Hats off to Michigan and Michigan State.
They are hosting a scored duel meet condensed into 2hrs of track action. Looks like only 1 heat per event and only the more "exciting" events (mile, 60, 400, etc.)
Tickets are cheap.
Time will tell if anyone shows up...but I like the effort of trying to deliver a more action packed product targeted at the masses.
Link:
http://www.mgoblue.com/sports/m-track/spec-rel/012213aaa.html
Shoot. I wish I was in town this weekend. That'd be a lot of fun to go to. Two hours of condenced action... anyone could get excited about that!
Alex Gibby vs. his W&M coach Walt Drenth.... does the apprentice become the master?
In town = in Grand Rapids, FYI.
Dual meet between the Wolverines & Spartans @ GVSU starts at 6, preceded by a quad meet between SagVltStU, GVSU, CMU & EMU at 1 pm.
Duel meets and triangulars are awesome.
At Penn State we used to do 'em against Princeton and UConn. Also against Michigan and Missouri. They were always fun.
Why is it in Grand Rapids?
I would go if it was in Lansing or Ann Arbor, but no way am I driving 2.5 hours across the state for it.
Awesome!
And, it's in Grand Rapids because they wanted it at the Grand Valley facility, which is probably the nicest track (for performances) in the state and I'm guessing they want fast times. It's a 300m track rather than 200, sure, but it also has great air quality and is good for spectators.
michiganxcrunner wrote:
I would go if it was in Lansing or Ann Arbor, but no way am I driving 2.5 hours across the state for it.
Have you ever ran in MSU's Jension Fieldhouse before? It is hell. Nothing like having you lungs feel like they've just been barbecued.
MD Coach wrote:
Alex Gibby vs. his W&M coach Walt Drenth.... does the apprentice become the master?
Gibby still have that Tribe tat on his hip?
dual, not duel. It won't be pistols at dawn, people!
michiganxcrunner wrote:
Have you ever ran in MSU's Jension Fieldhouse before? It is hell. Nothing like having you lungs feel like they've just been barbecued.
Meh, I used to sneak in when visiting my gma in Lansing for Christmas and had to keep up my training. But I guess not as bad when your in short term.
Gibby is only the assistant at Michigan, so no, it's LaPlant vs Drenth.
The meet is being held in Allendale, at Grand Valley State University because they have such an awesome facility. There is a quad meet starting at 1 p.m with GVSU Central Western and someone else...and then the dual meet at 6 p.m. I will let you know how it goes....I am officiating.
Awesome contribution to the thread. Thanks!
offociccc wrote:
The meet is being held in Allendale, at Grand Valley State University because they have such an awesome facility. There is a quad meet starting at 1 p.m with GVSU Central Western and someone else...and then the dual meet at 6 p.m. I will let you know how it goes....I am officiating.
I hope this works and others catch on. There are some decent facilities. Ithaca College has a great nwe facility with decent size bleachers.
Hopefully, the announcer keeps people informed as the meet progresses.
Would be better if it wasn't between what is faster becoming the doormats of the conference.
OHio State vs Michigan got brought back 5 or 6 years ago and were pretty entertaining. They alternated back and forth between the schools facilities which are awful, but competition was intense.
I assume Laplant bailed on that rivalry because after the first year or two, it was a complete whooping that last 3 years and Michigan has really stunk at conference so I am sure beatings by your rival weren't helping job security.
I think it could be sweet! It goes along with one of the ideas I have heard about in the last few years for improving the spectator turnout for our sport with a lean schedule of events. I plan on being there to see it.
Hey Scott, just a heads up--the Quad Meet is between CMU, EMU, GVSU, and Hillsdale. There will be no Saginaw or Western as mentioned a couple of times above.
Should be a great day to be inside watching some tracktion.
Great day of track at Grand Valley today. GVSU men and EMU women won competitive contests in the opener, and the Wolverines edged the Spartans on both sides in the nightcap. The crowd was VERY into it at times during both meets, which doesn't always happen during typical indoor meets with lots of heats and lots of teams. This was a great way to get fans into the sport and build some enthusiasm for track and field -- I hope they're able to build on it and keep these meets going next year!