In high school all that should matter is your state meet, unless you're absolutely dominant and not challenged, then go ahead and seek competition somewhere else. But if you're not winning your state meet, these meets aren't really necessary to 'see what you can do'. And that's probably why no one really cares, the main event, state, has already happened.
Stands are empty for same reason pro meets are empty.
Vast majority of US track fans are the family and friends of participants. This makes hs duel meets, Penn Relays, Drake, NCAA Conference meets seem full.
An invite event for 100 fast hs kids from around the country is not going to draw many locals, and not many family&friends fly cross country for a 1day meet.
Organizers know this and find other ways to get value out of the meet via videos and photos.
It feels very strange to me to go watch even elite high schoolers as an adult, so I don't know why this meet would possibly have a large live audience. Maybe I'm in the minority there.
The only reason the meet can exist is that top runners agree to compete. Virtually all of the kids will be running the Nike or New Balance Nationals. What's the point of doing Brooks too? And athletes like Paige Shepard flying across the country right after her state finals plus two other meets close to that--four meets in less than two weeks--how many titles and PRs do you need. She'll be making her third trip across the country (she ran Arcadia in April) in three months for the u20 nationals. (And then possibly back to Eugene for the U20 Worlds just prior to her senior xc season.) Far too many races. Maybe her future coaches at Stanford can weigh in on this. Paige has been racing nonstop in all seasons since 8th grade.
I traveled from San Francisco Bay Area to Indianapolis to watch the IHSAA State meet a week after overnighting in Clovis for CIF State meet. I was rewarded with some excellent performances in Indianapolis and enlightenment on the magic of mother nature (the meet was suspended at least twice for inclement weather, with the stands emptied and athletes directed away from tents and into buses). My only regret? I should've stayed another night to support the young women on Friday night. I found the track fans of Indiana to be wonderful, wonderful partners in support of track.
CIF State meet was my first as a spectator since competing there in 1980 (hard to believe, I know). I met so many wonderful track nuts who usually responded to my question, "Hey! Who are you here to watch?" with a happy "Everybody!". On Friday we sat below a trio of classmates from way back who went to Oakland Tech: "I did track, 440 and 880, he did football, he did football and baseball." When we moved to the other side of the track to get closer to the Pole Vault, the track nut on the end asked me, "Hey! Do you know Delilah Mulhammad? Sydney McLaughlin?" He wanted me to mediate a discussion of DM vs SM at their primes. Such pressure! I said Sydney McLaughlin stands on the shoulders of Delilah Muhammad, which seemed to be a winner.
If only I could bi-locate, I would've traveled to Seattle this past weekend too.
In high school all that should matter is your state meet, unless you're absolutely dominant and not challenged, then go ahead and seek competition somewhere else. But if you're not winning your state meet, these meets aren't really necessary to 'see what you can do'. And that's probably why no one really cares, the main event, state, has already happened.
Ever since, all these Alphabet shoe company meets popped up, I don't see how it is even possible to get a realistic return on any meet of this type, with the swag, airfare...costs? No fans? The best I ever went to was back in 2000-01 era and I went for 8 straight years even after they moved it from Raleigh to Greensboro. There were no pacers in those meets either, which I think cheapens slightly, any marks run today . I was in Greensboro to see German run 8:34.x two mile record, no pacers there unless you think Puskedra aided by going out over his head.
I could be wrong, but I always thought Brooks PR was a “nationals” meet that actually tried to be a national championship, in that it took a small field of athletes that were meant to be the very best. Compare that to some of these other “nationals” meets where kids who can’t even make their state meet can register and run a C heat JV mile.
It was a little weird to see the empty stands, but these national meets have become so watered down that probably the only people going to Brooks PR are the families of athletes.
Because they have a million heats of everything. My aunt Gertrude could run there if she wants. Bay to breakers has a big crowd too while we’re at it
Actually, the times at RunningLane are every bit as good if not better and nobody has to force the kids to be there. It’s a real track meet with a much better atmosphere. People show up because they want to compete and watch great racing, not because it’s been “manufactured”into an event.
Runninglane is a better event in general and actually a meet people want to run.
This meet has always seemed fake. I won’t name the coach, but one of the most successful high school coaches of all time used to skip this meet with his athletes for exactly that reason.
Not sure if it was Brosnan back at Newbury Park, but he used to skip these meets all the time. In all his years there, he only took his athletes to one outdoor national meet and one indoor national meet. He was very deliberate about not over racing his athletes in overhyped races, which is pretty rare these days.
I do know Brosnan had his athletes run Brooks PR once, and ironically Colin won the 800m. But beyond that, Newbury Park seemed to pass on the meet year after year. Leo and Lex never ran it, opting instead for meets like RunningLane and Nike Outdoor Nationals. I don’t know the exact reason, but when one of the best high school programs in the country consistently says “no thanks” to an invite only meet, it probably tells you something. Brooks PR has plenty of prestige and attracts top athletes, but Newbury Park clearly chose a different path. Not from Brosnan himself, but I’ve heard not great things about this meet.
Diamond League in Stockholm had a ton of empty seats as well. The sport isn't very healthy right now. Too many drug busts, too many years of East African dominance, and too few compelling stars that people are clamoring to see.
An international friendly in soccer can fill a 60,000 seat stadium.
The NFL has a packed house to watch two teams with losing records play.
Even baseball draws better for a slow moving sport with sporadic action.
After 45 years of being an athlete, coach, and fan of this sport, I find myself bored with it. The product and the presentation is rather meh. I'd rather attend an MLS match because there is chanting, singing, drumming, and actual passion on display. That makes it fun and a party atmosphere! I am skipping NON because the stadium will only be 1/3 full and the only noise will be the occasional cheering, some Nike commercials played too loudly, and some over eager field interviewers trying to be hip.
Chanting, singing, drumming and actual passion on display? You’re quite the sports fan.
outside the main hs season (state championships) many of these meets are last minute attempts to get PRS before a summer break. Some kids thrive and handle the extra racing/traveling well. Others it's complete burn out. The wild thing to me was HOKA festival of miles was 2 days prior to this. Many of the kids ran both. Congrats to Brian Burns, broke 4 at Hoka and then almost again 2 days later at Brooks!
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