A couple of good articles on rebuilding the iconic track facility. I haven't really followed the debate but Tinker Hatfield makes a couple of really good points. I saw multiple world records and most of Pre's races from the East Grandstands so I prefer a design which preserves them and a 20' high stone wall will really change the ambiance.

http://www.oregonlive.com/trackandfield/index.ssf/2018/06/tinker_hatfield_goes_public_bl.html#incart_river_index

http://www.registerguard.com/sports/20180601/knight-vision-nike-cofounder-phil-knight-breaks-his-silence-on-hayward-field

I understand what Hatfield is saying but when comparing the two designs, I still prefer the one that Knight's team came up with. While Hatfield's design looked a lot like the current Hayward, it still left a lot of seats uncovered and it had some weird angles/designs on the south side that didn't really make the stadium look fit to host a world-class meet like the World Championships.

The East Grandstands are coming down today:

Sad, but at the same time excited for the new stadium.

East Grandstands are nearly completely down. Local news said they should have it completely cleared by tomorrow evening.

Exactly the way I feel, I was lucky enough to go down to Eugene and watched a couple of meets with my dad, but we were there to watch Pre run, saw him live twice from the stands. Sad to see them go but with time comes change and the Ducks don't do anything half ass when it comes to their sports facilities........ excited to see the new Hayward Field completed.

What gets me though is that according to Tinker, when it comes to the performance side of the track, it IS being done half assed. So it might look great on TV, but for those on the track it might be more unlikely now to see records being broken.

As a pole vaulter Tinker would be acutely aware of the mental and physical effects a swirling wind could have while trying to launch yourself 20' in the air. The old Hayward Field fit into the surrounding community, at least when I lived there until the economy drove me out in the early 80's. The new design looks more like a fortress with the stone walls, and I really don't understand the phallic design of the Bowerman tower.

What Tinker Hatfield claims about the new stadium causing performance problems is something "hanging" in my mind a bit, and I'm not sure it's been adequately answered to my knowledge (including by Phil Knight himself, who is in favor of the new design), so I guess we'll just have to wait and see. I can't see it being problematic for the short sprints and the long jump in any case.