News

INDIANAPOLIS, February 4, 1999 -- USA Track & Field President Patricia Rico and CEO Craig Masback announced
today the formation of a new track and field television series titled the "Golden Spike Tour." During the indoor season, the tour
will feature a televised indoor track and field event each weekend in February beginning with the Millrose Games in New York
on February 5, and ending with the USA Indoor Track and Field Championships on February 27 in Atlanta. There will also be
a number of outdoor meets that will be televised later this year. Details will be announced following the indoor season. The
Golden Spike Tour, sponsored by adidas, Ultima Replenisher and Visa, will air on NBC and ESPN during the indoor season.
CBS and ESPN will televise outdoor Golden Spike Tour events. 

The tour is designed to showcase America's and the world's finest track and field athletes in exciting matchups including
Maurice Greene, Suzy Hamilton, C.J. Hunter, Jearl Miles-Clark, Jeff Hartwig, Regina Jacobs, Jon Drummond, Tisha Waller
and many more. 

The following is a listing of the Golden Spike Tour events and their television air dates and times during the indoor season: 

1999 GOLDEN SPIKE TOUR 

Event                           Date                    Venue                   City
Chase Millrose Games            Friday, Feb. 5          Madison Square Garden   New York, NY

Los Angeles Invitational        Saturday, Feb. 13       L.A. Sports Arena       Los Angeles, CA

adidas D.C. Invitational        Friday, Feb. 19         George Mason Univ.      Fairfax, VA

USA Indoor Track & Field        Friday, Feb. 26         Georgia Dome    Atlanta, GA
Championships                   Saturday, Feb. 27

TELEVISION SCHEDULE 

Event                           Date                    Network         Time (Eastern)
Chase Millrose Games            Saturday, Feb. 6        NBC             1:30-2:30 p.m.

L.A. Invitational               Sunday, Feb. 14         ESPN            12:30-1:30 a.m.

adidas D.C. Invitational        Saturday, Feb. 20       NBC             2:00-3:00 p.m.

USA Indoor Track & Field        Saturday, Feb. 27       NBC Live        5:00-6:00 p.m.
Championships                   Sunday, Feb. 28         ESPN            12:30-1:30 a.m.
                                Sunday, Feb. 28         ESPN (repeat)   4:30-5:30 p.m.

The series will feature a minimum of 10 core events at the meets in New York, Los Angeles and Fairfax where America's best
track and field athletes will compete for prize money for finishing in the top six in each event. 

USATF will award more than $750,000 in promotional and prize money to participating athletes during the next month. The
indoor portion of the Golden Spike Tour will culminate with the USA Indoor Championships in Atlanta, where the U.S. roster
will be determined for the 1999 IAAF World Indoor Track & Field Championships in Maebashi, Japan, March 5-7. 

In order to highlight head-to-head competition, the Golden Spike Tour will feature particular events that will end with a unique
one-on-one final to determine the winner. For example: At the Millrose Games on February 5 in New York, the women's 60
meters will be contested with a semifinal round of two heats with three competitors each. The final will feature the two winners
of those semifinal races in an exciting match race format. In a similar arrangement at the Los Angeles Invitational on February
13, the men's shot put will feature a preliminary round with four athletes who will each receive three throws. The top two
competitors in the preliminary round will then square off in the final. Both competitors in the final will start from scratch and
receive four throws to determine the winner. 

"USA Track & Field is proud to introduce the Golden Spike Tour which will provide a great promotional platform for our
athletes and add to the great history of track and field in the U.S.," said USATF CEO Craig Masback. "We're grateful for the
cooperation of our athletes, sponsors and meet directors, along with NBC, ESPN and CBS in putting this series together.
We're confident that the Golden Spike Tour will provide the first step in the resurgence of track and field in this country." 

"We're thrilled that adidas, Ultima and Visa have joined USA Track & Field in support of the Golden Spike Tour," said
USATF President Patricia Rico. "Not only do our sponsors support our television series, each one of these sponsors also
supports other aspects of our sport from grassroots through our Masters program. It's great that these three sponsors, and
others soon to be announced, believe in what we're trying to do, and that they choose to be allied with track and field." 

The following lists the athletes who are scheduled to compete in the 10 core events at the Millrose Games, the Los Angeles
Invitational and the adidas D.C. Invitational. (Subject to change). 

CHASE MILLROSE GAMES 

Men 


Pole Vault: Jeff Hartwig, Pat Manson, Lawrence Johnson, Bill Deering, Dean Starkey, 

Scott Hennig, Nick Hysong, Mike Drummey, Nick Buckfield (GBR). 


LOS ANGELES INVITATIONAL 

Men 

Pole Vault: Jeff Hartwig, Pat Manson, Lawrence Johnson, Scott Hennig, Bill Deering, Dean Starkey. 



adidas D.C. INVITATIONAL 

Men 

Pole Vault: Jeff Hartwig, Pan Manson, Lawrence Johnson, Dean Starkey, Scott Hennig, Bill Deering. 

Television commentators assigned to the events on the Golden Spike Tour are as follows: 

Event                   Network Announcers
Millrose Games          NBC     Tom Hammond, Dwight Stones, Carol Lewis and James Lofton.
L.A. Invitational       ESPN    Bob Varsha, Larry Rawson, Lewis Johnson.
D.C. Invitational       NBC     Tom Hammond, Dwight Stones, Carol Lewis and Mike Powell.
USA Indooor Track &     NBC     Tom Hammond, Dwight Stones, Carol Lewis, 
Field Championships             Jim Grey and Lewis Johnson.

The meet directors for the 1999 Golden Spike Tour are: Millrose Games - Howard Schmertz (516) 221-1576; Los Angeles
Invitational - Al Franken (310) 535-9230; D.C. Invitational - Thomas McLean, USA Track & Field (317) 261-0500 ext.
304; USA Indoor Championships - Duffy Mahoney, USA Track & Field (317) 261-0500 ext. 336. 

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