The Police playing a set at Autzen? Hey, it could happen. After all, Sting is a noted environmentalist … and the University has a killer campus recycling program.
Eugene ’08, currently in the planning stages, is a 10-day community celebration coinciding with the 2008 Olympic Track and Field Trials.
Laura Niles of the Eugene ’08 Entertainment Committee said there has been discussion around the prospect of hosting a large entertainment event at Autzen Stadium, most likely a concert featuring a large international act.
Niles said the event would be “complimentary to the trials” and popular enough to draw a large crowd. She mentioned The Police, the renowned punk and reggae-influenced new-wave band currently re-formed and touring, as a possible headliner.
“The likelihood of getting a group like that to Eugene for one performance – it’s pretty iffy,” Niles said. “It would need to be someone who had a connection in Eugene, or who would want to support track and field.” Still, Niles noted that many groups could enjoy playing here at such a community-driven, reasonably high-profile event.
Although the potential concert will probably generate a great deal of excitement, it’s not the main attraction of Eugene ’08.
For the fourth time since 1972, Hayward Field will host the Olympic Track and Field Trials. Beginning June 27, 2008, the facility, which will be expanded to a capacity of 15,200, will witness 10 days of athletic excellence, with the top American runners, jumpers and throwers vying for a spot on the Olympic team.
“If not the best track meet in the U.S., it may very well be among the best track meets in the world,” said University track and field coach Vin Lananna. “There’s something about the Olympic Trials because it’s a very easily understood concept. It’s first three people who cross the finish line, or the person who throws the farthest or jumps the farthest, who will be selected to compete in Beijing in the 2008 Olympics.”
But Eugene ’08 will be more than a track meet. Dozens of community members, business leaders and sponsors are working together to make the week one of the most memorable Eugene has ever seen.
“We’re planning for events surrounding the trials,” Lananna said. “One of the objectives of this entire Eugene ’08 plan is to have the community of Eugene own the event. We’re hoping for the broadest participation we can have.”
Tom Jordan, one of two steering committee project managers for Eugene ’08, helps oversee several smaller committees, all of which have a specific component of Eugene ’08 to plan and organize. The committees include Entertainment/Events, Community, Facilities and Housing.
Jordan said the events that will take place throughout the 10 days are oriented toward entertainment and culture. Although they’re still in the brainstorming stage, likely events include youth programs stressing healthier lifestyles, an “energy center” in downtown Eugene, and an area just outside Hayward Field where community members without tickets can congregate and watch the events on a large projection screen.
“We’re looking at what would enhance the experience for not only those who are inside watching the Olympic Trials but for the community as well,” Jordan said.
The main event, and the only one set in stone, will be a ceremonial dinner recognizing a group of 1980 Olympic hopefuls. When President Jimmy Carter refused to send the American team to compete in Moscow that year, the athletes that had qualified in Eugene missed out on the opportunity of a lifetime.
This year, they will be invited back to Eugene for recognition and a “gala celebration.” They will be recognized both outside and inside the track meet.
Lananna said if there is a concert it will probably coincide with the dinner, and tickets will be available for local community members to attend the celebration.
The Eugene Local Organizing Committee is also coordinating with the Oregon Bach Festival, which will be in town the same week and is sure to draw a substantial crowd. Between the festival and the track meet, Eugene ’08 will draw a broad assortment of characters to the city.
“We want to be sure that we’re serving those people who are here,” Niles said. “When you have a different look in the community at a certain time, you need to take into consideration that you’re going to be serving the people who are there at that time, not just the people who live there.”
Whatever the organizers decide to put together, the week will undoubtedly be an eventful one.
“I think there’s something about the Olympic Trials that really gets people jazzed,” said Jordan. “We haven’t had a problem thus far in having people offer to help and come on board on the various committees… It’s just really great to have people kind of pulling in the same direction.”
Niles said the finished project will change the face of sustainable business practices in the Eugene community.
“We want whatever work we do together to have something lasting,” she said. “People come to Eugene and really enjoy the time they spend here.”
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