<<Ed Parrot wrote: On the flip side, one thing that DOES work well is having one or two elite events in the middle of a high school indoor meet. A few years ago, the world indoor trials for the 200m and 400m were held in the middle of the Massachusetts high school state meet (due to the fast track). The excitement generated was huge, and the athletes appeared to appreciate the fan support. That's not to say that I think that the championship meet should be split up - just that when the opportunity presents itself, we should be trying to add elite excitement to lower level meets, not the other way around.>>
This is exactly what Chris Lester, meet director of the adidas Midwest Indoor Track Classic, set out to do with his prep meet on February 9th at the Devaney Center in Lincoln, NE. The plan was to hold 4-6 elite events, at the end of the day-long prep meet showcasing some of the country's top high school talent. Well, guess what? His elite fields just kept getting better and better, the timing was right, and now the meet has nine elite events with talent like Allen Johnson, Amy Acuff, Jenny Adams, Adam Nelson, Bernard Lagat, etc. (For fields, see www.nehighschoolclassic.org) The meet has been made a part of the Golden Spike series, and will be televised taped-delayed on ESPN. With the dearth of indoor opportunities for elite athletes here in America, it's nice to see a new kid on the block. Tom Jordan (old kid on the block) preclassic.com
