Morning and night sessions possible at Clermont 2009
Don DeNoon, down in Clermont, Florida, says his national masters meet in 2009 will do its best to beat the heat. He writes: “One cannot predict the weather. Note the all-time high temperature for Orono, Maine, in August is 103 while Orlando is 101. I am willing to put this event on to the specs of the (Games) Committee. If they want morning and night sessions . . . . then so be it. We have control of the track and can provide the meet schedule to their desires.” Don, head honcho of the National Training Center where the meet will take place, also addresses lodging and other issues in a quick Q&A (below).
Masterstrack.com: With no nearby dorms, what are your plans for lodging? (I’ve heard about a resort, but what other options will entrants have?)
DeNoon: We have the Hampton Inn up and running which is 200 meters from the track. Fairfield Inn is to open in few months about 400 meters from the track and a long term motel is being built 3 miles away. It will open in April. By 2009 we expect at least two more units to go up.
Will there be a charge for spectators? (Disney’s Wide World of Sports had an admission charge in 1999.)
We are not Disney. We would not expect to charge admissions for this event.
An issue among some folks is how the Clermont/NTC bid was publicized. Who was informed about this bid before the Indy meeting?
The Lake County Sports Commission and the NTC put together a bid package that was sent to the USATF Office in August of 2006. I followed up with a couple of people at the National Level before the convention to make sure that it was done properly and that we could make a formal presentation. All was approved.
Did you attend the Charlotte nationals?
I and my wife officiated the National Youth Championships in Baltimore due to my wife’s teaching schedule had her working at the time of the Masters meet. As you are aware, I have attended many national masters championships and world whampionships, which I won, and am aware of the scope of the meets.
Will you serve as meet director? If not, who will the meet director be?
If the Lord is willing to keep me around and healthy I will direct this meet.
What are your plans for an event Web site? How will results be posted online?
Presently our website would be used for this event. Check it out at www.usantc.com
How was your local USATF association involved in the bid?
I am the High Performance Chair for the Florida (USATF) Association. Our bids were approved by me and Rod Larsen (president) before submission. We also got approval at our State Convention for all of our events we put before the convention.
One Response
Orono may have a high of 103 but as a Mainer I need to point out that the 30 year AVERAGE in that part of Maine for August 1st is 71. And the average for Clermont is 88 according to what I could find on the internet. Hot (and humid) weather can happen in Maine but I think is much more likely in Florida. People don’t generally go to Orono for “Fun in the Sun”.
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