Chaos at IMG track meet raises concerns

BRADENTON -- Stories flew in from the parking lot outside IMG Academy Field on the first day of the state championships in Bradenton. IMG Academy's first hosting gig for the state title in track and field was not going smoothly.

The limitations of a one-lane entrance backed up traffic for more than a mile on 53rd Avenue and had some spectators, coaches and athletes waiting more than an hour on Friday to finally make it from the edge of the traffic jam to their parking spot.

Some athletes even had to hop out of their cars and buses on Bollettieri Boulevard for pre-race races to sign up for their events.

Both the FHSAA's and IMG's Twitter mentions were flooded with complaints about traffic, construction and the parking situation on campus.

As problems became evident, administrators from both IMG and FHSAA convened to find solutions.

If this event was going to succeed in the short term they needed to make rapid changes.

If it was going to ever return to Bradenton and work long-term, there would have to be sweeping alterations.

"Friday, I think everyone can agree we had those challenges," FHSAA public relations specialist Kyle Niblett said, "and I think everyone would agree that Saturday it was much improved."

The inevitable chaos of hosting a massive event like a track and field state championship was more organized by Day 2.

IMG and the FHSAA stopped charging money for parking and opened up additional dining in the campus center across from IMG Field.

Both IMG and the FHSAA also were expecting the Florida Highway Patrol to be at the corner of 53rd Avenue and Bollettieri Boulevard, outside the stadium entrance, to help manage traffic, but a trooper didn't show up until later in the day.

But there was nothing they could do about the overwhelming crowds, whipping winds and a comparatively miniscule awards setup.

The most overt and overwhelming criticisms of the Ascenders' first time hosting this particular state meet centered simply on the sheer volume of spectators, athletes and coaches who filled the stadium.

This was the first year the FHSAA tried cramming all four classifications into one venue on the same days.

Pair that with IMG's relatively mid-state location -- last year's state championships were held in Jacksonville -- and there was an expectation for a large crowd. IMG was told to expect about 4,000 people.

The actual number was at least double that. Niblett has been told the crowd approached record attendance. Day 1 had massive lines to just buy tickets outside the venue.

On Day 2, the Ascenders opened more ticket windows and wait times were down to a maximum of five minutes, Niblett said.

"We heard from our people," he said, "and we tried to fix all the problems they encountered."

With this specific format there's only so much IMG can do moving forward if it hosts the event again -- and IMG is still under strong consideration for next year, albeit likely with a different format.

Lakewood Ranch head coach Mark Napier, who was in the majority of area coaches who liked the new format, doesn't necessarily feel IMG is unequipped to host the meet with this particular format.

He was willing to chalk up some of the mishaps to IMG being a first-time host and an outside commitment pulling Ascenders track and field director Loren Seagrave away from Bradenton for the weekend.

He reached out to Seagrave during the weekend to air some of his complaints, namely a setup which planted the podium in a small corner of the stadium and the events' unwillingness to move timing equipment to the opposite side of the track so the wind was at runners' backs rather than blowing in their faces.

"Everyone's saying this is for the kids. No it's not," Napier said. "These are some things that up front they need to look into."

IMG director of events Titus Queen was not made available for an interview this week. Logistically, FHSAA track and field administrator Ed Thompson said through Niblett, setting up the facility such that timing equipment could be moved to the opposite side of the track, in front of the smaller set of bleachers, would have been too costly and time-consuming to justify.

Everyone was facing the same obstacle, so there was no competitive advantage because of the conditions.

The FHSAA will meet with IMG in June to rehash the successes and failures of this season and what could change in the future if the Ascenders host again. IMG is already at work creating solutions to the most overt problems.

The stadium entrance is being renovated to have multiple lanes coming in and out of the parking lot, a project which should be completed in the coming weeks.

David Wilson, Herald sports writer, can be contacted at 941-745-7057 or on Twitter @DBWilson2.

This story was originally published May 12, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Chaos at IMG track meet raises concerns ."