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Every time I have this thought, it's followed by a pang of guilt, but I do occasionally think that there are advantages to track & field being an unpopular sport in the U.S. For one, I can get credentials to the big events, and the logistics of attending said events are much easier than they are for sports like football and baseball. But it seems like track & field has finally arrived, because so far, the logistics of navigating the U.S. Olympic Team Trials — Track & Field have not been all that simple.
First, there is the fact that getting here was not cheap. Housing was easy, I am staying in the University of Oregon dorms, and the only reason I won't be able to watch the Trials from my dorm room window is that the Bowerman Building blocks my view. If I open the window, I can hear what's going on at the meet, loud and clear.
After 13 hours of travel yesterday, I arrived in Portland and got a ride to Eugene with some fellow members of the media. We drove about two hours to Eugene, and headed straight to Autzen Stadium to pick up our credentials. We were warned as we entered the stadium that we'd be waiting for a while, and they weren't kidding. We stood in line for about an hour before we finally had our photos taken and were issued our media credentials. The volunteers helping with this process were very nice and clearly felt bad about the situation, but they couldn't do anything about it. While we waited in line, they came by offering us water and candy bars.
I don't have a rental car, thank goodness, but I helped park the one we rode in from Portland to Eugene last night. We had to park it a mile away, which isn't a big deal for people who are used to running a lot, but we were pretty exhausted at that point. When a guy on a pedicab drove by us on our walk back, we decided to get a ride from him not only because it would be faster, but also because it felt like a Eugene-esque thing to do. It's not that there are a lot of pedicabs around Eugene, but more like this is a place where free-spirited people who decide to start pedicab businesses can thrive. A bike does seem like it's the way best to get around Eugene right now.
None of this is a big deal, of course, but I can tell you that when Sacramento hosted the Olympic Trials, you could hardly tell it if you got a half mile away from the track. Here, the Trials have taken over "Track Town USA." The logistics will be a bit tougher, but hopefully we will all be rewarded with the best track meet we have ever seen.
I haven't yet determined what form my coverage of these Trials will take, but since my occasional reporting assistant, Parker Morse, has been snatched up by an outlet that can pay him (and on that note, Runner's World is putting a lot of resources into their coverage, so it should be good), I am again a one-person "team." Since most everyone who reads this site will probably be watching the events on TV or the web, I'm probably just going to post my photos as quickly as I can and post some other notes about what it's like to be at the Trials, and any interesting news I come across.
If you've made it this far, you are a probably devoted reader, so I will let you know in advance that as of July 5th or 6th, this site is probably not going to be updated at all until August 17th or so. Even though I frequently use the term "we" when talking about this site, it is a one-person operation, and that one person is going to be in Kenya through August 16th. When I return, hopefully I will have some good photos to share. But before I go, hopefully I'll have some good stuff to post from the Trials.
Posted by Alison Wade at 4:58 p.m. | Tags: 2008 Olympic T&F Trials
Aaron commented, on June 27, 2008 at 7:25 p.m.:
I love this website, keep up the good work.
Becky commented, on June 27, 2008 at 5:53 p.m.:
This loyal reader will definitely miss the updates but is looking forward to reports from the Trials! I really, really wish I could be there.