Clovis Unified to host 2016 Junior National track and field meet

Clovis Unified’s hosting of elite-level track and field championships – which previously cleared state and collegiate hurdles – is going national with an assist from 1996 Olympic decathlon gold medalist Dan O’Brien.

USA Track and Field and Clovis Unified announced Wednesday that Buchanan High’s Veterans Memorial Stadium will host the 2016 national Junior Outdoor Championships. The competition is expected to draw more than 1,500 athletes (ages 14-19), coaches and officials for a week’s worth of events culminating with the three-day meet June 24-26.

“In the world of track and field, this is huge,” said Brian Weaver, Buchanan High coach and CIF State Championship meet director. “These are the kids who will be NCAA champions. These will be the kids when they are older who will go to the World Championships. These are Olympic-type kids. This is the future of track and field.”

Clovis Unified Deputy Superintendent Carlo Prandini said O’Brien helped bring USA Track and Field and Clovis officials together three years ago after covering the CIF State Track and Field Championships at Veterans, when he noted that the stadium was one of the best track venues he had ever visited.

That led to trips to Clovis by Ed Gorman and Sue Humphrey, the heads of USA men’s and women’s track and field, followed by a commitment from Clovis Unified to upgrade Veterans Memorial and make it a viable option for national events.

“We really want to develop a partnership with USA Track,” Prandini said. “We feel we can be a West Coast venue for national track and field, and this is our first opportunity to prove it. I really feel like because of the relationships we’ve built up with them over the last two, three years, they know we can do it and they know the community supports it.”

To land the event, Veterans has undergone a mini-makeover.

The long and triple jumps, which used to run in a straight line along the visitors’ side of the stadium, now run parallel on the home side, with sand pits at both ends to accommodate for changes in wind direction. The pole vault area was moved to the visitors’ side and can now be flipped for wind.

A steeplechase pit and javelin runway were added to the northwest end and there are two recessed shot put rings in the southeast corner. A new ring has been built for the discus and hammer throws, and an 85-meter, six-lane warmup track was added behind the visitors’ section.

The Junior Outdoors add a fourth jewel to a string of high profile track and field events set for Veterans that begins with the college-level Mountain West Conference Championships on May 11-14 and continues with the CIF Central Section Masters meet May 21 and the CIF State Championships on June 3-4.

“The road to Rio (de Janeiro, site of the 2016 Olympics) runs right through Fresno/Clovis,” Prandini said. “It’s going to be track central and a great showcase for our community and the Valley. We’re really excited for this opportunity, and hopefully it’s a gateway to other meets.”

Clovis officials also were excited to learn the city would be hosting the meet, which is expected to draw crowds of 10,000 to 12,000 each day.

On average, those who need hotel rooms spend about $95 per person per day on rooms, food, fuel, sundry and other items, said Shawn Miller, business development manager for Clovis.

When Clovis hosts the CIF State Championships in June, each hotel room has more than two people each, he said.

Since Clovis has only 588 hotel rooms, the overflow will spill into Fresno to share the wealth.

Those not staying in hotel rooms are expected to spend about $45 per day.

But it’s not just the revenue that has Clovis officials charged up.

“This is very prestigious,” Miller said. “It’s like having the Tour of California for runners.”

The Junior Outdoor Championships traditionally take place alongside the senior Outdoor Championships, as they did in 2015 at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field. However, the junior meet returns to a standalone event as the 2016 elite event also will host the U.S. Olympic Trials.

This story was originally published September 16, 2015 at 1:16 PM with the headline "Clovis Unified to host 2016 Junior National track and field meet."