Re: t-and-f: Mistreatment of Fans at Olympic Trials
Ray and all, Your experience was not universal. We had 14 tickets at the start of the 1500, 10 rows up. I had my 76 year old mother in a wheelchair, her husband with a heart transplant, my 20 mo. old granddaughter at nap time,my wife with Lupus, and the rest of the crew. Everyone at the meet was understanding. Two meet volunteers watched the wheelchair, they let me stand at the rail to take pictures during the races,and when we couldn't help ourselves and stood up nobody said a word. I think that the heat may have affected the mood of everyone, including the security. I can understand that your experience did not make the Trials as enjoyable as it could have been, and you have the right to complain. Take care, JL Raymond Cook wrote: Please let me clarify. My original post has nothing to do with common courtesy at track meets like standing at inappropriate times. The issue is that people who wanted to stand and cheer during an exciting race or whenever they wanted to show appreciation to an athlete were told by security to sit or be ejected. This is not a policy at ANY sporting event I've attended other than the US Olympic Trials and it is completely ridiculous. -Ray -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Marko Velikonja Sent: Sunday, August 08, 2004 1:15 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: t-and-f: Mistreatment of Fans at Olympic Trials I'll make the same point I did when this debate raged after the 2000 Trials (note that I didn't attend either one): Down in Front is not a term unique to track and field spectators. I don't attend many baseball, basketball or football games, so I can't say for sure, but I'm sure spectators there would be annoyed by people who stand the entire game. I do recall a Women's World Cup match in 1999 where an obnoxious young man was standing in the front row, and it didn't go over very well with the spectators behind him. This seems like a matter of simple courtesy; if you're sitting toward the front, you should realize you're blocking the view of those behind you and refrain from standing unless you see the people behind you doing so. If you know you want to stand and cheer the whole time, get a seat in the back row. Granted, at most track meets this really isn't such a problem. Perhaps its unfortunate this debate turns up only every four years. Marko Velikonja __ Do you Yahoo!? New and Improved Yahoo! Mail - Send 10MB messages! http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail
t-and-f: Chicago, New York Oly Marathon challenge
-- Forwarded Message: - From:Marathon.Office To: undisclosed-recipients: ; Subject: LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon ING New York City Marathon Announcement Date:Mon, 9 Aug 2004 15:38:29 + PRESS RELEASE $1 Million Athens Marathon Challenge Announced LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon and ING New York City Marathon Team Up Chicago (August 9, 2004)?In an unprecedented joint effort, the race directors of the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon and the ING New York City Marathon today announced the $1 million Athens Marathon Challenge. This history-making initiative will award $500,000 to an American man or woman who wins the 2004 Olympic marathon gold medal in Athens later this month, for a total possible payout of $1 million. This year's U.S. Olympic marathon team is considered to be one of the strongest and deepest ever. The women's squad consists of Colleen DeReuck, 40, of Boulder, Colorado; Deena Kastor, 31, of Mammoth Lakes, California; and Jen Rhines, 30, of Ardmore, Pennsylvania. Dan Browne, 29, of Portland, Oregon; Alan Culpepper, 31, of Boulder, Colorado; and Meb Keflegzhi, 29, of San Diego, make up the men's team. De Reuck, Kastor, Rhines, Culpepper, and Keflezighi all have previous Olympic experience, and Browne, a 2003 Pan Am Games bronze medalist, was the 2002 USA Marathon champion. Kastor, the American marathon record holder (2:21:16), is a two-time World Cross Country silver medalist. In a recent informal poll, Olympic writers from around the country agreed nearly unanimously that an American man or woman would finish in the top five in Athens. The women's Olympic marathon will be contested on August 22; the men's race will close the Games on August 29. LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon executive race director Carey Pinkowski and ING New York City Marathon race director Allan Steinfeld joined Culpepper, De Reuck, and Kastor in making the historic announcement via conference call. This collaboration is the first of what we expect will be many more combined initiatives between our two great marathons as we join forces to encourage and support our American athletes and raise the level of public awareness for our sport, said Steinfeld, also the president and CEO of New York Road Runners. We are extremely pleased to partner with the ING New York City Marathon to further our commitment to and support of our American athletes, said Pinkowski. The American marathon team selected for Athens this year is arguably one of the best groups ever assembled to compete for Olympic gold. For the two premier U.S. marathons to