The Trials

A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man. -Joseph Campbell

Words: Jeff Merrill

If I died tomorrow, my tombstone would probably read: “He almost made it”. As if anyone knows what we’re actually trying to do at any given moment. Most of us judge ourselves as if what we are striving for is written on our foreheads, and our self-image is shaped accordingly. No, it’s not healthy and it’s not the way it should be done. You shouldn’t let one thing define you whatever it is, and certainly not the result of the thing, but that’s not how most of us are, and I’m not preaching, I’m relating.

At the Trials, and in the years leading up to them, we all know what the potential Olympians are trying to do.

After spending most of 10 days in Eugene, driving back and forth from Portland in-between, it is safe to say, there really is no other track meet like the United States Olympic Trials. They are ruthless and beautiful. The years between the Olympics are spent by devoted groups of people attempting to build an infrastructure with meets that can attempt to come close to the emotional storm of the Trials, but at this checkpoint, there is still a lot of work to do.  The Trials, as the gateway to the Olympics, captivate the American imagination. They hold the promise of what could be. They are a maker of kings and queens. They are meaningful.

Photo of the Men’s 1500m Final by Howard Lao

No other country selects their Olympic team like the United States. In 1972, a delegation from Eugene bid for the Trials with a plan to stage the meet over 10 days to reflect the actual Olympic Games. This was scoffed at by other cities who were also bidding, their plans being to host for a weekend. The Eugene contingent believed it would prepare American athletes for the Games, having to qualify through the same number of rounds in a similar timeline, and it would select the most suitable competitors for the Olympic competition. Different muscles are used to navigate un-paced races, 3 of them over a stretch of days rather than in one-shot time trialing scenarios. The ’72 Trials was a wild success, and the US has stuck to the model ever since.

Here in the US, we are also the only country that selects our team based on finishing top 3 at the Trials. It is a cutthroat model that calls for execution in a pressure cooker. Sitting trackside in director’s chairs with NBC’s Mike Tirico, Noah Lyles, Rai Benjamin and Grant Holloway agreed that the stress levels are much higher at the Olympic Trials than at the Olympics themselves. The model creates the opportunity for stars to emerge, for underdog stories to surface, and for heartbreak. The prize is to represent the place you are from, the place and the people that raised you, and to forever call yourself an Olympian. The Trials is not akin to other things in sports. The AFC and NFC champions do not get tattoos for making the Super Bowl as athletes do for making the Olympic team. Getting ink requires a win. Going through the rounds and emerging victorious in the Trials is the win.

Photo of Nikki Hiltz by Howard Lao

The Trials, in their current form were built to serve the athletes and deliver the best team to compete for the United States against the world. It has delivered, with the US earning more medals over the history of the games than the next 6 countries combined and more than 5x the number of golds than the next country. Some disciplines, carry more weight than others- the distances, up until recently have not been quite as competitive. Over the last few Olympic cycles, that has steadily changed. In the Women’s 1500m this year, the top 7 competitors ran times in the Trials Final placing them in the top 20 in the world. The first 3 finishers, in the top 10. Because legitimate medal threats are left home, there is an expectation for those who make the team. Making Team USA validates you as a medal contender.

One wonders how much of this success and the depth we see at the Trials every 4 years is due to the model of the Trials. Would the public care quite as much without the Trials? Would the game be quite as enticing to play? Motivation of athletes and excitement of the audience is often a two-way speaker. What gets athletes amped also garners fan interest.

In an age where track viewership is suffering worldwide, and especially in the US, the Trials capture more eyes than any other meet outside of the Olympics and World Championships. Viewership for the Trials regularly outpaces viewership for the World Championships in the United States.

Critics point to the empty spots in Hayward Field but show me another country’s national championship meet that is even half full and then show me the size of the stands. Ticketed attendance for the Trials averaged nearly 12,000 per day. We do not compare the Trials to other country’s national meets or any other meet in the regular season. They are instead compared to the reach of global championships.

No other country’s version of the Trials has reached the heights of ours. Because they have chosen to play it safe and keep their selection behind closed doors, they are like every other meet with minimal stakes. Ours sits above.

There is a constant discussion amongst die-hard fans about what is good for the sport. It is the belief of those within this organization that what is good for the sport is having meets with meaning. Having meets where athletes dream to compete, and fight tooth and nail to win, and a loss is excruciating. Meets with meaning require the participants to put themselves out there, be vulnerable and take big risks for something they want more than anything. We see their character through this. We see the journey of athletes right in front of our eyes, and their transformation from hesitant newcomer to confident executioner. Some over multiple Olympic cycles, and some from round to round. Their success earns them the right to represent us. It is the hero’s journey.

Photo of Women’s Steeplechase Final by Howard Lao

The Trials legitimize the dedication and determination for every athlete involved.

The majesty of the meet itself validates the commitment for those even attempting. For the ones who fall short, it can be demoralizing, but their dedication is immortalized by the circumstance and grand setting more than they know. They wouldn’t want it to be easy, would they? In the coming years, and by the end of their careers, I hope that they will come to realize how much their accomplishment is appreciated. We depend on them to put themselves out there in ways that the normal person would shrink from, and they depend on us to elevate the meaning of what they are doing. It is a complicated symbiotic relationship between athlete and fan, a strange kind of love, but love is what it is.

It is often said that the sport suffers from a marketing problem, and that may be true, but the foundations of meets with meaning are not Instagram posts and hype reels. Certainly, those make up the dazzling fixtures, but the inner mechanisms of the sport, formed through a long-term vision and commitment to a structure and the careful tuning of it are what create the special quality. The best marketing is most often having a good product. In this case, the product is a well put together high-stakes game.

Bravo to TracktownUSA for providing an experience unlike any other, in a setting unmatched in the sport. Eugene is a legendary place, and Hayward is a cathedral.

There is no doubt that the Trials will inspire the next generation of athletes to once again raise the bar. I hope it will inspire other communities to build environments whose organization and standing match the dedication, grit and determination of the athletes competing. They deserve it.