TrackTown, USA: The college championships are only four days - not like the ten-day-long Olympic Trials or World Championships - but it is still a slog going through bag inspection and finding your ticket on your phone (no paper tickets are issued). Sadly, there are no crowds to fight as this meet was really poorly attended. We do not know why.
Races didn't start until after 5p today and we did not require a RV repair (yeah, us), so we had a nice breakfast after Dave rode his bike, tidied-up in preparation for leaving in the morning and drove into town to stock up on a few supplies. On the way to the track, we stopped to the North Fork Tavern for a late lunch. We hadn't been here for a few years, and it is still good. We shared an appetizer of chicken with a sweet-spicy sauce.
The weather today was much better than the cold and wind of yesterday - but I did wear long pants, a long sleeved tee, with a wool sweater, my golf jacket... and a Green & Yellow GO DUCK scarf. Every time we come to Oregon (no matter the season), I never have enough warm clothing. Today, the last day of the meet, was all finals for the women. Georgia was really picked to win, and they kept racking-up points. Oregon showed high on the scoreboard for a few minutes - with two girls scoring in the 1500m, and a Duck winning the 110m hurdles. But no school was going to stop Georgia today.
Just like the men Thursday, the final event of the two-day multi event for women ends in a running event - 800 for women. At the end, they all collapse on the track (much more drama with the girls, I must say), completely spent. The hep was won today by Estonian Pippi Lotta Enok, of the University of Oklahoma with 6285 points. Enok owns the Estonian Pentathlon national record.
It really was a beautiful night at Historic Hayward Field. As the races came down to final few, there was a teeny bit of excitement as a few fans were calculating if this or that happened maybe Georgia would not win.
The final race of the night was the 4x400 relay. Always exciting, and often the event that settles the title (as it did for the men last night). Not tonight, though. If Georgia didn't score, they would have still won the title. The race was between USC and Texas A&M for second place. Georgia won the relay in a college-leading and season-best time of 3:23.62. Then it was Arkansas, USC, and Texas A&M in 4th place.
Georgia won the title with 73 points (remember the men won with 41 points?), USC in second place with 47, and Texas A&M with 43. Very big scoring from the ladies this year. Oregon was 10th with 23 points.
Another great championship with great fans and fabulous organization. I do think the new tickets situation (having to download yet another new app and co-mingle your Duck account with your Ticketmaster account and move the tickets from your phone to your seat mates was a freaking nightmare. Rita sat with us two night and I told her to just meet us at the gate and I would show my ticket and her ticket on my phone at the gate - this way she didn't have to waste a confusing hour on her phone as well!
We are leaving Eugene in the morning, but we are not headed home. Going to Portland for a few days first.
Until my next update, I remain, your GO DUCKS 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.