city to host three successive Olympic trials, in 1972, '76 and '80, and Hayward Field holds a place of reverence among athletes and fans.

The Home Depot Center in Carson is new but it is also windy and without charm. The facility hosted major invitational meets the last two years and also the 2005 U.S. national championships.

Columbus, Ohio's Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, built in 2001, is not given much of a chance beyond the cachet of the facility's name, but what a name.

"The centerpiece of our bid is Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium,'' said Linda Logan, executive director of the Greater Columbus Sports Commission. "It's state of the art, really built with this event in mind. To bid on this event, there's a lot of excitement in the community.''

A decision by USA Track & Field is expected in mid-October after a review by a nine-member committee that includes USATF chief Craig Masback and Stanford women's coach Edrick Floreal.

"You have four distinctly different cities, all of which are legitimate bidders, bidding for different kinds of reasons,'' Masback said. "They each have their strengths and, I imagine, their weaknesses. They were all responsive to a complicated bid document. Nobody would do this just to do this.''

Some people think the decision will come down to Sacramento vs. Carson. Others believe it will be Sacramento vs. Eugene.

"Things are considerably different than they were in the '70s,'' said John McCasey, head of the Sacramento Sports Commission. "People don't understand the business aspect. I don't think it's (the bid decision) going to be as close as people think, but there are always political issues lurking in the sport of track and field.''

In Los Angeles, Rich Perelman of the Carson bid team said: "Our bid is very good technically. What you saw in the U.S. championships was a well-run meet on the field. It's the Olympic trials that's magic, not so much where it's held.''

Eugene would beg to differ on that count. For those who have sat in the stands or competed there, Hayward Field is indeed magic. The problem, if there is one, is seating capacity. Hayward only has 10,000 permanent seats, 2,000 more than Home Depot. Both facilities, and Columbus' as well, can accommodate additional temporary seating.

"People talk about the classic places to perform, the sentimental baseball fields, the football fields,'' said Oregon coach Vin Lananna, the former head man at Stanford, where he won five NCAA track and cross-country championships. "What we have here, I think, is electricity. The athletes will feel the excitement, the warmth, the reception. It's an experience difficult to replicate.''

Sacramento wowed fans, media and officials in 2000 when 187,000 people jammed Hornet Stadium for eight days of competition under a blistering summer sun, averaging a little more than 23,000 per day. Attendance flagged a bit in 2004, to 172,000.

"Sacramento has established an important new standard,'' Masback said. "The most important thing for me is whatever the (stadium's) configuration, that it be full. I think all four can sell out all of the days.''

Sacramento's slight decline in attendance in 2004 was attributed to a been-there, done-that attitude and also the ongoing BALCO scandal that implicated a number of the sport's stars.

Those brought down by BALCO were not missed in the least. A new group of fresh, young American athletes emerged at the Athens Olympics in 2004 and again at this year's World Championships in Helsinki, Finland, winning a total of 25 medals.

Emerging stars such as Jeremy Wariner, Allyson Felix and Lauryn Williams, among others, are part of the reason why an unprecedented four cities are bidding for the 2008 trials. See the stars of the U.S. team before they take that slow boat to China, figuratively speaking, for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

"The stature of the Olympic Games has never been higher,'' U.S. Olympic Committee spokesman Darryl Seibel said.

That's why four cities are vying for the right to market themselves with the iconic Olympic brand. Those five rings resonate like the peal of church bells.

The contenders
Four sites are jockeying to host the 2008 U.S. Olympic track and field trials:

-- Hornet Stadium in Sacramento

-- The Home Depot Center in Carson

-- Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

-- Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus, Ohio

[Barto]

They will win it without a doubt.

The only city with the right stadium and 20,000 people per day.

Barto

[opalkak]

its too bad some place like U of Texas couldn't have bid. If a high school/college/invite can have sold out crowds for multiple days (~20000) it seems that this would be an ideal location. What about Des Moines, Drake sells out in freezing cold rain, the crowds are great there too. Any way it doesn't matter where it will be held, the performances and the energy is always amazing.

[achtungpv]

its too bad some place like U of Texas couldn't have bid. If a high school/college/invite can have sold out crowds for multiple days (~20000) it seems that this would be an ideal location.

The key is UT would have to care about non-UT sports. They don't.

[Barto]

its too bad some place like U of Texas couldn't have bid. If a high school/college/invite can have sold out crowds for multiple days (~20000) it seems that this would be an ideal location.

The key is UT would have to care about non-UT sports. They don't.

Even if UT were to push for it, doubt that Austin would sell out the way Sacto has for the last few years. Texans have a way of caring much more about who wins the high school state meet than the oly trials.

Barto

[vaultmd]

Don't believe everything you read in the Sacramento papers though... they are big on writing stories about how great they are.

They are not as bad as Eugene. At least they don't go around calling Sacramento the track and field capitol of the universe.

[vaultguru6]

Don't believe everything you read in the Sacramento papers though... they are big on writing stories about how great they are.

They are not as bad as Eugene. At least they don't go around calling Sacramento the track and field capitol of the universe.

universe, def not. USA, yea. You won't find another city in america with a population more informed about track and field or more supportive of their collegiate team.

I believe one of Lanana and Phil Knights primary goals for the immediate future is landing the trials in Eugene. Obviously I would love it. But it would also have good implications for the vault. Summer time is a constant screaming tailwind out at Hayward. Conditions couldn't be better. Sac State and Carson have reputations quite the opposite of that.

[achtungpv]

its too bad some place like U of Texas couldn't have bid. If a high school/college/invite can have sold out crowds for multiple days (~20000) it seems that this would be an ideal location.

The key is UT would have to care about non-UT sports. They don't.

Even if UT were to push for it, doubt that Austin would sell out the way Sacto has for the last few years. Texans have a way of caring much more about who wins the high school state meet than the oly trials.

Barto

I think Austin would easily sell out with proper advertising. The meet could not be run by UT though. NCAA's a few years ago was so poorly ran that the rumor was it would never come back to UT. The ticket prices were sky high, no money was spent on advertising the meet, etc. Evening weather in June isn't bad at all...high in the upper 70's-low 80's, but thunderstorms are very unpredictable.