Track and field in Eugene received a double-dose of excitement over two days in August. On Aug 15, the University officially welcomed new head coach Vin Lananna to its storied track and field and cross country programs. The next day the Oregon Track Club submitted a bid to USA Track & Field, the national governing body for track and field, long distance running and race walking, to host the 2008 Olympic Trials for the first time since it held three consecutive trials in 1972, ’76 and ’80.
The original deadline for the bid was in March, but it was pushed back first to the end of July, then to Aug. 17. The extension allowed the OTC time to complete the complex bid.
Eugene faces competition from the other three finalists – Columbus, Ohio, Carson, Calif., and Sacramento, Calif., the 2004 host city.
“Each bid has its own strength,” said Jill Geer, director of communications with USA Track & Field. “Each city must have community support and volunteer support. They must be able to accommodate more than 1,000 athletes and more than 1,000 press from all around the country.”
There isn’t one specific factor that will clinch a winning bid for a city, Geer said. The selection process is now in the hands of the site selection committee, which will make site visits in September and make a final decision in mid-October.
The 2008 Olympic Trials will be held June 27-July 6, 2008. The 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, will be held August 8-24, 2008.
In his first year on the job, Oregon Track Club President Greg Erwin organized the bid in part by developing partnerships between the University, the organizers of the Prefontaine Classic and the Oregon Track Club.
“Greg Erwin has really been the linchpin for this,” Lananna said. “What we’ve done is put together a very credible bid, fully aware that we entered the game late. But I think that our bid is an outstanding one.”
While the track club is the official bidder, the University has also played a role in the process.
“We’d use the University’s facilities,” Erwin said, referring to Hayward Field. “The bid was done in close coordination with the University. (Athletic Director) Bill Moos has been a great help, as has Vin Lananna, the new track coach. This is something that the University is very much behind, and they are to be commended for this.”
Lananna is already busy preparing for the possibility of hosting the trials.
“What the University track program has tried to do is put together the technical aspects of (the bid). What I did was mobilize our staff to be able to look at what we might need to do improvement-wise to Hayward Field to be able to have an athlete-friendly experience for those who participate in the 2008 Olympic Trials. We want to create the best experience possible for those athletes to be best prepared to compete in Beijing.”
Before beginning his job as head coach of the Ducks, Lananna served as the Director of Athletics at Oberlin College in Ohio for two years. Starting in 1992, Lananna was head coach of Stanford track and field, where he coached three men’s Olympians, 22 NCAA men’s and women’s individual titles, and five NCAA team titles, according to his biography on www.goducks.com. In 2004, he was the distance and middle distance coach on the men’s side for 2004 Olympics.
Lananna believes his experiences will help him prepare his runners for success in the NCAA and future world level tournaments. Lananna said he is fully prepared to train his athletes for Olympic glory, but doesn’t expect record breaking times from the beginning.
“First things first. What we’re going to try to do is be able to have a strong collegiate program. Once we have a strong collegiate program, those who are at the pinnacle of their sport at the collegiate level, perhaps we’ll try to prepare them Olympic-wise,” he said. “It’s a long process.”
While garnering the trials will benefit the University’s track program and perhaps boost its prestige, Lananna also thinks the experience will benefit the entire community.
“I think it’s hard to separate the U of O from the concept of Tracktown, U.S.A. There are many people in this community who remember the heyday, when it was the place (for track).” Lananna said. “I think what this will do is re-spark that enthusiasm and excitement in some of the younger people.”