If you went to Millrose, Post What You Liked and Did Not Like

didn't go to meet, but enjoyed your comments. WILL watch on tv on SUNDAY.

they definitely need a 10,000 race.......WITH LOUD MUSIC BLARING AND TWO MUD WRESTLING ON THE INFIELD WITH A 18 RING CIRCUS MINGLING WITH THE CROWD.....AND CONTINUOUS ROUNDS OF A 21 GUN SALUTE

wejo wrote:

They should have had the music blaring and the maybe even smoke billowing from the track.

they actually did blow smoke out one year in the garden a few years back - and guess what - it hovered around the arena and some athletes were visibly coughing afterwards. good idea, but didn't work well in practice.

i'd like it if they'd do music and the spotlight - that seems to work. i'd like it too if they played some music from the foreign athletes home country - get some ethiopian music the pumps up bekele when he's announced.

Great idea for a thread. Was there, and I agree for the most part.

* The delay in getting the track back up was inexcusable and needs to be mentioned again. As I said in another thread, get 2 crews to work simultaneously.

* At one point they had the high jump, pole vault and running events going on at the same time. No problem, but they missed informing the crowd about half the time. So while I was focused on one contender, I missed a jump or vault.

* The shot was very exciting...

* So was the Girls HS mile.

* Empty seats do not look good. Can't they sell the nosebleeds to schools for a few bucks? Just to fill the place up? The HS kids were the noisiest, they would be great for getting the crowd going.

* Did like the trackside announcer.

* The Visa Shot Put challenge, where they gave someone 100 bucks was laughable. One hundred dollars? That is pathetic. For the publicity that was given to that 'contest', the winner should have won a trip the the Nationals or something better. $100 check card was a joke. Fourth place was a tee-shirt. What chutzpah! They should have been throwing shirts to the crowd, like they do at basketball and baseball games.

** Did enjoy the meet though. Will be back for the 100th edition next year.

But what if we don't like the music they pick? I hate a lot of that crap that gets played at sporting events. Music blaring is not the answer. Maybe something like national songs.

I think they should change the order a little. Maybe move some of the 4x400s around, there were way too many of them in a row. Move the faster relays to later in the meet. Also, they could announce ahead of time which particular legs of the relay to watch. For example, they could've mentioned that Clemore Henry was going to anchor for Transit Tech, or that Bryant McCombs was going to be anchoring for Old Bridge.

Everyone loves relays. They could maybe add a professional USA VS. The World, Penn Relays style SMR or 4x400. That would add some excitement to the meet.

They should speed up the time with opening and closing the track obiously, but I'm not sure if anything could be done about that.

I'm not sure if this is possible, but it would be cool to maybe have a college or professional runner rabbit the high-school miles. It would be exciting to see them go out at a really good pace.

I guess that's pretty much it. I enjoyed the meet.

Music blaring and billowing mounds of smoke? Indoors? In those tiny little venues. That sounds like a track meet for dope smokers.

It was my first visit to the Millrose Games too.

The announcers went a little over the top at times, for example when they described the pole vault as a "death defying event." They were saying strange things all night long, as if it were a circus spectacular. And the way the shotput event was presented had me thinking WWF the whole time.

My highlight wasn't something to do with the Games itself, but something afterward. On the way out I bumped into someone I knew back from HS and we chatted for a bit. Then I left and people who were with me (some former 'Nova boyz) asked, "how do you know that guy?!!" I said something like "old rivalry." They laughed in disbelief because I was talking to Karl Paranya. But it's true, my 4x800 used to go head-to-head with his every week indoor and outdoor track. The runners on each legs for both relays were very closely matched, but they always managed to beat us by narrow margins. That was, until state qualies, where at long last we came up first.

I look back to those days and remember we thought he'd do good things, but had no idea just how far he would eventually go. Simply phenominal.

me and my teammate were cracking up when they called terrence trammel "double trouble" before he even won an event. He lost in both races.

Loved the British anouncer. He's really excited all the time.

Its a freakin 145m track! Nobody is running a fast time there so don't put a rabbit in the mile. Taking a lead isn't even risky anymore since well...ur not really doing the work.

