Penn Friday ’23 Was Wet, Windy, and Cold
As if the removal of the popular segment USA v. The World from the Penn Relays carnival wasn’t enough, the weather and temperature at this year’s edition, April 27-29, made things worse for athletes and spectators alike. It rained nonstop the entire day Friday and into Saturday; it was windy, cold, and just plain miserable.
Athletes who compete outdoor train for the possibility of inclement weather, so in rainy and cold conditions, they keep moving to get some warmth as they await their turn on the track or in the field. And when on the track, they must deal with seeing through the driving rain and maintaining their balance in soggy lanes as they deftly traverse puddles in longer races, especially when they jostle aggressively for favorable positions.
Yet, at the same time, a wet track could help the sprinters’ performance.
For the spectators at Penn 2023 though, things were miserable; umbrellas and the covered seating sections on the north and south sides provided no comfort as the rain driven by the wind pushed them to huddle farther up in stands where some would normally sit to escape the blazing sun on Fridays when it’s less crowded and empty seats are available.
The rain relented by 3:00 o’clock Saturday and the sun peeked through the clouds ending business for the poncho sellers outside, and the temperature moved up a degree or two. This is the juncture the popular USA v. The World activities would be in high gear; instead, it was Championship of America college men’s and women’s 4x800m. These races were in the middle of an agenda of Olympic Development events ranging from sprint hurdles and flat races to college 4x4s and 600m Elite.
By this time, the uncovered area under the usually empty top tier U‑shaped two-tiered stadium began to till out nicely, albeit not as much as former years, which begs the question: was it that Saturday afternoon faithful didn’t show up because their favorite segment has been eliminated or is it that many bought tickets but were deterred by the weather they didn’t want to battle? -Desmond Palmer