I was at the ATL meet last night with some friends and had a blast, despite the cold weather. There were definitely a few logistical bugs that need to be ironed out, but for being the first meet in the series it was a great start and a big step towards making track more-friendly. Props to Paul Doyle and his crew for doing something to better the sport instead of just whining that fans aren't into it more.
2 highlights:
It was pretty awesome to stand on the infield, 6 feet off the runway, when Mark Hollis vaulted 18'8. So cool to be close to the action like that...
Also, I was standing in the front row during the women's 100 hurdles. Lolo Jones - Holy Crap. I've never been a huge sprints fan, but I've never seen someone compete with the level of intensity she brought to that race. Looked like she was about to rip someone's head off during the race and then 10 seconds later she's smiling, high-fiving everyone, and taking pictures with the crowd for an hour in her racing gear in cold weather. Pretty amazing...
As for the band, the Velveteen Playboys were good but the kind of music they play is a swing/pop style and it seemed like only a few of their songs really engaged the crowd. The meet staff blasted top 40 stuff over the PA system in between the band's sets and that honestly seemed to get the crowd into more than the band did. I'm sure the band would hate to hear this, but the crowd would get into it more if they played some covers of current stuff rather than all original stuff that people don't really know.
Overall, the meet was a very positive experience and I look forward to seeing the ATL mature - this series has the potential to better the sport in a big way.