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Canton, SLU expecting 1,000 or more at NCAA track & field national championships May 21-23

Posted 5/9/15

Athletes from colleges across the country will compete at the SLU track this month By MATT LINDSEY CANTON – Over 1,000 athletes, coaches and supporters will descend on Canton May 21-23 for the NCAA …

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Canton, SLU expecting 1,000 or more at NCAA track & field national championships May 21-23

Posted

Athletes from colleges across the country will compete at the SLU track this month

By MATT LINDSEY

CANTON – Over 1,000 athletes, coaches and supporters will descend on Canton May 21-23 for the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which could provide a boost to the local economy.

St. Lawrence University and the Canton community have been preparing for months for the influx of visitors as they host the national championships for the second time in school history.

It is that preparation and previous success in hosting the competition that contributed to the event’s return to St. Lawrence County, organizers say. The addition of 1,000 visitors to the region could spark a profitable weekend for many North Country businesses.

Logistics Of Handling 1,000 Visitors

Last year, 163 teams were represented by at least one individual. The total athlete count is expected to be in the 750-800 range with about 400 coaches on hand.

In order to handle the increase in traffic, food consumption and security, university representatives have been busy meeting with local officials as well as NCAA officials to be prepared.

Mike Howard, director of men's and women's Cross Country and Track and Field at St. Lawrence University, has been busy coordinating and prepping in advance for the event, according to Ryan Deuel, director of media relations.

“I don’t think we’re expecting it to be much different than, say, graduation weekend, Deuel said.

The NCAA requires extra security for the event and the village police have been contacted to help assist University Police with campus safety.

Students will be housed on campus at SLU as well as several dozen at Clarkson campus. Deuel said that nearly all hotel rooms in the county have been booked in anticipation of the event.

“We were one of the first hosts to offer on-campus housing, which has been a popular addition among the competing teams,” according to Wally Johnson, director of athletic media relations at St. Lawrence University.

The St. Lawrence County Chamber and Canton Merchants Association met with college officials to make sure local businesses were aware of and prepared for the influx of visitors.

Nearly 100 volunteers will assist with ushering people to the right places, as well as facilitate with parking and seating.

With most students gone home for the summer, parking on campus should be a non-issue, Deuel said.

How SLU Was Chosen

This will be the second time that SLU has hosted the national event, which draws competitors from as far Maine to California .

“There is a bidding process to host Division III championships. Factors which go into the bid are primarily the host facility, accessibility…and while we are off the beaten path in comparison to most previous national championship sites (typically they are in the mid-west) our success in 2003 was a factor in our landing the bid again,” said Johnson.

Despite some rainy weather, the 2003 meet went well. Having Newell Field House and Leithead Field House as warm-up areas reportedly helped considerably and they will be used again.

“Having done it once, the 2015 meet should be a little easier, although there have been some technological advances such as the video screen on site and online streaming through the NCAA which will be a little different than the last time,” Johnson said.

“There are sport-specific bid specifications which must be met and a proposed budget, etc. Our experience in hosting the 2003 event was a big plus in landing this year’s championship,” Johnson said.

Johnson believes St. Lawrence was chosen because of the success of the 2003 meet in which 10 NCAA Championship records were set and the atmosphere of the meet.

“We also have an outstanding facility which was recently resurfaced and will add some amenities which we do not normally have such as a large video screen,” Johnson said.

Johnson said the event would not be possible without the effort and coordination of many community and campus members.

“I think the success of our athletic department in hosting major events has been a key in attracting the track and field event again. Certainly the efforts of Mike Howard, our director of cross country and track and field and associate athletic director and Kate Curran, our head women’s track and field coach and a member of the NCAA Division III Track and Field committee have been a big part of our success in attracting this event,” Johnson said.

Impact on North Country

Although traffic may be congested at times during the event, Deuel wants to remind residents that events like this should be seen as constructive.

“Businesses are exited…as this is a positive for the county. There will be a lot of people visiting this area for the first time and spending their money here,” Deuel said.

With hotel rooms filling up, eateries selling more product than usual and other businesses likely to see an increase in commerce, the event is expected to boost revenue across St. Lawrence County

“The championships will provide an economic boost for the area with revenue from sales tax and a general influx of spending at local businesses. This is a good thing for the region,” Deuel said.

