Dec 16, 2005 -- National Scholastic Sports Foundation
Co-founder and Meet Director Emeritus Mike Byrnes announced that
the Great American Cross Country Festival has relocated to Hoover,
Alabama, a suburb of Birmingham. The event is scheduled for September
23, 2006.
The eight-year-old meet will take place in the newly
developed course at Spain Park, one of the city parks in Hoover.
For the past three years the meet took place at SAS Soccer Park
in Cary, North Carolina.
"Hoover has a strong reputation for athletic
excellence in our community and feels that we are building on that
reputation by having the Great American Cross Country Festival
as part of our cross-country season," said City of Hoover
mayor Tony Petelos. "We feel the reputation and goals of the
NSSF and Great American closely align with ours - namely to promote
the sport of cross-country and to encourage fitness as a life choice
for our citizens, especially for our youth."
Mike Byrnes described the course as viewer-friendly and challenging.
The park was developed in large part by local cross-country coaches,
and several invitational and regional state events were held there
during its inaugural 2005 season.
Byrnes also praised the local community for its support. “The
City of Hoover , Birmingham and Jefferson and Shelby Counties have
welcomed us with open arms,” Byrnes said.
The NSSF produces the Nike Indoor Nationals and Nike Outdoor Nationals
high school track and field meets as well as managing the Nike
Team Nationals cross-country event.