USATF Awards 2020 Olympic Trials to Mt. Sac

CAGuy wrote:

Too bad people want to bad mouth Mt Sac which has been a hub of the community for our sport in SoCal, Similar to Eugene for the Northwest. I was thrilled when Mt Sac announced the renovation with the intent of hosting the 2020 trials.

As for attendance, I have no doubt the SoCal fanbase could fill that stadium alone - but it will be a sure sellout with the national attention.

Lastly, I think you can't discount the value of being near the media center of LA.

Looking forward to seeing it in SoCal and can't wait for tickets to go on sale!

This isn't really true.

The stands are always spotty as far as crowds. Sprinters families leave in swarms after sprints.

That doesn't happen in Eugene.

Not a Coach wrote:

Fin Planner wrote:

I live 30 miles from Mt. Sac and the odds of someone getting from downtown LA to Mt. Sac in 30 minutes are highly unlikely unless you are driving in the middle of the night. LA traffic is horrible and wildly unpredictable. Plan on more like an hour. Up to 2 hours if you leave downtown LA after 3pm on a weekday.

Yeah, I might have been a little generous with the 30 minute estimate. I have made it to LA in that time, but never on a weekday between 6am and 7pm

It also takes about an hour and a half to go from the west side to Dtla during traffic hours. I just punched in LAX to MT SAC in google maps @2:22 on a Thursday afternoon. 46 miles and 1 hour and 48 minutes.

For the people who don't know LA. Walnut IS NOT LA. It's not even close. hours. If you live more than 5-7 miles or 20-30 minutes away by car you are geographically undesirable. 25 miles from DTLA doesn't seem like much but it's like crossing the Sahara during normal traffic hours.

Someone asked about the population around Walnut, depending on how the radius it's several million. Howevee there's little track DNA in the communities around it. The high school track powerhouses are mostly in the fringes around the greater LA. The average commute time would be an hour for the "closer ones to two plus hours for those further out. Even though parents will make the trek to see their kids run at Arcadia or Mt. Sac it's highly unlikely they will do this to see Olympic hopefuls. Those commute times will only increase three years from now.

Unfortunately fans will have to choose between a trials experience and an LA experience. They will not be able to do both because of the geography.

Oregon u. offers very reasonable lodging and meals on campus during the trials if you do not have to have four star accomadations.

99% of the paying fans at WCs, Olympics, and Trials are HS coaches, parents, spouses, sibliings, T&F professionals, etc. That's how all Olympic sports are.

I just hope i'm still living in this god-forsaken state then, so I can head up the 57 freeway and watch the trials.

Of course, the Cali Legislature will probably have invented about 100 new ways to tax us by then. It is 3 years off still.

grumpyoldman wrote:

I just hope i'm still living in this god-forsaken state then, so I can head up the 57 freeway and watch the trials.

Of course, the Cali Legislature will probably have invented about 100 new ways to tax us by then. It is 3 years off still.

Then move away NOW. Get control of your own life, and stop whining about living someplace you hate. But, you won't leave; your problem is self-created.

The population within 10 miles of Mt. SAC is probably 10 times that of Eugene. The accessibility via air isn't from LAX but from ONT which, in heavy traffic, is 20 minutes from Mt. SAC.

I'd be nice to see the meet in a different location, but...I've been to the last 3 OT's in Eugene and it's been a blast. Yes, Eugene has it's lodging and travel issues, but it's easy to navigate the city, everything is close, buses are free and the fans are friendly and know their stuff. I've been to Sacramento numerous times and I was considering attending USA's, but I know how hot it can be this time of year, so I decided against it. It simply isn't comfortable watching anything in blazing 100 deg. weather. Unfortunately I don't think Mt. SAC is going to be much better. I wish the USTA good luck.

Good points...

Does anyone know if the improvements to the venue at Mt. SAC will include roofs over the stands? That could be a difference maker.

Somebody mentioned airports and their proximity. Just as in Eugene where most people tend to fly into PDX rather than Eugene, I'm told that price tends to influence the choice to fly into LAX over Ontario in the LA area.