collaborate in support of American athletes is a wonderful testament to the sport. MORE Chicago and New York Marathons Support U.S. Olympians add one Three Americans have won the Olympic marathon gold medal. Johnny Hayes was the 1908 Olympic marathon champion in London, Frank Shorter ran to victory in 1972 in Munich, and Joan Benoit Samuelson won the inaugural women's Olympic marathon in 1984 in Los Angeles. About the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon The 2004 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon takes place on Sunday, October 10, starting and finishing in Chicago's Grant Park. The race will be broadcast live on CBS 2 CHICAGO and ESPN 1000. Last year's race attracted the maximum 40,000 participants. Elite athletes will compete for a portion of the $650,000 prize purse, the highest in the sport. The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon draws world-class athletes and participants from all 50 states and from more than 96 countries around the globe. Runners may register online at www.chicagomarathon.com until September 2, 2004, or when the participation capacity has been reached (whichever comes first). Race weekend entries will not be accepted. About the ING New York City Marathon The ING New York City Marathon is the premier event of New York Road Runners (NYRR). Inaugurated in 1970 with 127 entrants, the ING New York City Marathon has grown into one of the world's premier road races, featuring 35,000 participants, more than two million spectators, a leading professional field, and a guaranteed prize purse of more than $500,000. Broadcast across the nation and in 125 countries worldwide, the 26.2-mile footrace is the United States' most watched one-day sporting event. The ING New York City Marathon joins the USA Men's 8K Championships and the Circle of Friends New York Mini 10K as the cornerstones of the NYRR Professional Racing Series and continues NYRR's tradition of bringing the very best runners in the world to New York City. The ING New York City Marathon 2004 will take place on Sunday, November 7. For more information visit www.ingnycmarathon.org. About New York Road Runners Founded in 1958 with a membership of 47, New York Road Runners (NYRR) is one of the world's foremost running organizations. NYRR is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting the sport of running and walking for
Re: t-and-f: Chicago, New York Oly Marathon challenge
More about inter city cooperation: For immediate release: For further information contact: Greater Boston Track Club Tom Derderian 617-846-2902 [EMAIL PROTECTED] The Margaret L. Bradley Award The Greater Boston Track Club board of directors has approved the establishment of the Margaret L. Bradley Award to be given yearly to a member of the Universal Sole Track Club in Chicago, IL, to pay expenses to race in the Boston Marathon. The Universal Sole Track Club has approved a Margaret L. Bradley Award to be given yearly to a member of the Greater Boston Track Club to race in the Chicago Marathon. The two running clubs have agreed to remember Margaret L. Bradley who was a member of both clubs who died at age 24 while hiking in the Grand Canyon on July 10, 2004. Bradley led the Greater Boston Team to first place in the open womens team competition in the 2004 Boston Marathon and later ran on the Chicago Universal Sole team to place second in the National 5 km in Albany, NY. She had been living and working in Boston until entering medical school in Chicago and transferring to the Chicago running club. The two clubs intend the award to continue in perpetuity to remember Margaret L. Bradley by recognizing and aiding similar young women marathon runners. The award will go to post college women marathoners who have a reasonable chance to run the times that Bradley ran. Although running is a highly competitive sport and these two clubs have raced each other many times, the spirit of the award recognizes that cooperation is an essential component of competition. Such an agreement between running clubs has not been done before. Margaret L. Bradley ran a little under three hours in Chicago and a little over three hours in Boston. Runners from both clubs met at Bradleys funeral in her home town of Falmouth, MA and conceived of the idea of this award. The award will begin with the selection of a Chicago runner to come to race in the Boston Marathon in the spring of 2005. On Aug 9, 2004, at 1:35 PM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: -- Forwarded Message: - From:Marathon.Office To: undisclosed-recipients: ; Subject: LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon ING New York City Marathon Announcement Date:Mon, 9 Aug 2004 15:38:29 + PRESS RELEASE $1 Million Athens Marathon Challenge Announced LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon and ING New York City Marathon Team Up Chicago (August 9, 2004)?In an unprecedented joint effort, the race directors of the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon and the ING New York City Marathon today announced the $1 million Athens Marathon Challenge. This history-making initiative will award $500,000 to an American man or woman who wins the 2004 Olympic marathon gold medal in