First, let's begin with an analogy: Football is to Tuscaloosa, AL as Track & Field is to Eugene, OR. UO's Hayward Field is the track where Bill Bowerman experimented with shoes that would evolve into Nikes, where Prefontaine shattered long distance records, where the team motto is "The Hardest Team to Make," and where over 21,000 people gathered on Sunday to watch the last day of the 2008 Olympic Trials.
Our Eugene 08 experience began on Thursday, July 3rd. Nellie, Jerry, and I escorted Dad and Barb to Hayward Field and we shared dinner before they entered the track stadium to watch the evening's events. They returned late in the evening to report their favorite highlights which included women's pole vaulting, men's high jump, 400m men's and women's finals, and the women's 1500m quarterfinals.
On July 4th, our long-time friends Dexter, Sharon, and Amara Gordon (now residing in Tacoma via Tuscaloosa) joined us for the weekend to attend the Trials July 4, 5, and 6. Amara (now 11!!) and I sat together while her parents were in the next section. Jerry and Nellie joined us for part of the day on Saturday. When asked about what she saw that day, Nellie says, "Kids running. Big TV's." The jumbo-trons were pixel clear and collosal - they were impressive. Most impressive were our seats - we were located on the back stretch in front of the 200m start line and the pole vault pits. (Thank you, thank you Jerry!) 
Just as there is nothing like the experience of watching Alabama football in Bryant Stadium, being part of the Hayward crowd for a track meet is an amazing experience. There were many, MANY moments and stories surrounding the events and athletes we watched, but here is a Top 10 list of our favorite highlights...
10. Seeing Jerry at a stadium athletic event and enjoying himself. (For you skeptics...I'm working on posting a picture for proof.)
9. The women's 1500m semi-final when Jordan Hasay, age 16 (!!), won the crowd as she ran down her elders for a time of 4:14:50 to set a a national high school record. She earned a spot in the finals.
8. The men's 10,000m final...Abdi Abirahaman beats Oregon's Galen Rupp. I never expected a 25 lap race would be so exciting.
7. The Eugene July 4th fireworks that began during the last few laps of the men's 10,000m finals.
6. The men's high jump final that concluded with a jump-off for the third spot on the Beijing team. I am still sorting through the rules as to why this jump-off was necessary.
5. The women's 100m hurdles as Lolo Jones runs the race in 12.29 seconds - the fastest in the world thus far this year.
4. The men's 200m quarterfinal - Tyson Gay goes down with a reported cramp. However, the stands buzzed with reports that there is something more to his injury. We likely will not know until he competes in the 100m in Beijing.
3. Binoculars. On the second day of the weekend, we brought binoculars to see events that were across the track. They are also useful for spotting friends in the crowd! I located Joanna and her mom who were sitting in the sweetest of seats - Row 3 between the 4th and 5th hurdle in the final stretch. I spotted a WU friend - Mark Hanken - who was lining up athletes for the Special Olympic races that were held on July 5. And Dexter won a pair of binoculars just outside of the stadium in a vendor's booth.
2. The women's 200m was stacked with amazing talent...Allyson Felix, Muna Lee, Lauryn Williams, Marshevet Hooker...all athletes I have seen on television and here they were in the starting blocks nine rows below our seats.
1. The last race of the meet was the 1500m men's final and was billed as the race of the meet. Bernard Lagat (also the winner of the 5000m and the only double winner in the meet), Leonel Manzano, and Lopez Lomong made the team in an oustanding race. So while they were running, pole vaulter Jenn Stuczynski took a run at an American record and was successful. The crowd was screaming - it was a beautiful, overloaded moment. With the conclusion of the 1500m and no other events scheduled, you might expect the crowd to start leaving. But everyone stayed because Stuczynski opted to go for a world record. The entire stadium (21,000 plus people) began a cadence clap and she made two fantastic attempts - but chose to wait until Beijing to make it happen. And that is how the meet ended. With that moment - I think I understood why Hayward Field is such an amazing place. These fans are informed, serious, and addicted. I'm completely hooked.
The trials return to Eugene in 2012. In the meantime, I am going wear my new t-shirt while attending UO meets, the Prefontaine Classic, the 2009 and 2011 USATF National/World Championship Trials. We're going to make Jerry a track fan and perhaps inspire Nellie to run, jump, and/or throw. Please - come join me!!
