Drake to pursue more major track events

[Village Park Villain]

at the urging of USATF.

http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/art ... 003/SPORTS

Absolutely great news for the DSM sporting front. Getting the 2010 or 2011 US Track and Field Championships would obviously be a huge step towards getting the Olympic trials, and successful hostings would only improve Des Moines's standing in gaining future top-notch events.

[Ex-Chicago]

As a Drake grad, I'm very happy to see this also.

Not trying to read too much into this, but when the governing group (USATF) suggests that you apply, I think that it's almost a foregone conclusion that they'll get the event at least one of those years.

Who knows, maybe Des Moines will become the permanent home for this event, in much the same way that Omaha is the permanent home for the College World Series.

[DMRyan]

We should push our strong points for college and junior athletics. The two assets are obviously Drake Stadium for track and field, and the Cownie Soccer Complex for junior league soccer tournaments. The community should make these facilities the best around.

[dmluvr]

Drake just continues to impress me and makes me feel all giddie about Des Moines.

I give this a big 'ole hell yeah!!

Let's hope for the best (and plan for the worst) that we can land this. I have all the faith in the world that drake and dsm can pull this off.

[Mastermind]

Although I agree DSM should further pursue activities at Cownie, the actual playing surface is a step down from those in Muscatine.

[DMRyan]

Did anyone go check out the NCAA Midwest Regional Finals of Track and Field this past weekend?

For a semi large event that will be the gateway to see how Des Moines performs for the NCAA Track and Field Finals next year, I didn't really hear much about it. Hopefully the turnout was decent, even if it wasn't as large of a specticle as the annual Drake Relays.

[Ex-Chicago]

Did anyone go check out the NCAA Midwest Regional Finals of Track and Field this past weekend?

For a semi large event that will be the gateway to see how Des Moines performs for the NCAA Track and Field Finals next year, I didn't really hear much about it. Hopefully the turnout was decent, even if it wasn't as large of a specticle as the annual Drake Relays.

From what I've heard, there were a couple thousand people there....but, I've also heard that that's a "good crowd" for NCAA regionals.

For whatever reason, track and field is a huge spectator sport in Europe, but doesn't do nearly as well in the U.S.

From what I've read, the NCAA championship meet has never sold out, despite often being run in a stadium that holds only 10,000. Drake's goal is to sell out the 2008 championships a year in advance.

[DMRyan]

The NCAA Track & Field Championships start this week in Des Moines, and the local CVB is predicting nearly $11 million on money spent locally, tied to this event. Even better, the championships will be aired on CBS next weekend, giving some national exposure to Des Moines. It's a big couple of years for Drake and Drake Stadium.

NCAA Championships: D.M. pumped up for cash windfall

By ANDREW LOGUE • alogue@dmreg.com • June 8, 2008

Officials for the city of Des Moines are projecting a $10.7 million boost from hosting the NCAA Track and Field Championships.

The four-day meet begins Wednesday at Drake Stadium and features 1,176 athletes. Saturday's finals will air live on CBS.

"This is a major event," said Greg Edwards, president of the Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau. "It's still a niche market, but it really does have a major impact dollar-wise."

The financial benefits of such an event can vary from city to city.

Mike Testa of the Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau estimates the NCAA meet had a $3.6 million economic impact on his city last summer.

"We always try to go very conservative," Testa said.

Testa and Edwards both said Des Moines will be helped by hosting the meet for the first time in 38 years.

Edwards also said having the NCAAs in the center of the country could make it easier for fans to attend.

"There's many different formulas and figures for these things," Edwards said.

A total of 11,000 hotel rooms have been blocked off for the meet - 3,500 more than were filled in Sacramento.

Cindy Roberts, director of sales and marketing for the Marriott Des Moines Downtown, said all 415 rooms are booked.

She said guests began making reservations more than a year ago.

