Hello to you also Elliott. Elliott is TOTALLY RIGHT, here is a man who Here is a man who knows T & F especially in NJ. With his work with the Asbury Park press to the Nationally Ranked Shore AC Track Club Elliott knows what he is talking about. NJ really needs to do something about this problem. NJ has consistently proven year after year that they have some of the best HS athletes in the nation, without a venue where they can "shine", the future of T & F in NJ is bleak!
Bruce -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] Sent: Tuesday, January 21, 2003 3:57 PM To: Berry,Bruce Subject: Re: t-and-f: It's not fair... Hi Bruce::: AND PLEASE TRY TO RELAY THIS MESSAGE TO EVERY NJ TRACK EPRSON YOU CAN THINK OF::: 1. It is more than high time that NJ high schools, as well as colleges and open athletes, had a decent place of their own to conduct indoor track meets each year from December to March... 2. It is truly time for all of us to band together to get something done!! 3. A few suggestions: (a) Refurbish and rebuild an existing building...best candidate perhaps being the Jersey City Armory...and build it up to NY Armory Track Center standards... (b) Work something out with one of the state colleges, preferably one with a strong track program) to get a campus track building built....with adequate dates set aside annually and guaranteed for the NJ HS program... 4...And this is the idea I feel most strongly about... In all the talk of building a Newark Arena - with our money - for people to pay huge prices to see zillionaire hockey and basketball players cavort, there is no talk of any collateral benefit to "real people" whose primary interest may not be watching these athletes play their games... I suggest we follow the great example of Prince George's County in Landover, Md. which, in providing land and roads, etc. to the NFL Redskins' for the construction of their magnificent FedEx Stadium, also insisted the Redskins "give something back" to the "real people." And so - as I understand it - the magnificent Prince George's Athletic and Learning Center was built on adjacent land and is now a truly great facility... It has a marvelous 200m indoor track stadium (with seating for several thousand) which is site of Nike Indoor Scholastic meet in March...and many more meets all winter long...and next to the track building are marvelous swimming and gymnastics facilities, etc.... My bottom line strong feeling:: Before the state of NJ or the city of Newark or the Devils or Nets or YankeeNets or whoever it is...before they get a single cent of public funds, they ought to be made to pledge to "give something back" and the type of facility I mentioned is the best possible way to do just that... 5...Please let us petition the governor and every major political leader in the state and every member of the NJ Sports and Exposition Authority...demanding that something like this be built NOW.... As the Newark project discussion continues, it is time now to get this most important word out to those who hold power and make decisions... Track and field involves thousand and thousands of people...we are voters and taxpayers...We need to be heard!!! Sincerely, Elliott Denman West Long Branch, NJ USA..