![](http://images.fasterskier.com/oldsitearchive/upload/080805-083854-image1.jpeg width=450 height=337.5 border=1><br />
<font size=1 face=verdana>The faces in the crowd in the East Grandstands during the 2008 USA Olympic Track Trials. Everyday twenty-one thousand fans filled Hayward Field, helping Eugene restore its mantle as “Track Town USA.â€</font></center></p>
<p>I love track. All of it, from the simplicity of distance running to the sight of sprinters turning power into acceleration. From the way hurdlers snap their lead leg over the barrier to the track, to that specific, singular moment the pole vaulter transfers kinetic energy into potential energy. </p>
<p>Twenty-one sporting events involving running, throwing or jumping constitute track & field. For every body type, for every temperament, is an event to match. And there I was for two days in Eugene, living with friends out of a pop-top Westfalia, running on woodchip trails beside the Willamette River, watching beauty unfurl before my eyes. </p>
<p>There I was on the fourth of July, simultaneously taking in javelin and triple jump qualifying, hammer and high jump finals, while also keyed to the track. In each race, in each lane, a story worth telling unfolded before me eyes. </p>
<p>During the women’s 1500 meter semifinal heat B — an otherwise forgettable race on an unforgettable night — Jordan Hasay, five foot one inch bundle of energy and golden locks bounced onto the stage at Hayward Field and gave the kind of performance that can be given just once — for a talent can be discovered but on one occasion; a new superstar bursts onto the scene only one time.</p>
<p>The race opens inauspiciously. Up front, Lindsey Gallo and Erin Donohue push the pace and string the field out, single file style. Seven hundred meters in, the 67-second-a-lap pace begins to collect interest. A half dozen separate from the field. The others enter different stages of difficulty. Hasay stays near the tail’s end, running 13th of 15. Another lap, and the high school junior still hangs in the back of the chase pack. Then, coming into the homestraight for the third of four times, Hasay quickens her strides. </p>
<p>The crowd stands and begins the most cherished of Eugene traditions – the sharing in on a performance by rhythmically clapping to a runner’s cadence. Only the patrons of Hayward weren’t cheering on the race leaders. Nor were they applauding the efforts of a favorite son wearing the green and gold of Oregon as they did for Andrew Wheating in the men’s 800 meter final. Hayward was applauding Ms. Hasay’s move up to eleventh to tenth to ninth. With each step Ms. Hasay moved slightly, ever so much closer to a top six result and a place in the Olympic Trials final. With each meter Hasay gained, so moved a constant funnel of noise. </p>
<p>Down the final straightaway Hasay stayed light and smooth with her stride. With ninety to go she moved into seventh, then overtook sixth, then fifth, midway through the homestretch. At the finish the clock stops at 4:14.5, a new American high school record and a spot in the Olympic Trials 1500M final. At the finish line the crowd erupts. “Go to Oregon! Go to Oregon!†Ms. Hasay blushes, waves her hand in appreciation. The crowd absolutely loves it. The chant increases in intensity. Ms. Hasay blushes even more. Recruiting for the University of Oregon track team just got a little easier.</p>
<p>ESPN’s Jim Caple would write “Jordan Hasay received one of the loudest college recruiting pitches in history from the crowd of 20,000-plus at Hayward Field.”</p>
<p>(Note to NCAA: Is that a recruiting violation?) </p>
<p>Filtering out of the stadium after the men’s 10,000 meter final that night I bump into Jordan and her mother.</p>
<p>“Congratulations. You had all of us out of our seats. That was quite the performance.â€</p>
<p>“Oh, thanks.†Just beaming. Radiating positive vibes. I’m reminded of a thought Kerouac transcribed in On The Road. That night, all possibilities were out there, the world turned a giant oyster. “And the pearl was there. The pearl was there.â€</p>
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Headgear Sponsor: USA Pears (www.usapears.com)
Best Western Icicle Inn (www.icicleinn.com)
BioSports NorthWest Physical Therapy (www.biosports.net)