Took 4.5yo daughter to first meet yesterday @ US Indoor Nats. Here's what happened:

How many mpw is she up to now? And what are her PRs

We're starting her off slow... No more than 30mpw...

Although - yesterday we got to the meet just at the end of the women's racewalk. My little one thought it was pretty entertaining. This morning on the walk to pre-school she was racewalking down the sidewalk. Really took it all in.

Best post of the year! That must have been a blast seeing your daughter watch the events. Bet you never thought 6 years ago you would be there with her and getting autographs. Your a lucky man.

armored wrote:

Best post of the year! That must have been a blast seeing your daughter watch the events. Bet you never thought 6 years ago you would be there with her and getting autographs. Your a lucky man.

Agreed. I absolutely loved reading this post.

Back when I was at Cornell, I was at the Heps meet and an alum was there with his kid. The pole vault was getting under way. "Look daddy. The high jump with a pole."

Kids get to the heart of things very fast. I only wish there was a race walk for the kid to describe.

That was great. I honestly expected you to report a bad experience.I used to take my daughter to the Millrose Games at MSG- she was 12-15. She loved it- the athletes were great- Mottram was very cool with her and some of the women asked her how she got her hair braided so "cool".We have a great sport- I'll tell you- I think that free or very cheap tickets to kids would grow the fan base.Our athletes were often the best and brightest in their high school and that carries over to adulthood.

armored wrote:

Best post of the year! That must have been a blast seeing your daughter watch the events. Bet you never thought 6 years ago you would be there with her and getting autographs. Your a lucky man.

Hey - thanks! I've been a track junkie since I started distance running around age 12. Ran throughout HS and walked on/redshirted for two seasons on a low level D1 team in the early 2000's. I often explain to friends/family that I follow pro running like they follow the NFL (that's the best way to explain why I drag my wife and/or a friend around the country to various meets).

I had wanted to bring along my daughter for a while, but of course wanted her first track meet to be a positive experience (not something I pushed on her). She wasn't very excited to come along as she explained "watching people run won't be exciting". I'm super pumped that she actually loved the experience and can't wait to come along again (we're based in NYC, but I'd consider flying with her out to watch Pre in a few months).

I think the biggest surprise was watching the pro runners interact with her just minutes after finishing the race (Centro, Hasay, Cas, Andrews, Rowbury). They all thanked us for coming and supporting them. Can you imagine a similar experience at a football game? Plus, the environment was very positive compared to a College FB game we went to last fall (bunch of drunk people cursing the whole time. Don't get me wrong, that's been me at times in my life - but not something I want to expose my daughter to).

I was expecting a negative post so this is a pleasant surprise.

Clearly most people aren't being entertained a meets or our national champs wouldn't be in a tiny arena and not selling out. Letting people go right up and take the selfies was something I hadn't noticed before and was a good touch. And everyone in the Reggie is sitting in the first 5 or 10 rows, so almost everyone has the opportunity for a selfie.

Somehow we need to reach the next level of fan who doesn't know much about track because clearly the track fans aren't enough to fill a small arena.

Or maybe USATF can put you in charge of like 100 kids at once. Get 20 people like you and you'll have the arena full and we'll have a new generation of fans.

Cool story. Glad you liked the meet.

wejo wrote:

I was expecting a negative post so this is a pleasant surprise.

Clearly most people aren't being entertained a meets or our national champs wouldn't be in a tiny arena and not selling out. Letting people go right up and take the selfies was something I hadn't noticed before and was a good touch. And everyone in the Reggie is sitting in the first 5 or 10 rows, so almost everyone has the opportunity for a selfie.

Somehow we need to reach the next level of fan who doesn't know much about track because clearly the track fans aren't enough to fill a small arena.

Or maybe USATF can put you in charge of like 100 kids at once. Get 20 people like you and you'll have the arena full and we'll have a new generation of fans.

Cool story. Glad you liked the meet.

I was definitely pleasantly surprised with how well it went and how engaged she was. The great thing with indoor track is of course the smaller venue and being able to follow the race easier (at least from a 4.5 year old's perspective).

Most people taking the selfies were along the fence area just as they go back toward the interview area after exiting the track. Pretty much all the athlete's were gracious and patient with all the kids and teenage fanboy's (and those of us a little - ahem - older with our little one's).

