The TrackTown Summer Series is "expanding this year" with an eye on "sparking greater interest stateside in track and field," according to Anne Peterson of the AP. The unique team competition -- the brainchild of USA Track & Field President Vin Lananna, who also serves as president of TrackTown USA -- "made its debut last year in Eugene, Oregon." It was a "one-off meet that was overshadowed by the Olympic Trials and ultimately the Rio Games." However, the "intention was always to expand." This year the series will "consist of three meets in late June and early July" in Portland, Stanford and a championship in N.Y. Four teams are "taking shape" under high-profile GMs: Allyson Felix for the N.Y. Empire, Nick Symmonds for the S.F. Surge, Bernard Lagat for the Portland Pulse and Sanya Richards-Ross for the Philadelphia Force. The four were "part of a draft held Friday in Portland." The idea is to give American track and field athletes "greater exposure on home soil." Lananna said, "We always felt for our athletes it would be better for them to be able to build their brand in the United States before heading to Europe or wherever they land." The meet is also an effort to get U.S. fans "more excited about the sport" in advance of the '21 World Championships in Eugene. Lananna: "We have the top team in terms of medals and yet a person like Ashton Eaton, who is a double world record-holder and Olympic medalist, can go anywhere in this country in an airport and walk through without one person recognizing him. That's troublesome." Peterson noted the event "will likely expand again" in '18 (AP, 5/20).
