A host of current and former UCLA track and field superstars
came together Tuesday afternoon in a celebration of the
school’s legendary past ““ and its bright future.
The reunion took place at a press conference in anticipation of
the first annual Rafer Johnson/Jackie Joyner-Kersee Invitational,
to be held at Drake Stadium Friday and Saturday.
Those associated with the UCLA program hope the meet, a
brainchild of men’s track and field coach Art Venegas, will
increase the fanbase in the area and become a fixture in the world
of southern California track.
“My goal is to make this sport have revenue again,”
Venegas said. “Track and field has become too much about
athlete participation with not enough emphasis on the
fans.”
Venegas hopes to attract fan support with a world class talent
pool of college and professional athletes that have secured 19 NCAA
outdoor championships among them.
In addition to the majority of the UCLA men’s and
women’s roster, the meet will include a mix of collegiate
participants and high-profile international caliber athletes, such
as former Bruin thrower John Godina and USC great Felix Sanchez,
the world’s top ranked 400-meter hurdler.
But what separates this weekend’s event from a typical
collegiate meet is the presence of Kersee and Johnson, arguably the
two greatest athletes in UCLA track history, and what Venegas hopes
will be a fan-friendly environment.
“This meet is going to become a carnival down the
road,” Venegas said. “We are going to get involved with
fraternities and sororities ““ 40-yard dashes. We want to have
radio stations coming out and have special booths.”
Most track and field teams have struggled to attract fans
lately, and the Bruins have been no exception. In every home meet
besides the crosstown meet against USC, empty seats dominate the
landscape at Drake Stadium, and most fan participation is limited
to friends, family and alumni.
In recognition of the dwindling fan support, Venegas has
adjusted the format of the competition. Since preliminary heats
take place on Friday, all of the championship action will occur on
Saturday as each event will have only one decisive final round,
making it easier for fans to come and watch.
“When people hear about the athletes participating, they
will want to come and see it,” said former Bruin Rafer
Johnson, the meet’s namesake and an Olympic gold medalist in
the 1960 decathlon. “I could see this meet becoming a place
where top athletes want to come.”
Both Johnson and Kersee will be on hand for the festivities
Saturday ““ a fact that can only help to motivate the current
UCLA participants.
And while it will be business as usual for the No. 17 Bruin men
and No. 8 women in terms of preparation for the outdoor season,
this meet is very significant to the program as a whole.
“It’s a tremendous boost for us,” UCLA
women’s head coach Jeannette Bolden said. “To honor the
best two representatives of not only the men’s and
women’s track team, but also the university, is very
special.”
A world-record holder in the heptathlon and the American
record-holder in the long jump, Kersee was a two-time national
collegiate champion in the heptathlon as a Bruin and has won six
Olympic medals.
Johnson won his gold medal in the decathlon in 1960, and was an
all-around standout at UCLA in the late 50s.
An Olympic medalist himself, Godina understands the importance
of the meet for track and field.
“It’s great to finally have a major meet here in
southern California,” he said. “Fans will be able to
watch athletes compete at the highest level. To have it all happen
here at UCLA is outstanding.”