Running Travel Adventure Number 1066 — Pt2
Bob Hodge’s Countdown to the US Olympic Trials
I have not yet arrived in Eugene but already I have two of the sorts of stories that I seek.
The first is that of Boris Berian. Okay I know it was a negative that the suit happened in the first place, but I still view this as a win for a good guy who has had an incredible year and has been one of Athletics best stories.
The second is the five free coaching clinics organized by Dwayne “Peanut” Harms and moderated by Mike Fanelli, the most interesting man with an even more interesting garage, chock-full of track & Field memorabilia.
The clinics will be held at the The Wild Duck Among the participating coaches are Joe Vigil, Peter Thompson and Mac Wilkins. The clinics will be held from 8:30–9:30 each day, stop by the Wild Duck for details.
Picking our Olympic representatives from one do-or-die competition is not the ideal way to choose the best team — there, I’ve said it. Simply picking the team would be safer and wiser, or you could just invite the best performers in the world to the Games. The top one hundred performers in each event by performance and the top two hundred and fifty performers in the marathon all regardless of country of origin.
What a dogfight that competition would be!
Our trials system has its drawbacks but it does make for a humdinger of a competition with drama that we just do not see often enough in Track & Field in the USA. Plus, our system gives the dreamers hope that if only they are among the best in the country they can have an exceptional performance at the trials and make the team. We have all seen this happen.
Eugene is a runners and throwers and jumpers city but also much more. It is a University town and a place for many homeless to flock to. I don’t pretend to know a lot about the issues but it is noticeable and tolerated. This article is a good primer — Homeless in Eugene.
In 1977 when I first visited with my Lowell MA friend, travelling in a van, on an extended trip of the country I was essentially homeless and transient. But I had places to go and people to turn to and so I am grateful for that.
It’s interesting how the homeless are viewed in different areas of the country. Jack Kerouac wrote a wonderful essay called The Vanishing American Hobo and in it lays a lot of the truth about our society and living on the margins.
Boris Berian was working fast food industry and living on the margins of the elite track world in a similar way to Kerouac yet to be “discovered” by the literary world.
Many of our best athletes live on the margins and continue their efforts for the love of it while they are young. It’s not a sacrifice to do this but a privilege. Of course they deserve some support for their efforts and we need to create more opportunities for the up-and-comers for athletics to be healthy and survive.
C’est la guerre.
Eugene has an outstanding public library which I visited for a few hours during the trials in 2008. Being a public library director I try and visit as many as possible.
If you’re in town for the trials, take the opportunity to visit: Eugene Public Library
Eugene also has Buttes, one of which is known as the birthplace of Eugene Skinners Butte. A butte is an isolated hill with a flat top.
Also on the 4th of July is the Butte to Butte a 10K race started in 1974. I am planning to participate.
I will continue to seek the joy here at the Trials 2016 and plan to poll everyone I see.
Shalom
Bob Hodge