I think USATF could def incorporate some kind of family, clinic or meet and greet or something of the like into these 'bigger' meets. That would certainly help boost attendance (could be a little hard with a smaller indoor venue). I'd love to see some type of athlete meet and greet zone at the Icahn Stadium this summer for the Diamond League meet. There's gotta be some ways to fill up that stadium other than having Bolt race.

Hey Trackorama,

Great job Dad!!! Spending time with her is priceless. Kids grow up very fast. You should be commended for giving your 4.5 year old a shot at doing something that takes self control, she's got it and even if she never runs track, and you keep taking her to things like this, she will cherish it when older. Your building memories. Very Cool!!

Monty

monty wrote:

Hey Trackorama,

Great job Dad!!! Spending time with her is priceless. Kids grow up very fast. You should be commended for giving your 4.5 year old a shot at doing something that takes self control, she's got it and even if she never runs track, and you keep taking her to things like this, she will cherish it when older. Your building memories. Very Cool!!

Monty

Thanks! I went in with low expectations and figured we'd need to head out after an hour or so. We ended up staying 3 hours (that's like 12 hours in pre-school time) and I had as much fun as her.

Back when I was at Cornell, I was at the Heps meet and an alum was there with his kid. The pole vault was getting under way. "Look daddy. The high jump with a pole."

Kids get to the heart of things very fast. I only wish there was a race walk for the kid to describe.[/quote]

Like rojo said kids minds are amazing. You just think, high jump with a pole, I never really thought of it that way! I got to say I'm really proud of Rowbury, Andrews, Cas, Hasay and Centro for their attention and graciousness. I would think they could be dead, maybe drained and emotionally done from racing. Yet they make this effort for a 4yr old and her Dad. Been noticing this a lot with our elites, lit up smiles and immediate attention to children and fans.

Great post. I'm glad you and your daughter liked the meet.

And she got to see some real racing too, and not just time trials. I thought this was one of the most entertaining meets in a while. Toni Reavis had a good write up on his blog about it.

I didn't go; just watched it on TV--unfortunately, NBCSN decided that we really didn't have the attention span to watch the WHOLE 2 mile--both men's and women's--but they did show most of the rest of the meet, which was great.

Thanks for the positive thread.

Well done. I, too, was expecting an unhappy outcome. But, hey, a meet can be like a three-ring circus, with high-flying acrobatic vaulters, elephantine, grunting shotputters, gun fire and colorful runners, not to mention being able to get close to charismatic athletes. I well remember my first meet at age 6 at the old Boston Garden. Ronnie Delaney, just weeks after winning the 1500 gold in Melbourne in 1956, was introduced for the 1,000 yards, and given all the Irish in Boston then, the ol' joint, which was absolutely packed, just rocked.

Two Minute Thousand wrote:

Great post. I'm glad you and your daughter liked the meet.

And she got to see some real racing too, and not just time trials. I thought this was one of the most entertaining meets in a while. Toni Reavis had a good write up on his blog about it.

I didn't go; just watched it on TV--unfortunately, NBCSN decided that we really didn't have the attention span to watch the WHOLE 2 mile--both men's and women's--but they did show most of the rest of the meet, which was great.

Good call... With all the fun at the meet yesterday (and busy trying to make sure she had a good time) I hadn't thought of it this way regarding the non-rabbited races. Totally makes sense! I've certainly been to my share of follow-the-rabbit races, and while entertaining for me - may not have the same intrigue for a kid.

I really enjoyed explaining a little race strategy. I kept telling her the person in the lead at the beginning few laps (in the women's 2 mile for instance) most likely won't win. She kept on asking how I knew that. Doesn't hurt to know about the runners :-)... but your point is a good one.

ScaryStuff wrote:

But, hey, a meet can be like a three-ring circus, with high-flying acrobatic vaulters, elephantine, grunting shotputters, gun fire and colorful runners, not to mention being able to get close to charismatic athletes.

Very true... It can be a bit of a circus. And it doesn't hurt being kinda up close to the action. It was fun to have her ask the questions about the different events (and body types). She got a kick out of seeing the Vaulters up close, not to mention the Shot Putters.

Was expecting you to say something along the lines of Salazar shoving her out of the way so Hasay or Centro could go cool down after a race.

Pleasantly surprised.

Next year take her to the NB Grand Prix at the Reggie Lewis Ctr. It's a great meet, and they fill the spaces between the Pro races with high school races, including relays. Professionally, It's the usual rabbited setup, but Toni Reavis does a great job announcing, and really gets the crowd--which usually includes a lot of high school kids--worked up. Glad you both enjoyed the Nationals!