Restaurants and eateries have been asked to extend their normal business hours to help accommodate visitors and competitors attending the event, according to Deuel.

“It has also taken tremendous cooperation from a number of different parts of campus including housing, facilities and dining, but we are confident we can have another highly appreciated event,” Johnson said.

Event Schedule

Events take place at the Merrick-Pinkard Track at SLU, originally opened in 1999 and was resurfaced in the summer of 2013. It features a nine-lane 400-meter outdoor facility which includes jump pits, javelin runways and shot and discus circles with a hammer facility a short walk away.

• Thursday: Men’s decathlon; noon; 100 meter dash; men decathlon, 3 sections; long jump, men decathlon; shot put men decathlon; high jump men decathlon and 400 meter dash men decathlon.

• Friday: Men’s decathlon, noon; 110 meter hurdles men decathlon; discus men decathlon; pole vault men decathlon; javelin men decathlon and 1500 meter men decathlon.

• Thursday: Women’s heptathlon; 1 p.m. 100 meter hurdles, women heptathlon; high jump, women heptathlon; shot put, women heptathlon and 200 meter dash, women heptathlon.

• Friday: Women’s heptathlon, noon; long jump, women heptathlon; javelin, women heptathlon and 800 meter, women heptathlon.

• Thursday: 10:30 a.m., discuss, women; noon, pole vault, women; 1:30 p.m., discus, men; 2:30 p.m., long jump, men; 4 p.m., pole vault, men; 5:30 p.m., long jump, women; 3:15 p.m., 4x100 meter relay, women; 3:30 p.m., 4x100 meter relay, men; 3:45 p.m ., 1500 meter, women; 4 p.m., 1500 meter, men; 4:20 p.m., 400 meter hurdles, women; 4:35 p.m., 400 meter hurdles, men; 4:50 p.m., 200 meter, women; 5:05 p.m., 200 meter, men; 5:20 p.m., 3000 meter steeplechase, women; 5:50 p.m., 3,000 meter steeplechase, men; 6:15 p.m., 10,000 meter, women ; 7 p.m., 10,000 meter, men; 7:40 p.m., 4x400 meter relay, women and 7:55 p.m., 4x400 meter relay, men.

• Friday: noon, hammer, men, 3 p.m.; hammer, women; 5:15 p.m., 100 meter hurdles, women; 5:30 p.m., 110 meter hurdles, men; 5:45 p.m., 400 meter, women; 6 p.m., 400 meter, men; 6:15 p.m., 100 meter, women; 6:30 p.m., 100 meter, men; 6:45 p.m., 800 meter, women and 7 p.m., 800 meter, men.

• Saturday: 11:30 a.m., shot put, men; 11:30 a.m., triple jump, men; 11:30 a.m., javelin, men; 11:30 a.m., high jump, women; 2:30 p.m., shot put, women; 2:30 p.m., triple jump, women; 2:30 p.m., javelin, women; 2:30 p.m., high jump, men; 12:30 p.m., 3,000 meter steeplechase, women; 12:50 p.m., 3,000 meter steeplechase, men; 1:10 p.m., 4x100 meter relay, women; 1:20 p.m., 4x100 meter relay, men; 1:30 p.m., 1,500 meter, women; 1:40 p.m., 1,500 meter, men; 1:55 p.m., 100 meter hurdles, women; 2:05 p.m., 110 meter hurdles, men; 2:15 p.m., 400 meter, women; 2:25 p.m., 400 meter, men; 2:35 p.m., 100 meter, women; 2:45 p.m., 100 meter, men; 2:55 p.m., 800 meter, women; 3:05 p.m., 800 meter, men; 3:20 p.m., 400 meter hurdles, women; 3:30 p.m., 400 meter hurdles, men; 3:45 p.m., 200 meter, women; 3:55 p.m., 200 meter, men; 4:05 p.m., 5,000 meter, women; 4:30 p.m., 5, 000 meter, men; 4:50 p.m., 4x400 meter relay, women and 5 p.m., 4x400 meter relay, men.