Pre Classic ticket update - website shows only 730 tickets left

ticket website here https://am.ticketmaster.com/oregonducks/ism/MjFQQw==

This is great news. For some reason when I woke up this morning I thought to myself, "This meet is amazing. That place had better be packed. It's the first Pre there in years, it's right after the Olympics. Will Track Town USA be exposed as a myth?"

Hilarious

rojo wrote:

This is great news. For some reason when I woke up this morning I thought to myself, "This meet is amazing. That place had better be packed. It's the first Pre there in years, it's right after the Olympics. Will Track Town USA be exposed as a myth?"

If I could have found one person to fly out there with me, I would have been in a heartbeat. Fantastic meet. Can't wait.

Buddy and I thought we should do at least one Pre in 1996. Haven't meet since including Stanford. Unlike Jonathan I like the two mile maybe cause it was so common in the 70s when i was racing but also the possibility of sub 8 is kind if the new sub 4 challenge.

I'll be attending. Great if there is a full house. Outdoor mask mandates for large gatherings are starting to pop up with vaccine mandates soon to follow but probably not by Fri/Sat. I hope nike, usatf etc didnt just buy up a bunch of blocks just to call it a near sellout and still have an empty stadium.

I'll eat my shorts if it's anywhere near approaching a sellout. Hope I'm wrong. Weather looks good which should help. That's one jam packed 2 hours!

RichardRider wrote:

I'll be attending. Great if there is a full house. Outdoor mask mandates for large gatherings are starting to pop up with vaccine mandates soon to follow but probably not by Fri/Sat. I hope nike, usatf etc didnt just buy up a bunch of blocks just to call it a near sellout and still have an empty stadium.

I never saw all the sections being sold so I'm sure there were some that were held back for whatever reason. I bought tickets on day 1 thinking they would sell fast. As of 2 days ago there were a ton of seats still available so either there was a last minute rush, or they aren't really sold out. Now you can't buy any at all. Lots of bandwagoners want to see the Sha'Carri show so maybe that is driving sales.

As for mask mandates, the email said that masks are required everywhere when moving about and "strongly recommended" when in your seat.

Looking forward to this more than the trials!

Same, day 1 purchase. I dont understand the promo poster with Richardson larger and above record holders and medal winners. What a strange promo strategy for bringing lositive attention to the meet and sport. So, Richardson is the posterchild for USATF and Pre organizers?

wow

Clearly no where near full. I went and I had a great time. I was very reluctant to attend because of the the very high rates of Covid, I almost pulled the plug. I was much more reluctant than when attending the Olympic Trials ( lower rates and required vaccination in my section at the Trials). I went because I love Track. I have tickets for the worlds next year. Almost everyone was following the mask requirements, thank you everyone.

kmaclam wrote:

I'll eat my shorts if it's anywhere near approaching a sellout. Hope I'm wrong. Weather looks good which should help. That's one jam packed 2 hours!

My shorts live to see another day. But a decent turnout considering.

rojo wrote:

Will Track Town USA be exposed as a myth?"

Its always been Track Town Lane County, and has never been what it was 40 years ago.

Secondly the paid attendance never matches the actual attendance. Bernie Madoff is massaging the numbers at Pre.

Attendance had gotten so bad that one year Nike shipped twenty busloads of attendees from Beaverton to fill the seats.

Thirdly, the transparent roof is shaped like a giant magnifying glass. We all know what happens to ants when you focus the Suns rays on them with a magnifying glass?

Last of all, and most important, is that the citizens of Oregon and Eugene are outdoors in the Summer. They go camping and fishing. They hike in the mountains or relax at the coast. They do everything but attend a track meet. The biggest event in the Summer is the Oregon Country Fair.

The only people left in Eugene in the Summer are the hippies, transients and crackheads.

Come to Oregon, Jordan? Not a chance

I think the rise in cases due to the Delta variant contributed to less tickets being sold especially in the Eugene/Portland over 65 crowd that is still the backbone of the sport but several other factors also at play.

Tickets for same spot on the track roughly were double what they were 3 years at last Pre. The ticket shock for a family of 5 when you do that is too much. $500 for 2 hours of great track is more than most fans will pay vs $250. Jordan and Nike got greedy and set prices too high during a pandemic. If tickets had been $60 for the best and just $25 for the lesser seats I believe it would have been closer to full. But thats an age old economics question, do you charge the fans you know will come more to make more revenue or go lower for them and hope to make up for the revenue loss by selling more.

Another factor is by having it late in the year HS teams that usually show up with teammates together as they have finished their HS season were not a part of the crowd at all from my trained perspective on Saturday.

One more factor is the erosion of support for track at UO under Johnson is having an impact. The Ducks for the past 7-8 years have not run their stars at home meets and effectively have killed the regular season for track and that is at the cost of loyalty and disinterest. How do I know this? Speaking with hundreds in the area who share this or that their friends have lost interest.

Bowerman spent decades cultivating a following and wrote his book that increased attention. Johnson has no interest in cultivating this and with Vin Linnana did this but his departure has cratered the interest for many who were on board.

Thirdly, the transparent roof is shaped like a giant magnifying glass. We all know what happens to ants when you focus the Suns rays on them with a magnifying glass?

For a weather guy such as yourself, I'm surprised on your take here. The contrast sitting under that supposed giant magnifying glass vs. full sun is huge. Just check in with anyone who attended the Trials as we had full sun most everyday.