Published : Aug. 26, 2011 - 18:46
In order to make the most out of the mind-boggling number of events at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, spectators should take note of a few key points.
The first and possibly the most crucial point is taking note of the schedule and planning ahead of time. Fans looking to attend the most popular events like the 100 meters, which are likely to draw large crowds should especially plan ahead in order to grab the best seats.
A view of Daegu Stadium. For the best spots to watch the 100 meters, spectators should look for orange bleachers, while throws are best seen on blue, orange and green bleachers. The high jump is best seen from the yellow bleachers. (Park Hae-mook/The Korea Herald)
“For 100 meters the start line is good place to sit so you can see and feel how tense the moment is for the athletes,” team attache manager, Kim Yu-jin told The Korea Herald.
“But because the screens are so great on the facilities, anywhere you sit will give you a good enough view,” she said.
One place to watch the throws can be slightly right to the line of the throw, on the receiving end, but because the throws span over such ranges preferences can vary.
“For throws, the events are on the south side, and if you sit at near the throwing cages, you can see all the little intricate movements that the throwers do,” said Kim.
“Because the throwing distances can expand some 100 meters you can watch the events all along the throwing lines.”
Kim also hinted that the jumps maybe the most interesting event to watch, with human beings jumping over two meters unassisted.
“For jumps they are held in the north side and matching your eyelevel with the bar, is the way to watch it,” said the manager.
“That way you get to watch just how much technique and flexibility goes into jumping such extreme heights,” she said.
But the World Championships, with so much riding in line for the athletes, is not only about where to watch them compete, but how to watch them compete.
There are certain etiquette points to follow when viewing these events, which includes a combination of dead silence, thunderous applause and rhythmic clapping, that may make or break an athlete.
With the new measures by the International Association of Athletics Federations disqualifying athletes after just one false start, anxieties are high enough among the athletes on the starting line.
In order to keep from breaking the concentrations of the fastest men in the world, the crowd should hold their breath as well, waiting for that gunshot before they start cheering.
But for field events, depending on the athletes preferences, applause and cheers are encouraged throughout, which even benefits some. Croatian high jumper, Blanka Vlasic, who has taken numerous silvers and golds in the past, tries to encourage rhythmic clapping from the crowd to help match her steps to the beat.
However, Vlasic’s German competitor Ariane Friedrich who is sitting out this year is known to silence her crowd right before her runs and only after she clears the bar do her fans applaud.
By Robert Lee (robert@heraldcorp.com)