I agree with wejo....More music, more lights, more effects

I hope adam nelson never gets a sponsor so he'll keep wearing those shirts.

the meet was like an hour behind

Last thing-maybe a 3k, I know its been done before.

oh and one more thing I LOVED THE JAMAICANS AND ETHIOPIANS.

wejo wrote:

They should have had the music blaring and the maybe even smoke billowing from the track.

If that's how it is going to be, then I will never again go to an indoor track meet.

wayward lassie wrote:

wejo wrote:

They should have had the music blaring and the maybe even smoke billowing from the track.

If that's how it is going to be, then I will never again go to an indoor track meet.

Let me guess, your 60+ years old, white and still think track and field news is the greatest thing to hit the printing press.

60+ wrote:

wayward lassie wrote:

If that\'s how it is going to be, then I will never again go to an indoor track meet.

Let me guess, your 60+ years old, white and still think track and field news is the greatest thing to hit the printing press.

I don't know about him, but I'm in my late 20s, and I was horrified the last time I worked out at a track. A HS girls soccer game happened to be starting in the nearby field, the girls were warming up, being introduced, etc. to rap music about girls grinding their asses against men. WTF? I'm sure the hell not allowing my daughter compete at, or even attend, any event with that type of "blaring music." If they want to try and market TF to horny teenagers, good luck competing with the team sports with their cheerleaders.

In addition to what Wejo said, I feel the Sports networks need to add extra cameras. Maybe one that follows the runners partly around the track on a ground-level view (so viewers can get an upclose glimpse of how truly fast these guys are going). Maybe one that hangs on top (like on ESPN football games) that gives you a view from the top.

Guys, just go over to Europe and watch any GP track meet, they use these technologies.

etrack@espn.com

?

I thought it was a great show. The delay was bad, but problems happen. I sat next to two guys who brought their young daughters- maybe 10-12 yrs old- and they LOVED it. That is key. Little kids into it.

Maybe the nose bleed seats should be sold cheap, given to young school kids.

Here is something they really should do- encourage more athletes to sign autographs. A few did after their event. There is a problem of clearing the track, but after the meet athletes (especially the milers) should have come out and signed for the many kids standing by the track with programs.

I did notice there was a security guard at the end of the track where the sprints started letting kids down. At the other end the jerk wouldn't let them down there, even during the break.

Wejo, aren't the things you like because they keep fans entertained done for the same reasons that TV coverage of marathons has neighborhood eatery tours, inspirational profiles of albino amputees and the like? You're obviously right that more noise and video and other distractions keep people from having to experience down time. But that's the same reasoning used to justify all the nonsense we all get on here and bitch about after TV coverage.

Yes, I'm an old fart who can't stand going to baseball games anymore because of the oppressive "entertainment."

Put all the dashes and hurdles in the begining of the meet so that the track does not need to be separated during the meet. The high school races were the most exciting of the night. They can not let the meet run an hour behind schedule. I know Nike is into the uniforms but when four or five runners are wearing the same generic uniform, no one in the audience has a clue as to who is who. And bring back the college relays: Villanova vs. Georgetown, Manhattan, Fordham, Boston College; or the Ivy races.

You are right about the entertainment part. Except for the break due to the track problem, the meet was moving quickly and wsa entertaining.

I did like the shot put/pole vault segment.

The events like 400/500 are tough because of the size of the track- 4 lanes- maybe more 800/1000.

I was there once when they had the 3000. Normally that would be my favorite event, but 22 laps was just too much.

i was impressed with all the HS races. These kids and their fans give it all. Even some of the 4x4s that weren't close were great races. Another poster mentioned "Clemore Henry" the great 400 runner from Transit Tech. They were the heavy favorite but Phil Zodda of South Shore (he runs the footlocker Northeast regional race) positioned his runners perfectly and stole the race. He's a great coach. Lionel Williams' leg in the 4x800 was mentioned by anouncer Ian Brooks. Fortunately announcers are there to help us out with splits. Surprised WEJO doesn't know "bald announcer" Souza coach of Wheaton college and a big shot jump coach with USA T&F. Yes WEJO it is a tradition to dim the lights play the national anthem and announce the Wannamaker Mile. Where have you been?

Unfortunately indoor meets can be boring and our fan base is dwindling. It is a shame as another poster stated that the armory didn't give the blue seats out at a discount price.