From the Field
with Lewis Johnson
Friday, March 2, 2007
REFLECTIONS FROM THE AT&T USA TRACK AND FIELD INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
A BUG IN BOSTON!
As a reporter I am often times asked to tell our audience about something new that relates to the event or sport. On Sunday I told you about a brand new service called the AT&T Communicator. I’ve already downloaded the “free” software and now have the bug on my MAC laptop. Invaluable! I’ve relied on USATF’s e-mails for updates on American athletes and will continue to do so. Now I can get the bigger picture of the running world, which is really important for me as I prepare for the outdoor season, Osaka and Beijing. Like I said on the air, get it!
GRACEFUL EXIT!
I was siting in my chair by the finish line around 4:20 pm. You were watching the Nike Women’s Mile from Saturday “on tape” while the Women’s 3000M Race Walk was happening “live” in the arena. I was sort of half-watching as 47 year old Joanne Dow was beating the field pretty good. Somewhere around 3 laps to go she was suddenly off the track, walking within a foot of me to grab some water. Dow had the look of disbelief on her face as she sipped from the bottle. She then looked at someone in the stands and yelled, “There’s a first time for everything!” Dow had been DQ’d. A yellow card gives the first warning of a rule infraction, most likely not keeping one foot on the track at all times. Daylight. The red card means you’re out. Dow then walked away, crossing the track to get to her clothing basket. She is a five-time national champion race walker and I guess it was the first time she had been DQ’d from a championship. Dow handled it the right way, accepting her fate and making a graceful exit.
SCARY MOMENT!
Every now and then in this job you see things that worry you. That was the case after the Women’s 800 Final. Francis Santin led early, faded late, then collapsed a few feet from me. My first reaction is to evaluate what’s happening to be ready to give you a concise and factual report. NO SPECULATING ON INJURIES! I learned that at NBC. At a respectful distance I heard Santin say that she couldn’t breath. That’s when I was told she has a significant issue with asthma. Medical officials lifted her limp body into a chair to make her sit up. Santin was given her inhaler but she was still in distress, even after being taken to the training room. After talking with her coach Joe Douglas who was at her side, I then knew I had enough info to give you an update on her condition. I always hope to balance to the business and the human aspect of a report like that. It’s tough when you’re watching someone suffer. I don’t care what sport it is.
25K!
Shot Put winner Christian Cantwell was a trooper the last ten minutes of the meet. He took a chair next to me, waiting for the final event of the Championships to secure his Visa Championship and $25,000. Shalane Flanagan arrived around the same time and her body language was very relaxed, as her title was secure. Back to Cantwell. Marcus Brunson was the last threat to take the money if he could blaze to 6.45 seconds in the Men’s 60 Final. The silence in the room as the sprinters got set was a bit much for Cantwell. I could just tell. Then there was the false start. Cantwell fell back in the plastic chair that somehow held his 320 pounds and said, “They’re gonna give me a coronary!” Everybody around him laughed out loud. Cantwell prepared his watch again to time the race and finally we had a fair start. No Brunson, no 6.45, the money was his! He was a happy dude! We all scrambled into our rehearsed places for the check presentation as our time on the air was running out due to the false start Everyone did a great job, including Amy Gleeson, Director of Partnership Marketing for VISA USA who had some official words. There was a genuine excitement from both Cantwell an Flanagan, which was the perfect way to close the indoor campaign.
I hope you’ve enjoyed these little nuggets of information I have passed along throughout the indoor season. My goal has been tell you things that you could not see, something from my perspective as a broadcaster operating behind the scenes. Maybe we’ll do it again for the outdoor season. Take good care!
Throughout the 2007 Indoor Track season, Lewis Johnson, a broadcast vet, will pass along his reflections from the previous weekend. He will handle the interviews and reports from field level, which allows for a unique impression of the "circus-type" atmosphere of the Visa Championship Series.
