Favorite Track Meet

I ran at the Arcadia Invitational last year and it was by far the best meet I have ever competed at. There are so many quality races to see and the atmoshpere of the meet got me and a few of my teammates so pumped up that we went out and dropped significant PRs. From a competitive as well as viewing standpoint it was and still is my favorite meet.

the payton jordon cardinal invite is a great meet. also mt. sac is good.

Thanks for the feedback, but what elements made the atmosphere so special? Anything outside of talented competitors?

soren wrote:

I ran at the Arcadia Invitational last year and it was by far the best meet I have ever competed at. There are so many quality races to see and the atmoshpere of the meet got me and a few of my teammates so pumped up that we went out and dropped significant PRs. From a competitive as well as viewing standpoint it was and still is my favorite meet.

GO BACK TO DYESTAT

Make it as fun as possible. This story is from a cross country meet, so I'm not sure how well it will translate to track, but whatever. At the Lakewood "Hole in the Wall" Invite in WA state, they play music the whole time, the announcer is funny, and everyone is pretty relaxed the whole time. It's an early season meet, so none of the athletes are too stressed out yet, and everyone just has a fun time. At the end of the meet this year, there was a huge conga line on the field after all the races were done. Probably at least 300 kids in this line. It was quite the sight to see.

Now I know that music really isn't all the practical at track meets, but having announcers that aren't boring helps a lot. Also, get a good officiating crew that can get the meet moving along at a decent pace. There is NOTHING worse than sitting at a meet waiting between multiple heats of races. Get the thing done as quickly and efficiently as possible.

I know this might not be practical either, but try and get a venue where the spectators can see as many field events as possible, or at least have them easy to walk to. I always feel bad when the Jav is a half mile away on some hidden baseball field. Give the spectators something else to watch besides the races between heats/during boring races, etc.

And have good concessions. Maybe a BBQ if you can swing it. Burgers and hot dogs are yummy after your race. At least order a ton of pizzas or something. Just something besides candy.

It seems, to me anyway, that there is a little tradeoff between having a "high quality" (performance-wise) and a fun meet. Maybe cuz all the fast kids are too stressed out to have fun. But depends on what you want to put on I guess. Maybe if you can swing a couple "star" performers or maybe one or two "marquee" races, that will get the crowd going, but not so much competition all the time that all the athletes are stressing out the whole time.

I don't know if that helps at all, but that's what I would like in a good meet - a good atmosphere, a couple exiting races, and get it over quickly.

UCLA USC dual meet is one of the best.

Pacers to make for honest distance races - 800m on up.

I've been to European meets were they have music playing during longer events that pump up the crowd and in turn the athletes during the race.

Why? What makes the USC-UCLA dual special in your mind? Thanks!

Why? What makes the USC-UCLA dual special in your mind? Thanks!

Gee, let me think for a minute. USC & UCLA are the top two Olympics schools and NCAA athletics schools in history. USC & UCLA are located in Los Angeles, The Capitol of Track and Field, NCAA college sports, Pro sports, the greatest sports town in the world.

Of course quality competition and big crowds are the best. I prefer the meets with middle and long distance emphasis, like in Oregon. I cannot stand the waiting around for your heat to start because the sprinters muck around all day.

The meets held at night, in cool weather, no wind - Perfect!