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Lead Stories: Sunday, October 12, 2008

Fans’ Perspective: (Day 2)
On Being A Track Fan

Posted June 29th, 2008 at 10:00 AM by Jesse Squire

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

hayward field olympic trials 2008I was going to write up a post explaining what makes a track fan (and a road running and cross country fan) but Bob Welch of the Eugene Register-Guard beat me to it and did a much better job than I ever could.

I would only add a couple of things. First, most fans have competed in some version of the sport at some time in their life, and track/field/cross/road is set up in such a way that it’s difficult to be anything but friendly to your competitors. Your close physical proximity with each other and reliance on self rather than teammates allows us to realize the Latin root of the word compete: “to seek together”. So this bleeds over into watching the sport. Even back in the early 60s it was hard for a lot of track fans to hate the Soviet athletes, which is markedly different than how college football fans are. For example, wearing a Michigan football outfit in Columbus might be more dangerous than wearing Crips colors on Bloods turf.
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Fans’ Perspective: (Day 1) The Stadium, The Crowd

Posted June 28th, 2008 at 1:00 PM by Jesse Squire

Section: News & Results, Track & Field, Olympics

hayward field olympic trials 2008Hayward Field is a beautiful old wooden structure. The look and feel is fantastic, but the thing that really gets me is the rumbling sound that only comes from lumber. It brings to mind various elements of a lodge deep in the woods, Fenway Park, and Cedar Point’s Blue Streak. The large roof and its support beams bring up memories of watching the state championships in the mezzanine deck at Ohio Stadium. The whole package most closely resembles my favorite baseball park, the old Tiger Stadium, but really it’s a unique place.

The grandstands have been supplemented by modern steel bleacher-type seating around the curves, and the section at the top of the backstretch is the closest thing to a luxury box you’re going to get in a track stadium in the USA, resembling an 18th-green VIP area at a PGA event.
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ING New York City Marathon Creates $220 Million in Economic Impact

Posted October 30th, 2007 at 10:42 AM by Allyson Rosen

Section: News & Results, Marathons

ing-nyc-marathon-logo-425The New York City Sports Commission and New York Road Runners today announced that the ING New York City Marathon brings an estimated $220 million in economic impact to the city. Already the highest-grossing single-day sporting event in New York, the marathon’s estimated impact this year is up from $205 million in 2006. These figures are the results of an independent study conducted by Economics Research Associates.

The annual event, now in its 38th year, has more than 37,000 runners, 2.5 million spectators lining the streets of New York, and a worldwide television audience of more than 300 million. Eighty percent of the runners are from outside New York City and nearly 50 percent come from outside the U.S.

“The ING New York City Marathon is as diverse as the city itself,” said New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg. “With more than 100,000 applicants this year, the event continues to attract runners from around the world while bringing together the city of New York.”
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Athletes and spectators should heed lightning warnings

Posted August 17th, 2007 at 8:00 AM by Martin Kennedy

Section: Health & Fitness, Injury & Rehab

lightning boltPeople who are killed by lightning are often spectators or participants in sporting events. In the United States each year, lightning kills more than 70 people and injures more than 300 people, often permanently.

Lightning strikes without warning, so sponsors of outdoor athletic events should have loudspeakers, sirens or horns to alert people to approaching electrical storms.

Water, metal and high objects attract lightning. When an electrical storm starts, try to enter a building or your automobile as quickly as possible. Get in your car, not near it. Standing near a car increases your risk of being struck by lightening because you are standing near metal. To avoid being near metal, get off your bike and away from it when you seek shelter. If you are on the golf course, get away from your golf clubs and carts and anything that contains metal.
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