“Penn Relays Sucks”
Sometimes the Brooks Beasts like to play the "Rile Cas Up About Something" game. This is a slightly tamer version of the "Rile up Riley" game.
The most recent debacle came
yesterday morning over coffee, with Poppa Rabbit Scherer and Wizzo seeing how
far they could take a debate over the significance of the Penn Relays. This was resolved by an expletive laced tirade, leaving those two high-fiving and chuckling to themselves in the kitchen, and me getting over it about 45 seconds later. It did remind me of the magic that happens at Franklin Field in April, this year for the 120th time.
Ask yourself what you look for in a top-notch track meet:
History...check
Quality of Competitors...check
Fan Base...the best
Rivalries...absolutely
Most High School 4x400’s ever entered in a single meet...yes
But the real draw is numerous X-Factors, that combine and produce one of the best spectacles in American Track & Field.
Relay Running:
Track is a team sport, but
only in the sense that your points amass towards the same total. March Madness
happens when college basketball teams come together and do the impossible as a
single unit. In Track, we don’t have shot clocks and buzzer beaters (or
millions and millions of viewers) but, we do have a baton and the “WHOOOP
WHOOOP” of the Franklin Field crowd as “who the hell?” from What-State-Are-They-Even-From University walks down the third leg of the favorites chasing that 18”
wooden circle.
Local Love:
The locals and imports alike are real track fans, not just the friends and family of the athletes showing up to barely fill the stands. They have their meet programs at the ready, can tell you exactly where Chocolate Man and Bill Cosby can be found, and who's looking hot for the Championship of America sections. The immense Jamaican cheering section swells the ranks to over 50,000 on Saturday, and everyone gets behind the new stories unfolding, as history is written before their eyes.
The Holding Pen
Imagine if livestock were smart enough to play mind
games. You are rushed into a holding area with three distinct sections. You have to sneak strides in the confined area and stand around, sweats off and ready to race, waiting for your turn. All the while an official with a megaphone is convinced you can't hear him from seven feet away, and you end up strategizing with partially deaf teammates.
Strategies of Clever Cattle:
§ The team that doesn’t show up: This field does NOT look like the heat sheets. Where's A&M? Are they running the 4x8 fresh?
§ The team that almost doesn’t show up: They take fashionably late to the next level. One of the favorites waltz's in late enough to race but early enough to not be DQ'd, breaking the hearts some lower seeds.
§ Anchor games: This team will line up out of
order, make someone else hold the hip number, or send their first leg out
from the back of the line at the very last second.
The Atmosphere:
The announcer’s voice echoes over the massive stadium crowd. For a few minutes, every athlete gets the sensation of being the star of the show. The picturesque view from the infield acts as a backdrop
for pictures of each victorious relay team holding their coveted wheels (aka
just about every profile picture and #tbt this week). The enthusiastic
officials come back year after year looking like watch vendors with all the gold around their wrists from past relay wins.
For the
first time in 7 years, instead of hearing the audible cheers of the stadium from the downtown Sheraton, over my Wawa
pre-meet sub, I will be in my living room watching all of you lining up. So take advantage of the moment! There are many jealous pros who would love to be shaking in your boots with race day nerves.
Good luck to everyone
competing, and go Nittany Lions! WE ARE!
