Where else do you find sports fans and participants competing and watching from all walks of life and from all corners of the state of Nebraska, all in one place?
The State track meet has been a staple at Omaha Burke Stadium for all classes, boys and girls since 1981. Prior to the 1981 State track meet at Omaha Burke, the boys and girls were separated and competed at different locations throughout the state: Kearney, Lincoln and North Platte.
After speaking with a few esteemed individuals about the track meet moving to Burke the first time for all athletes to compete at the same venue in a two day event, there were many doubters, but look what it has become? Look at what can happen when some people take a chance, and have a no-quit attitude.
Since 1981, Burke Stadium in Omaha has hosted the annual event of State track and field for all classes. In this day and age, everybody wants a piece of the pie, in hosting state championships. The bidding process to host state championships is evaluated by the NSAA Board of Control each year it seems like, but track and field hasn't been one of those lately. There has only ever been preliminary talks about any organization or community trying to take state track out of Omaha since the championship arrived in Omaha in 1981.
The improvements that have been made over the years to the Burke Stadium are astounding and have helped Omaha keep the meet, anywhere from safety concerns for athletes and fans, to eliminating congestion near the concession areas and advancements to make the meet run much smoother and more efficiently. The money to make these improvements are from you the families and fans that attend the state track meet, and purchase programs and t-shirts. The amount of financial burden supplied to make improvements is in excess of $1.2 million. Coming up with that type of money can be quite the hurdle to overcome, if it weren’t for the track and field faithful that attend every year.
Speaking of, there are new hurdles at Burke Stadium this year, that were purchased with the profits from program and t-shirt sales. The improvements are visible, each and every time I attend the State track meet. The volunteer help and participating athletes are always needed to run a good meet, and it seems that people are willing to bend over backwards to lend a helping hand.
Another intriguing site to many will be a new concession area that was constructed in the Northwest corner of the complex, only problem is climbing all those stairs to get there. Which makes a person think, do
the stairs ever end? How many stairs are there actually?
There are always people cheering for great performances from their specific school or other schools, rivalries are chilled during the state track and field meet.
Others waited patiently to perform at the best sports spectacle in Nebraska high school sports.
Who would ever be against a sport that allows the athletes to have a little creativity? Whether it be shoes designed like sharks?
Bright colors are always good too.
Sports questions of the blog: In what year did the boys Nebraska state track and field contest quit running at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln? Why was Lincoln no longer a viable option for the State meet?