Interesting that you use Olympic trials location as a platform to throw in a bit of racism.

The city next to Walnut is Pomona. It has almost the same population as Eugene. You are also closer to San Bernardino, Riverside, and Orange County than you are to L.A.

If you live in L.A (esp on the west side), it will be a tough commute to the track.

If you visit for the trials, stay in Pomona or San Bernardino and you would have no problem with traffic.

Excited to be visiting the world's most powerful, influential, and trending City of The Angels of 20,000,000 Americans once again. Cheers.

When I lived in Los Angeles near the Rose Bowl, I went to the Mt. Sac Relays every year. When I'd go to the Friday distance carnival after work, it took about 90 minutes in horrendous traffic. When I'd make the same drive on Saturday morning to go for the second day, it was less than 30 minutes.

I'm super excited the trials are going to Mt. Sac, but it isn't really possible for people in LA to just drive over there after work during the week. I'd do it once, but not every day. All of the eastbound freeways are parking lots that time of day. Weekends will be easy though. I hope they get a good turnout.

I work at JPL. JPL to Mt Sac is around 20 minutes anytime of the day. Just go down 210 until Grand then go south, turn left on Temple (skipping 57).

Former Angeleno wrote:

When I lived in Los Angeles near the Rose Bowl, I went to the Mt. Sac Relays every year. When I'd go to the Friday distance carnival after work, it took about 90 minutes in horrendous traffic. When I'd make the same drive on Saturday morning to go for the second day, it was less than 30 minutes.

I'm super excited the trials are going to Mt. Sac, but it isn't really possible for people in LA to just drive over there after work during the week. I'd do it once, but not every day. All of the eastbound freeways are parking lots that time of day. Weekends will be easy though. I hope they get a good turnout.

JPL to Mt. Sac is 30 miles. You can't make it in 20 mins unless you're recklessly breaking the speed limit on surface streets and the freeway. You just "can't go down" the 210 East anytime of day. Right now this drive takes 1 hour and 20 minutes. The 210 East is a parking lot during the afternoon.

Former Angeleno is right. The weekend events will be better attended but afternoon and early evening traffic is pretty bad on Saturday and Sunday.

Too bad USC didn't have a better facility.

That's about right. Pasadena to Walnur is around 20 minutes if you know the area.

From Pas on I210 or I10 only take 25 minutes to Mt Sac. Stay off 57 though it sucks.

The facts are a little more complicated.

Attendance most recently at any Sacramento event has been a bust. This year the most miserable weather anyone could ask for. Your 2000 stat is that,17 years ago.

Lets talk LA track, dead beyond dead for major meet attendance, the Adidas LA meet in Carson was a ghost town in attendance and later folded. Lets talk Mt. Sac experience at putting on Oly trials event, none zero. The area around the meet? Terrible! Traffic, the absolute worst. BTW ,there is no history or heritage for this new facility, its brand new yet to be finished.

Will this meet get local hype? Hardly so with more pro franchises than any metro area in the US ( two baseball teams, two basketball teams and now a football team) And yes lets not forget soccer coverage. Oh forgot UCLA and USC! See where I'm headed here.

An out of touch USATF corrupt board does have not a clue on how to develop the sport. We should demand an open forum discussion on how how they concluded Mt. Sac would be appropriate to host the trials rather than just saying we need to expose the sport to more people/regions.

The truth is, its nice to get people in the stands, but the real exposure comes from television exposure and its audience size. That should be your comparison.

The audience will be as expected, family, friends, coaches of athletes, local schools and athlete and track enthusiasts. The expected crowd does little to expand/develop the sport, they are already a part of it.

The host organizer and tourist industry does not care about "attendance" but the number of 'hotel beds sold', 'number of cars rented' 'number of restaurant meals served', etc. Olympic sports have few fans but loads of participants and tagalongs who are granted free seats each day. People who do not pay for tickets still buy hot dogs, nachos, skittles, and sodas.