800 dude wrote:
I read both pieces. Phil's was all about how f-ed up the process was. Hatfield's was about how f-ed up the design is. I find both pieces convincing.
Agree.
As another oldster who "lived Hayward," ran 4 years there, 3 as varsity...I spoke with an older alum a few weeks back and Stanford, and when we think of the East Stands, we think of the smell of Urine. And how for so long it had horrible leaky bathrooms, was unpaved. And that was in the late 70's and early 80's. The place just seems brittle.
The problem with the West Stands (Which myself and many other teammates helped build / finish building, the seats are cramped and you always have your knees in someone's back and your back with someone's knees in it. It's sub-ideal for sure. It's been part of the funky charm of the place for a long time...but it's time to Move Forward. I'm not sure either plan is the right solution. And I suspect at some point Tinker's concern will be addressed by the concourse etc., being closed in to get the swirling wind problem solved, if it becomes one.
Another issue is that the stalwart fans of Hayward are "aging out" as dependable ticket buyers. In the past few years, I've seen 80 year olds that watched me run there. Of course I see that some too at Stanford every year, and other meets, it's that kind of sport. A...dying sport.
If the open end of the horsewhoe gets closed in eventually, the 500m concourse would be closed in and provide an protected indoor training loop for distance runners.
With the 200m design, they should find a way to make the over hand articulate and protect people from rain as needed. One would think there would be some kind of ideal model somewhere in the world...
One thing about an Uncle Phil project, it's likely to have some controversy, big deal, that, frankly has always been Eugene and Oregon to some degree. But, Phil will get something built in time, that will wow everyone, it will be the best dedicated track facility in the USA for sure. It will be like a professional sports venue, and it will be built to last.
The rinky dink will be gone, and the modern age will be born in, for good or bad. It's not my money, lol, so I've just going to hope and trust that some wind model test are done and any m-o-r-e last minute changes that need to happen will happen.