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November 18, 2006

NCAA looking at conducting all three cross country championships at one site

Craig Pearson

TERRE HAUTE — Indiana State is locked in as host for the 2007 NCAA Championships, but Terre Haute has the potential to be the host for a collegiate cross country festival of sorts, liaison of the NCAA cross country committee Mark Bockelman said Friday after the committee’s meeting at the Wabash Valley Family Sports Center.

Among the options the committee will explore in the future is having the Division I, II and III NCAA Championships at one site.

An event like that could be one way to boost interest in the sport.

“There’s a lot of logistics to work out to do something like this,” Bockelman said in an interview at the Holiday Inn, headquarters for the NCAA committee this weekend with the championships taking place Monday.

“If we can focus the attention of the collegiate on one place on one weekend, it could be a very positive thing for the sport. It’s an interesting topic to talk about,” Bockelman said.

That could be a long-term goal, he said. In the less distant future, the NCAA hopes to take into consideration the wishes of the members of the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

“What we can definitely say is that, whatever happens in the future, the coach here, Indiana State and the town of Terre Haute will definitely be in the plans,” Bockelman said. “As far as future hosting opportunities, they will be in the mix on a regular basis.”

ISU men’s coach and track and field coordinator John McNichols has expressed a desire to have the championships at the Gibson Course every other year, with the idea to move it around the United States on other years.

“The committee has that flexibility,” Bockelman said. “As we explore more courses that might be capable of hosting the national championships, and I think we’re going to get that exploration here in the new future, especially working with the coaches association. They want to spend more time out there exploring the courses that are out there.”

Bockelman said it’s an exciting time.

“It’s new ground in the sense that we’re heading into an exploration kind of thing for different options,” he said. “That’s not to say that’s a result anything wrong that’s happened with Indiana State. It’s really more of a wish on the coaches association to know what’s out there and to take inventory of what’s out there.”

Bockelman said the NCAA is satisfied with the Terre Haute community’s awareness and ability to handle an event with thousands of visitors that requires volunteer support.

“We have been thrilled with the reception of the community every year, the people at Indiana State, the hotels we deal with and the receptions at restaurants,” Bockelman said. “The Convention and Visitor’s Bureau is right on path with what we’re looking for.

“When you come to Terre Haute, people know what you’re here for the cross country championships and they ask you questions.”

An event like the above-described cross country festival would require more hotel rooms and Terre Haute is already at capacity for this weekend. Some teams stay in hotels in Plainfield or near the airport at Indianapolis — some by choice. Terre Haute has two hotels under construction, the downtown Hilton Garden Inn at Wabash Ave. and Seventh Street, and the SpringHill Suites by Marriott that will be directly behind the Holiday Inn on U.S. 41.

“Even with the new facilities, you wouldn’t be able to accommodate all of those people,” Bockelman said. “The new rooms are going to add and that helps. We are impressed by the growth in hotels.”



• Economic impact — Each visitor that comes to Terre Haute is worth about $90 to the local economy, director of Terre Haute Convention and Visitor’s Bureau Dave Patterson said.

“The big thing here is not only the direct impact of 6,000 to 8,000,” Patterson said. “People are coming here from every corner of the country, and a lot of these runners are from outside the U.S. They’re here spending money and getting a positive impression of our community. It’s a wonderful event for our community. It shows us in a positive light.”

n Wet course — The LaVern Gibson course was pretty soggy Friday afternoon after Terre Haute received 31/2 inches of rain during the middle of the week.

Today’s forecast calls for a sunny, 50-degree day that should help soak up the water, McNichols said near the end of a long day with women’s coach John Gartland and a host of other volunteers preparing the course for Monday’s championships.

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