Is track running from Sac?

[rainbowgirl28]

I really hope the answer to this question is YES.

Sac is OK, but I am very opposed to a permanent facility for NCAAs, especially Sac State as that facility.



http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/st ... 6310c.html

Is track running from Sac?
The NCAA remains undecided if its premier meet will return here.
By John Schumacher -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:01 am PDT Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Story appeared in Sports section, Page C2

The waiting continues for Sacramento, a track-proud city trying to maintain the momentum that comes with two Olympic Trials and three NCAA Championships since 2000.
A 12-person NCAA track committee has recommended a site for the 2008 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships to the NCAA Championships Cabinet, with an announcement expected within the next six weeks.




DeTrease Harrison, the track committee chair, indicated Tuesday in an e-mail she could not comment on the recommendation.
Sacramento hosted the NCAA meet in 2003 at Hornet Stadium and then was awarded the event for three consecutive years, from 2005-2007. Local officials bid on the event for 2008 and beyond, hoping to establish Sacramento as a permanent site.

Think Omaha and baseball's College World Series.

But NCAA officials don't appear ready to commit to a permanent location for their marquee track meet. With Baltimore, Des Moines, Iowa, Eugene, Ore., and Fayetteville, Ark., also submitting bids, there's a good chance the meet will move around some more.

"They were clear they weren't going to be awarding it somewhere for three years," said Bill Ma-criss, a Sacramento State associate athletic director who went to Indianapolis two weeks ago to help pitch the local case.

There has been sentiment to award the meet to Fayetteville, home of the Arkansas Razorbacks, who have a new outdoor track stadium named after longtime coach John McDonnell.

After taking the Olympic Trials to a new level in 2000 and 2004, Sacramento Sports Commission executive director John McCasey waited and waited for USA Track & Field to make its decision on the 2008 Trials, which were awarded to Eugene.

Now, he's waiting for the NCAA to announce if it wants to come back to Sacramento.

"I just think we're further ahead of anybody else in this picture," McCasey said. "If it goes away, a lot of people have confided in me maybe it's good we take a little break. Maybe it's good we step back."

The Sports Commission has plenty of other events coming to town. Besides the NCAA track championships, the 2007 calendar includes first- and second-round games of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, the Final Four of the NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament and a pro beach volleyball event.

McCasey, though, said he wants to keep the track momentum going to help Sacramento State's plans to upgrade its sports facilities, including giving Hornet Stadium a facelift.

And then there's the 2012 question. Will Sacramento be in or out when it comes time to bid for the Olympic Trials?

"If all these (facility improvements) get done in the period of (2009-2010), we're going to have to as a community make a decision down the road on 2012," McCasey said.

As far as the NCAA meet, Sacramento officials are counting on the success of the event here in 2003, 2005 and 2006, plus the good-weather factor that has become more important since CBS broadcast the final day live this year.

It did rain on the first day of the NCAA meet in 2005, but the only event delayed was the men's pole vault qualifying. The 2004 meet in Austin, Texas, was marred by thunderstorms that wreaked havoc with the schedule.

Sacramento did face attendance challenges. The 2000 Olympic Trials drew an average of 23,338 spectators and the 2004 Trials averaged 21,529 for eight days of competition. But the four-day NCAA meet averaged 7,750 in 2003, 6,500 in 2005 and 6,362 in 2006.

"The tickets thing, I just think it's not Sacramento," said McCasey, indicating the sport itself has an attendance problem.

So stay tuned. Sacramento's reputation as a track town is about to be either enhanced or tarnished.

[TreyDECA]

i think that a floating site for the meet would attract more ticket sales. kinda like when the circus is in town... more local fans would come out and enjoy the meet. i don't remember there being many at this year's comp. just families and friends of competitors. i mean... the texas relays and penn relays were/are a lot bigger than ncaa's as far as local support... that seems like a problem. i know there are more competitors at those meets, but come on... they're calling that meet ncaa's "premier meet" but i didn't see much local promotion around sacramento.... i'd call SEC's or ANY of the big relay meets the "premier meet" before ncaa's, because the host cities for those meets always advertise like crazy and everyone in town knows what week it is... in austin it's called "relays week" and you can't go down town cause it's so crowded...

long story short... NCAA'S SHOULD BE IN AUSTIN NEXT YEAR!!! even though i won't be taking part

[Biggie1110]

I would like to see the NC's at a neutral site like IUPUI. If not a neutral site then somewhere like Oregon or Indiana university would be cool...Iu has one of best funtioning and nicest looking facilities in the country.

[rainbowgirl28]

I would like to see the NC's at a neutral site like IUPUI. If not a neutral site then somewhere like Oregon or Indiana university would be cool...Iu has one of best funtioning and nicest looking facilities in the country.

IU has a nice facility, but they would have to add more stands or something to host a meet like NCAAs.

[VaultnGus]

As much as I'd love to have the NCAA's back on the east coast I seriously doubt they'll give Buffalo another shot eh?

[SuhrSports]

As much as I'd love to have the NCAA's back on the east coast I seriously doubt they'll give Buffalo another shot eh?

I think Buffalo ruined their shot. Plus, they just redid the football field with turf, and when they did they ripped the pole vault runway out, so the vault is now located outside of the stadium. Even if they were given another chance, no one would be able to watch the vault.

[VTechVaulter]

As much as I'd love to have the NCAA's back on the east coast I seriously doubt they'll give Buffalo another shot eh?

what about nc a&t, they have a very nice facility, gainesville would be another east coast site. there are a few


p.s. OH MY GOD VAULTnGUS LIVES. good to see ya

[rainbowgirl28]

As much as I'd love to have the NCAA's back on the east coast I seriously doubt they'll give Buffalo another shot eh?

what about nc a&t, they have a very nice facility, gainesville would be another east coast site. there are a few


p.s. OH MY GOD VAULTnGUS LIVES. good to see ya

Neither of those sites bid on the 2008 Championships.

[Vaultref]

You need a place with dual pits.
Neither Buffalo (at least the last time I was there) nor NC A&T have that nor even room to put them side by side.

[ashcraftpv]

I would like to see the NC's at a neutral site like IUPUI. If not a neutral site then somewhere like Oregon or Indiana university would be cool...Iu has one of best funtioning and nicest looking facilities in the country.

IU has a nice facility, but they would have to add more stands or something to host a meet like NCAAs.

IU hosted outdoor NC's in 1997 with no seating problems as far as I remember... I think they brought in some temporary bleachers or something....