UO school record-holder Britney Henry will be among the hammer throwers contending for spots on the U.S. Olympic team next week on the Nike campus. The U.S. Olympic Trials aren't just a Eugene show this time. The trials' first event takes place near Beaverton next Thursday at Nike World Headquarters with what o
. Women's finals are 1:15 p.m. men's preliminaries at 3:15 p.m., and the men's finals at 5:15 p.m.
The public is invited, admission is free and organizers aren't sure what to expect.
"If we get a couple thousand people, that will be cool," said Mark Pilkenton, Nike's director of global event marketing. "If we get 5,000, we'll be blown away."
Pilkenton, retired Nike executive Dave Taylor, a volunteer with TrackTown12, and
Lance Deal, UO director of track & field venues,
did most of the organizational heavy lifting. Deal, of course, holds the U.S. record in the hammer and won the silver medal at the 1996 Olympics.
Pilkenton said organizers expect a big turnout of Nike employees. They will mobilize volunteers to direct members of the public -- who are asked to arrive via Nike's Walker Road entrance -- to parking, and from their cars to the event. There will be on-site concessions, including a beer garden.
"I think the
by the reception they will get," Pilkenton said. "At Nike, if there is one thing we know, it's how to relate to athletes. We're going to roll out the red carpet. We're going to go the extra mile to show these guys we want take care of them and the fans."
The celebration will continue a day later in Eugene. Hammer Time winners will take a victory lap around Hayward Field. Highlights of the hammer competition will be shown on the giant replay screens inside the stadium.
"It's built into the meet schedule," Pilkenton said.
Theisen honored:
The USTFCCCA named Oregon heptathlete Brianne Theisen as women's college field athlete of the year on Wednesday. Theisen won her third NCAA heptathlon championship last week with the second-highest score in NCAA history.
Ken Goe: 503-221-8040;