TrackTown, USA: The NCAA National Track & Field Championship leapfrog between male and female athletes. This year, the men compete on Day 1. The only event held two consecutive days are the multis (decathlon/heptathlon).
We began our day as we usually begin our first day in Eugene - with lunch at Cafe Yumm! And, yes, I did order a small Hot n' Jazzy bowl with seasoned tofu. Every. Single. Time. Dream of it when I am not in Oregon.
It is the smallest bowl they offer, but I just can't quite finish the dish. Unseen, below all the goodness, is a mound of white rice. Beans. Cheese. Tofu. Olives, Tomatoes. Sour Cream. Avocado. Cilantro. Yumm! Sauce. Totally dreamy. I advise you try this restaurant if you are in Oregon, or any of their Pacific NW locations - including Portland International Airport.
After lunch and stocking up on Oregon wines, we headed over to Historic Hayward Field where everything wasn't working properly for us. Someone was in our reserved parking spot. My tickets would not load onto my phone. People were sitting in our seats. Ugh. All that settled, we enjoyed the first day of the NCAA Track & Field Championships.
This photo shows little attendance, but in reality everyone crammed into shaded seats - leaving the sunny side looking sparse. Track fans at Hayward are very knowledgeable, so know what-is-what and who-is-who, but still the best thing about this meet is the athletes are still kids. Their parents are in attendance. Grandparents as well. There is a huge school rivalry element. Yet still, everyone cheers for everyone, and everyone cries for everyone. The one true sport in the purest sense.
Day 1 (for the men) was mostly semi-finals, with six finals in shot put, javelin, long jump, pole vault, hammer throw and 10000m. The shot put was filled with excitement as on everyone's final (6th) throw, the lead changed often - with the Duck shot putter, Kobe Lawrence, moving into 2nd place for a few minutes. Local fans went crazy, but only temporarily. Kobe was knocked down to 4th place (still FANTASTIC) by the final throws of Wisconsin's Jason Swarens and Thomas Kitchell of North Carolina. The good news (for Duck fans) is Kobe Lawrence is only a freshman! In the saddest race of the day, there were no Oregon men in the 10000m final.
As is our habit, we left the track, returned to our RV and re-watched the meet again via the DVR. Yes, this may seem odd, but sitting in the stands a fan is not privy to learn why a racer was disqualified or what was the injury of a man splayed-out on the track at the finish line. Inquiring minds want to know. Plus, we had food in our camper and I prepared a fun appetizer try to enjoy while we learned what-was-what.
Sister Gina's fig jam + walnuts.
It is the same meet schedule tomorrow, but this time with the ladies. Still on ESPN from 4-8p Pacific.
Until my next update, I remain, your ready correspondent.
Campground Information: Eugene Premier RV Resort - Huge campground at exit 199 on I-5 (and I mean right on I-5). Full service sites, back-ins, pull-throughs, nice landscaping and a pons, bathhouses and laundry. Pool in season. Rally facilities. We are paying $87 per night for a front-end site facing the pond... but our back-end is really close to the noisy freeway.