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Fast Track to SuccessNov 15 2000By TERRY JONES, EDMONTON SUN Pascoe's company hopes to give fans quality in-stadium experience at 2001 The trouble with track and field is that you can be sitting right there in front of it and not see it. If you went to track and field at the 1978 Commonwealth Games or Universiade '83 you may remember memorable moments you first missed. Edmonton 2001 organizers have been determined after examining the Seville and Athens Worlds and the Sydney Olympics and seeing the same been-there, didn't-notice-that syndrome still existed, that they were going to find a way so it wouldn't happen here. Chairman Jack Agrios has spearheaded the idea to add an element to the track and field presentation to make the experience far more enjoyable for the fan than his own experience from the above-named three events. As a result he's hired a hurdler who competed in the 1978 Commonwealth Games to cure the condition. ONE OF WORLD'S BIGGEST Alan Pascoe, once the No.-1 ranked hurdler in the world and an Olympic silver medal winner, created a sport and event marketing company which grew to be one of the biggest in the world until he sold it to the Interpublic Group in 1998. During that time he was also a track and field broadcaster in Great Britain on both radio and television. Now, after creating a concept which saved the Crystal Palace Golden League meet in London, he's created Fast Track to take it to the world. Edmonton 2001 has hired his group to produce the package for the fans in the stands. (Still to be negotiated is if Fast Track will do the same for the Canadian championships June 22-24.) "It's very difficult, when you have five or six things going on at the same time, to digest them, much less be informed about them, particularly if you aren't a longtime track and field fan,'' said Pascoe at lunch here yesterday. "It's always struck me that with all the TV production they forget the people in the stadium. They've ignored the spectators.'' As good an example as any, he said, was having 110,000 fans in the stadium in Sydney and only about 5,000 of them going home having any real clue about the drama which had been unfolding in front of them in an incredible javelin competition. Agrios admits the fans who will fill the stands at Commonwealth Stadium for Edmonton 2001, the first IAAF World Championships in Athletics ever held in North America, are going to be anything but track and field experts. "They are not going to be sophisticated attendees,'' is how he politely put it. "I think it's absolutely essential that they be aware of what's going on so they can share the same excitement with the people who are watching it on television around the world.'' A two-time British TV Olympics executive producer, Richard Russell will be Fast Track's presentation director. Two-time Olympic champion Sebastian Coe and former world silver medallist Jon Rigdeon are members of the Fast Track events team. Both of them will be here and involved and at least one of them will be doubling as Fast Track stadium commentator from the infield. AN INTIMATE PLACE Fast Track's presentation team will work with Don Metz's video board presentation and the IAAF stadium PA team. Pascoe is excited about what can happen in Commonwealth Stadium. There's no track stadium in the world with the intimacy of this place. "With 400,000 to 500,000 fans in the stands over the 10 days and the fans in the top back rows closer to the action than the majority of the fans in Sydney, you couldn't provide a better place to do what we do,'' he suggested. "Edmonton 2001 should have amazing atmosphere. You can almost touch the athletes on the outside lanes. And the lap of honour will be a special thing here'' The Edmonton Worlds have been stalled at about 45 per cent of tickets sold since Canada's Sydney Olympics disaster. Edmonton 2001 is now heading into an aggressive, and expensive, Christmas marketing program. People purchasing six or 10-day Christmas packages will receive a VIP seat to the Canadian Track & Field Championships here in June and a behind-the-scenes tour of the new and improved Commonwealth Stadium, the setup, the people, the equipment and the technology it will take to host the Worlds. "We've sold a lot of 10-day packages and hopefully we'll sell a lot more. It's important that those people want to come back the next day and the next day and the next day and really enjoy the experience,'' said Agrios of hiring Fast Track. The Edmonton 2001 chairman also said it's important to create and educate fans for future events in Edmonton, such as a possible annual Golden League stop here every year if this becomes the success story he believes it will be. Check out the Jumpstart Athletics Canadian National Throws Rankings for complete rankings in the throws. If you have news, results or info please let us know by using our submission form or emailing Larry Steinke [ MEET INFORMATION ] [ ANALYSIS & TIPS ] [ THROWS ARTICLES ] [ INTERVIEWS ] [ RECORDS ] [ RESULTS ] [ CLASSIFIEDS ] [ HOT LINK ARCHIVE ] [ DISCUSSION FORUM ] [ SUBMISSIONS ] [ THROWERS QUIZ ] [ GUESTBOOK ] | ||