Pepsi Invitational

[Autzen Powers]

There probably aren't too many track fans here, but I went to this event last Saturday and had a blast.

I bought season tickets so I could get first dibs on the 2008 Olympic Trials. So now I'm going to all the UO track meets.

The track meet last Saturday was really exciting - there were 5,000 in attendance, which apparently is double from last year. Rebekah Noble is a freshman who was amazing - she was behind in the 800 meters and then turned on the juice in the last 200 meters, screaming around the corner and off to the finish line. She set all kinds of records for this event. Really cool to watch.

Matt Scherer also had a great day - he is lightining quick, too.

[ASU_Husker]

5,000 for a college track meet! Im surprised, that seems quite high. I've never been to a collegent track meet, but if they draw that kinda numbers could be funa nd interesting.

[brady_44]

5,000 does seem really high. I love watching track and field but I haven't been to a college event either. I'll have to keep my eye out for the next ASU track meet. Nothing says summer like a track meet when it's 110 outside.

[Go-Pac]

You obviously have never been to a UO track meet. Although somewhat tempered over the years, track still is a major passion in Eugene. They don't call Eugene the Track and Field Capital of the US for nothing.

[Autzen Powers]

yeah, there's all kinds of buzz about this young kid Galen Rupp who is supposed to be the next Prefontaine. His times are better than Pre's when Pre was his age. Rupp dropped out of his one race; they said he was getting over pneumonia (sp?), so I was pretty bummed not to see him finish.

It was a pretty decent crowd. I think it got pretty loud at one point.

[rootiephi]

yeah that didn't nearly have as much attendence as the sweet NASCAR race that Brady and I worked this past weekend. Those fans are NUTS!!! Lots of good mullet watching.. I even heard "get er done" used in an actual sentence!

[Autzen Powers]

no way. "get er done". nice. I hear Nascar is a good time for people watching and drinking beer. Haven't been to one of those yet.

I went to another Track meet last weekend - the Oregon Invitational. It wasn't quite as good as the other one, since less college athletes were in it. I was pretty impressed with the XO team though (I think that's what they are called). And the Ducks won the 4X100 mens relay....by about 3 seconds.

Still buying time until football....ho hum.

[brady_44]

To win the 4X100 by 3 seconds is pretty crazy. That's wide margin for college track. It seems like everyone at the University of Oregon is pretty quick.

[Autzen Powers]

yeah, that 3 seconds was really noticable on the track. He was way ahead of everyone else. You don't usually get to see that kind of a difference, so it was pretty fun to watch.

UO has some stand outs this year for sure - I think Oregon is trying to re-claim itself as Tracktown now that they've got the pre-olympics coming.

UW's men's team won at the Pepsi invitational which was huge for them, so there's some serious talent there as well.

[Go-Pac]

UO is still a year or two away from competing for the National Championship for men's and women's track, but they should both bust there way into the top 10.