Make that, "Famed Millrose Games May Leave Garden."
Good!
it's a shame that our top athletes need to get qualifiers at faster venues. It would be nice to see athletes go head to head even at a slower track the way they used to.
that's not exactly the issue
I just checked my email and received the following great email I thought I'd share with everyone:
friend of LRC wrote:
This is the first time that I've emailed you regarding a track story - but I was out after work today and was emailed a story from the New York Times right before I left the bar that truly upset me. This may be old news to everyone, but I am furious that the Millrose Games are likely leaving Madison Square Garden for the Armory. To be sure, the Armory is an absolutely amazing facility, but the Millrose Games has never been about running a fast time - it has always been about the competition and the atmosphere. In my mind, indoor track has always been the transition season between cross country and outdoor track. The best thing about indoor [especially when you are from the northeast] as a fan, is being able to sit inside and watch a full meet, and as a competitor, is to be able to get into race shape before the snow melts. Millrose was really the last in a history of meets held at major arenas in the US (for example, the old boston garden indoor meets that my grandfather used to tell me about, and, by the way, where I think a kid from Holy Cross ran like a 4:00 mile in the 70s). Millrose was a unique experience where you got to run in a track meet that felt like a NBA game. I figured I'd write to suggest a "Save Millrose" section on the website.
On a side note, keep up the good work on the website. When I hit the office every day, first thing I do after logging into my computer is signing on to letsrun.
Why shouldn't the Millrose Games be about fast times?
It's all well and good to laud tradition, but this year's Millrose Games was the most stultifyingly dull one in memory. Top runners just don't want to go there anymore.
By the way, while the Times story says this move "may" happen, the NY Daily News one says it will happen. And that's what I'm hearing.
fast times does not make for excitement. Competition between athletes makes for excitement. The problem with track today is that the runners are content to chase qualifiers.
I would expect that you'll never see the Millrose Games on TV again.
If the Millrose Games leaves the garden, I believe it will be the best thing that will happen to indoor track and field:
Follow along:
1.) Millrose Leaves the Garden
2.) USATF does not endorse Millrose
3.) NYRR takes over where USATF leaves off
NYRR will revive the meet at the Armory and will do a terrific job.
Yes, it sucks that Millrose will leave the historic garden, but the NYRR taken over the meet will be AWESOME!
This could really be a great move for indoor track and field in the USA!!
Why not? They televise the boston meet at the reg
It's part of a package deal with other meets
There used to be meets at the old la sports arena- I believe pre set a national indoor record
The first big track meet I ever saw was the Olympic invitational at the meadowlands
Yesterday an older gentleman told me a war story a running at msg in the chsaa champs
Running in msg was something unique- it's a sign of the times
The armory foundation owns and operates millrose, flyn's group was running it before them- all usatf does is basically hang banners
Esox wrote:
The armory foundation owns and operates millrose, flyn's group was running it before them- all usatf does is basically hang banners
And think up all the cute exhibition races they can fill in the 2 hour TV slot with.
I ran at the Millrose Games a few times in college. It really isn't the Millrose Games if it's not at the garden. It would be sad to see it go. I never cared that I couldn't run fast time on that track. It was more about getting the chance to run at a unique venue with so much history.
USATF actually thinks the Millrose Games is doing just fine as is. They're more than satisfied with it. The Games will survive without USATF. Hck, USATF condones Americans going to some team competition in Europe that same weekend. For the first time in, like, forever, they didn't have a men's high hurdles at Millrose because they knew David Oliver would be in Europe. Some of people commenting about how the Games MUST be at the Garden possibly haven't been there lately. The meet was stunningly lifeless this year. And the elite schedule is getting smaller and smaller.
Esox wrote:
Why not? They televise the boston meet at the reg
It's part of a package deal with other meets
Not anymore, with USATF gone. No more Millrose as part of the Visa Championships Series, no more Millrose as an IAAF Indoor GP, no more tv production and airtime provided by USATF.
The next edition of "The Millrose Games" will be a big high school relay fest, streamed on the armory website, with possible the men and women's miles as the only races with money in them.
Except for the pole vault and shot put, what you describe is pretty much what the Millrose Games is right now. There are no 800s and no meaningful distance races (ie, 3000 meters or longer).
By the way, the person making the quote of the day is named Geer, not Greer.
yeah ive been to millrose twice. The first time we had a freshmen at UNC who I had coached in HS running at the big college meet at the armory the same weekend so what the heck go to millrose as well. The college meet was by far more interesting/exciting (unfortuneately from the pro fans perspective). Then this year we had a girl run in the HS mile so again obv go up and watch. Outside of the HS stuff the pro stuff is bland- although this year was better i thought then 5 years ago or whenever we went last time. Still basically the shotput at the beginning and the mile at the end are the two big attractions- everything else is just meh. Im as big a track person as anyone I know but you sort of feel like youre forcing yourself to be excited about the races just because its Millrose and youre supposed to be rather than because theyre exciting.
People say Mary W should be head of USATF anyway. I think putting them in charge would be a good thing. Were always yakking about what changes need to be made in track to make it more fan friendly at least give those guys a shot. If they make it anything like NY Marathon that would be a very good thing.
One other thing about the fan interest id rather have 7000 people trying to get into a 4000 seat arena then having people run in front of a 1/2 empty arena. I went to the reebok meet in Boston when Haile ran the 3k and there were prob only 3000? people there the place was stuffed with just awesome amount of energy,noise and cheering. Its better for there to actually be demand for tickets then maybe at some point it can move back.
I think the perfect scenario is one where USATF gives up the Milrose games, NYRR takes it over, and it stays at the Garden.
The meet as described in the NYT article sounds an awful lot like a lot of other meets that take place at the Armory - college/HS meet with a few elite/open fields.
I don't deny that the meet has been struggling lately, but if Millrose now is going to mean a trip to 168th street to pick through HS team camps to find a seat with horrendous sight lines and listen to Ian Brooks scream over music turned up to 11, then I can't say I feel enthusiastic about it.