NSSF Adds New Features to Great American
by Ricky Quintana
At the Great American Cross Country Festival last year, National
Scholastic Sports Foundation (NSSF) representatives, AJ Holzherr
and Jim Spier were intently watching the proceedings and taking
notes. One had to wonder why, but it soon became apparent. Shortly
after the event, it was announced that The National Scholastic Sports
Foundation had purchased the rights to the event from founder Rick
Hill.
After successfully managing two national caliber events, The NIKE
Indoor Track and Field Championships held at the end of the high
school indoor track and field season and the Adidas Outdoor Track
and Field Championships held at the end of the high school outdoor
track and field season, the move seemed natural. The Great American
Cross Country Festival during the fall cross country meet completed
the year. Rick Hill’s vision of celebrating cross country
with a extravagant national caliber showcase meet was not lost on
the NSSF. Many of the key ideas still remain, but some additional
wrinkles should add to the atmosphere and organization of the event.
Below is an overview of some of the highlights of the two day competition
in Cary, N.C.
Friday’s college races will feature some of the top teams
in the country. Walkthroughs will be allowed on the course from
8:00am until 1:30pm. The first college race is at 2:15pm and the
last will be at 6:15pm. The pre-race pasta dinner will be held at
the Herbert Young Community Center from 6:00pm to 9:00pm.The menu
includes pasta with marinara or meat sauce, garlic bread, salad,
drink and dessert.
An opening ceremony will be held prior to Saturday’s NIKE
Race of Champions high school races. A drum line from Hillside High
School in Durham, N.C. will march from the stadium to the starting
line for each of the Race of Champion races. Before the start of
the boys high school race, the National Anthem will be played. That
will be followed by introductions from NSSF chief announcer, David
Mitchell. Two veteran announcers and pundits will join Mitchell
to call the college and high school races. USATF Cross Country chairman
and NCAA women’s national cross country pollster, Mike Scott
will provide analysis for Friday’s college races. Arcadia
Invitational organizer, Rich Gonzalez will make the call for the
high school races. They will get feedback from the lead vehicle
and others stationed along the course, which will be broadcast over
the stadium PA system.
The newly designed course will make its way around the SAS Soccer
Park grounds. The runners will make a 500-600m trek through an open
roped off area before entering the wooded section of the course.
The paths will be 15-20 feet wide in the narrowest places and 30
feet for most of the wooded portion. Over a dozen balloon trees
and arches will line the course. Spectators will get plenty of chances
to see the race as it makes many loops before finishing in the stadium.
Timing clocks will be situated at the mile and finish line. A large
display clock will be situated at the finish and will post the top
five finishers from each race. Following each race, the runners
will be directed out of the stadium to an athlete only area filled
with medical tents, water and PowerAde. They will then be directed
to an unrestricted area where mimes, clowns, stilt walkers, face
painters, balloon artist, vendors, step teams, jump rope teams,
the NIKE Cross Country van, and invited NIKE athletes will be located.
The awards ceremony will be held at midfield of the multimillion
dollar 7,000 seat SAS Soccer Park Stadium 20 minutes after the final
finisher in each race barring any appeals. The top 25 individuals
will receive medals. The top two teams will receive a plaque; 1st
place- a 13” USA shaped plaque with Great American logo, 2nd
place- an 11” sized plaque. Awards can be viewed at http://greatamerican.nationalscholastic.org/awards.php
The NIKE Race of Champions awards will be different from the other
races. Individuals will receive a medallion different from the other
races. The top three teams in the NIKE Race of Champions will receive
plaques with each member of the team receiving 5” replicas.
Each coach will receive a pair of NIKE shoes with the winning coach
receiving a high quality NIKE embroidered windbreaker. Interviews
with athletes and coaches will be conducted at this time and broadcast
over the PA system. Carolina Quikshots will also have their booth
set up to purchase pictures of the event. Several different formats
are available and can be purchased at the site. Three cameras will
be used for video footage. One will be mounted on the lead vehicle
and the other two will be positioned at the finish line. Video footage
will also be made available at a later date.
The final event of the evening will be the annual Harrier Ball.
Doors open at 6:30pm and the event will be held from 7:00 to 11:00pm.
This year’s event will be held in the three year old multimillion
dollar Regency Park, which lies adjacent to Symphony Lake. The 20-acre
facility seats over 7,000 persons. The dinner and dance will be
held in two different locations within the park. The dinner will
be held in the luxurious pavilion. Dinner will include hot dogs,
hamburgers, chicken, fish, salad, and an ice cream sundae bar. The
dance will be held across the lawn in the Amphitheatre. The amphitheatre
has a state of the art sound and lighting system for concerts and
movies and a stage that spans 6000 square feet.
What other types of changes can one expect?
Below is a list of what can be expected at this year’s Great
American Cross Country Festival.
REGISTRATION
Once teams and athletes begin to arrive, they may proceed to the
Embassy Suites to pick up their race packets. SAS Soccer Park will
also serve as a site for packet pick-up. If available, pasta dinner
and Harrier Ball tickets will be sold.
Friday, September 26
High Schools and Others
9:00am - 7:00pm At the Embassy Suites
201 Harrison Oaks Boulevard
Cary, NC 27513
919 677-1840
Colleges and Universities
9:00am -11:00am At the Embassy Suites
11:30am - 5:00pm At SAS Soccer Park
Saturday, September 27
6:30am-8:00am Registration ONLY at SAS Soccer Park
NO registration at Embassy Suites
COURSE WALK-THROUGH:
Thursday, Sept. 25 -- Course is open all day. Athletes are asked
not to interfere with the race
preparations.
Friday, Sept. 26 -- Course will be open at 8:00am and closes at
1:30PM.
Saturday, Sept. 27 -- Course opens at 5:30AM and closes at 7:00
AM.
A map of the course can be found at http://greatamerican.nationalscholastic.org/map.php
TENT SET-UP
Teams may set up in area just east of the stadium. Soccer field
six. Tents may be set up the night before. Security guards will
be on premises. The complex is gated.
SHUTTLE BUSES
Buses will run from specific hotels in Raleigh and Cary to SAS Soccer
Park (race site), Regency Park (The Harrier Ball Site), and the
Herbert Young Center (Pasta Dinner site). Only athletes and coaches
may use this service for the races at SAS Park. And only those having
tickets to the Pasta Dinner and/or Harrier Ball will be allowed
to board the bus for those events. A complete schedule and route
is located at http://greatamerican.nationalscholastic.org/busservice.doc
RESTROOMS
Restrooms will be available inside of stadium. Also, 15 Porta-a-Potties
will be located near the start area. There are no changing areas
other than the bathrooms. There are also no shower facilities.
PARKING
Parking at SAS Park is $10.00 per car per day for non-competitors.
Parking passes for teams and registered individuals will be in packets
at Packet Pickup. Parking passes will be available for purchase
at Registration and at the entry to SAS Park each day.
For answers to other frequently asked questions, visit
http://greatamerican.nationalscholastic.org/faq.php or send to
[email protected]
Final Instructions will be posted here
http://greatamerican.nationalscholastic.org/index.php
Race day results, pictures and coverage can be found at
http://nationalscholastic.org/ and
http://greatamerican.nationalscholastic.org/index.php
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