Athens later this month, for a total possible payout of $1 million. This year's U.S. Olympic marathon team is considered to be one of the strongest and deepest ever. The women's squad consists of Colleen DeReuck, 40, of Boulder, Colorado; Deena Kastor, 31, of Mammoth Lakes, California; and Jen Rhines, 30, of Ardmore, Pennsylvania. Dan Browne, 29, of Portland, Oregon; Alan Culpepper, 31, of Boulder, Colorado; and Meb Keflegzhi, 29, of San Diego, make up the men's team. De Reuck, Kastor, Rhines, Culpepper, and Keflezighi all have previous Olympic experience, and Browne, a 2003 Pan Am Games bronze medalist, was the 2002 USA Marathon champion. Kastor, the American marathon record holder (2:21:16), is a two-time World Cross Country silver medalist. In a recent informal poll, Olympic writers from around the country agreed nearly unanimously that an American man or woman would finish in the top five in Athens. The women's Olympic marathon will be contested on August 22; the men's race will close the Games on August 29. LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon executive race director Carey Pinkowski and ING New York City Marathon race director Allan Steinfeld joined Culpepper, De Reuck, and Kastor in making the historic announcement via conference call. This collaboration is the first of what we expect will be many more combined initiatives between our two great marathons as we join forces to encourage and support our American athletes and raise the level of public awareness for our sport, said Steinfeld, also the president and CEO of New York Road Runners. We are extremely pleased to partner with the ING New York City Marathon to further our commitment to and support of our American athletes, said Pinkowski. The American marathon team selected for Athens this year is arguably one of the best groups ever assembled to compete for Olympic gold. For the two premier U.S. marathons to collaborate in support of American athletes is a wonderful testament to the sport. MORE Chicago and New York Marathons Support U.S. Olympians add one Three Americans have won the Olympic marathon gold medal. Johnny Hayes was the 1908 Olympic marathon champion in London, Frank Shorter ran to victory in 1972 in Munich,
RE: t-and-f: Mistreatment of Fans at Olympic Trials
All I can say is we were at the 1500 start in the same area and I guess we should have sat with you. I'm glad you had a better time then we did especially given your vested interest with your son competing. -Ray -Original Message- From: John Lunn [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, August 09, 2004 8:07 AM To: Raymond Cook Cc: 'Marko Velikonja'; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: t-and-f: Mistreatment of Fans at Olympic Trials Ray and all, Your experience was not universal. We had 14 tickets at the start of the 1500, 10 rows up. I had my 76 year old mother in a wheelchair, her husband with a heart transplant, my 20 mo. old granddaughter at nap time,my wife with Lupus, and the rest of the crew. Everyone at the meet was understanding. Two meet volunteers watched the wheelchair, they let me stand at the rail to take pictures during the races,and when we couldn't help ourselves and stood up nobody said a word. I think that the heat may have affected the mood of everyone, including the security. I can understand that your experience did not make the Trials as enjoyable as it could have been, and you have the right to complain. Take care, JL Raymond Cook wrote: Please let me clarify. My original post has nothing to do with common courtesy at track meets like standing at inappropriate times. The issue is that people who wanted to stand and cheer during an exciting race or whenever they wanted to show appreciation to an athlete were told by security to sit or be ejected. This is not a policy at ANY sporting event I've attended other than the US Olympic Trials and it is completely ridiculous. -Ray -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Marko Velikonja Sent: Sunday, August 08, 2004 1:15 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: t-and-f: Mistreatment of Fans at Olympic Trials I'll make the same point I did when this debate raged after the 2000 Trials (note that I didn't attend either one): Down in Front is not a term unique to track and field spectators. I don't attend many baseball, basketball or football games, so I can't say for sure, but I'm sure spectators there would be annoyed by people who stand the entire game. I do recall a Women's World Cup match in 1999 where an obnoxious young man was standing in the front row, and it didn't go over very well with the spectators behind him. This seems like a matter of simple courtesy; if you're sitting toward the front, you should realize you're blocking the view of those behind you and refrain from standing unless you see the people behind you doing so. If you know you want to stand and cheer the whole time, get a seat in the back row. Granted, at most track meets this really isn't such a problem. Perhaps its unfortunate this debate turns up only every four years. Marko Velikonja __ Do you Yahoo!? New and Improved Yahoo! Mail - Send 10MB messages! http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail
