Road to Hayward Field Begins June 10-12!

What a rare opportunity, as the "Road to Hayward Field" in Eugene, Oregon for the Junior Olympic National Track & Field Championships begins in Bozeman on the campus of Montana State University, June 10-12, 2004 with the USATF-Montana Association Track & Field State Championships.

This will be the first stop in qualifying for the national championships and will be held on the brand new track & field complex at Montana State University. Multi-events (i.e., triathlon, pentathlon, heptathlon and decathlon) are scheduled for Thursday and/or Friday with track & field events on Saturday. Keep in mind that the track & field state championships are for all athletes of all ages with three divisions to choose from: Junior Olympics, Open, and Masters.

Hosted by the Bozeman Track Club, this year's venue for the state championships is expected to offer probably the largest range of amenities ever for athletes, coaches and spectators. New this year is the hammer throw, which is an exhibition event at the national championships for high school male and female athletes (i.e., Intermediate and Young Men & Women age divisions). Most important; get your 2004 USATF membership card early, don't wait! And don't wait until the entry deadline to mail in your entry form. We expect a record number of athletes this year!

The opportunity to experience one of the most famous track and field-only facilities in the world will happen this summer on July 27 - August 1, 2004 on the spectacular campus of the University of Oregon. Built in 1919, the historic venue of Hayward Field has hosted nine NCAA Championships, six national championships, and three Olympic Trials, not to mention 28 editions of the world famous Prefontaine Classic.
This should make for an exceptional opportunity for athletes in Montana to participate on one of the world's more fabled venues that is well within reasonable distance of our state. It is also a rare opportunity that should be given serious consideration, as it will be sometime before the Junior Olympic National Track & Field Championships are this close again.

Hayward Field (current capacity: 8,000) entertained its ninth NCAA Championships in 2001 - the most of any collegiate venue in recent history. Previous national collegiate championships were staged in Eugene in 1962, 1964, 1972, 1978, 1984, 1988, 1991 and 1996. In June 2001, Hayward Field welcomed its sixth national championship (AAU/TAC/USA), only two years after hosting the 1999 U.S. Championships. In addition, it's the only facility to ever host three consecutive U.S. Olympic Trials (1972, 1976, 1980).

The centerpiece of 'Track City USA', Hayward Field stands as the nation's most fabled track and field facility thanks to its track and field-only usage and covered grandstands comparable to famous European venues. Referred to as the 'Carnegie Hall' of U.S. track and field venues, it also plays host annually to the nation's finest single-day track and field contest, the Prefontaine Classic, The 29th edition of Prefontaine Classic will be held on June 19th, 2004 and annually features an outstanding mix of the top national and international talent on American soil.

Hosted by the Track City Track Club of Eugene, Oregon, take the time to surf the host club's website at www.trackcity.org or the national USA Track & Field website at www.usatf.org. You can also go directly to www.2004.juniorolympics.com to review the venue information on Hayward Field, as well as additional information on accommodations, travel, schedule, etc. If that doesn't excite you, give us a call! We will start working on you!

Words of advise to those of you giving serious consideration to participating at the national championships, contingent on qualifying at both the state championships in Bozeman and regional championships in Boise, Idaho. You should go to www.2004.juniorolympics.com and make arrangements for travel, hotels and housing as soon as possible. The USATF-Montana Association is also making arrangements with the Idaho Association and Regional XI coordinator to block our rooms in a single motel for athletes from our region. For more information on motel accommodations e-mail our Region XI coordinator, Florence Erickson, at flerickson1213@hotmail.com.

For more information on the state track & field championships review the guidebook and schedule of events posted on the website. Want to start a USATF sanctioned club or find one in your area? Write us! If you have any kind of questions get a hold of us right away on the message board and we will get you taken care of! Don't be bashful!

(By Dave Skelton, April 27, 2004)