"The hotels I've talked to, everybody is sold out or close to sold out," Roberts said. "I think this is an event that all the hotels benefit from, because it's so large and the teams will stay anywhere. Sometimes, they want to stay close to Drake. Sometimes, they want to stay out in the suburbs. Or sometimes, they want to stay downtown. They have a variety of hotels they can select from."

Restaurant owners also expect a rush.

Scott Carlson, owner of Court Avenue Restaurant and Brewing Company, is basing his expectations on what happens during Drake Relays weekend in April.

"It'll be a little bit like the Relays, only this event will bring more people who have never been to Des Moines before," Carlson said. "I think most runners will come to the NCAAs with a peer group. Five, six or 10 people per runner I'm sure is probably the average."

In a typical year, Des Moines generates between $35 million and $40 million from sporting events.

The NCAA women's basketball regional at Wells Fargo Arena in March generated about $1 million for the city. The Des Moines Marathon typically brings in $360,000.

Edwards said one of the biggest perks is having the NCAA meet on CBS, with Des Moines as the backdrop. An audience of just over 1.1 million watched last year's meet in Sacramento.

"It gives Drake and Des Moines such great visibility," he said.

[PlatonKarataev]

Good job out of Drake in landing the 2011-2012 NCAA Track and Field Championships.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/articl ... Des-Moines

It appears that we may be seeing a rotation setting up here between DM and Eugene. Nothing wrong with that.

Hopefully the rivers aren't swelling over their banks in 2011 and 2012...

[Ingersoll1978]

Good job out of Drake in landing the 2011-2012 NCAA Track and Field Championships.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/articl ... Des-Moines

It appears that we may be seeing a rotation setting up here between DM and Eugene. Nothing wrong with that.

Hopefully the rivers aren't swelling over their banks in 2011 and 2012...

This is great news for Des Moines. In 2008, over $25 million was pumped into our local economy with this event. The article also stated that Des Moines was going for 2012, but ended up with both 2011 and 2012.

[hawk61401]

Dan Jorndt, isn't the household name in Des Moines like the Pappajohn's and others. He's the former CEO of Walgreens who gave 10 million to Drake, 5 million which went towards the Drake Stadium revitalization.

There's a book titled, "Walgreens' Prescription For Success", which tells how Dan Jorndt brought discipline, order and confidence to a sagging company. http://books.google.com/books?id=mBeukW ... dt&f=false

I'm pretty sure he stills lives in the same modest home in Chicago that he bought in the '70s. He never had a scandal. "CEO" became associated with greed and golden parachutes. But his generosity will be felt in Des Moines and Drake for generations.

Dan, this applause is for you!

[DMRyan]

Des Moines once again playing host to the NCAA D1 Track and Field Championships next week. I wonder if there's another US city out there that lands this many track and field events. Olympic trials, NCAA events, the annual relays, the state track and field championships all land here and I can't get interested in a single one of them.

From the Business Record:

Partnership hopes to pack Drake for NCAA meet
The Greater Des Moines Partnership and Greater Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau are hoping to pack Drake Stadium for the 2012 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships to better promote Des Moines. Jay Byers, CEO of the Partnership, said maximizing the tickets sold for the June 6-8 event will help show that Des Moines is an area that can host national events, which could provide for more opportunities in the future.

[Emil]

The NCAAs were a huge bomb attendance-wise (after getting 41k in 2008, they had 29k last year and just 20k this year). Interesting article on the efforts to get the Olympic Trials, but I can't say I'm optimistic.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/articl ... pic-Trials

I'm not sure what to blame for the dip in attendance--- lack of appropriate marketing, event fatigue (people got excited to go in 2008, but weren't that blown away by the experience), or what. Probably not a good long-term development though, especially as the current trials have had strong attendance.

[wmjindsm]

Des Moines was not picked to be host of the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials.

http://businessrecord.com/Content/Econo ... /975/57532

[Emil]

Not going to happen until they can get the warmup facility built. The fact that they've started emphasizing the basketball facility for the short term indicates to me that they weren't expecting this one.