Jan. 25, 2005
COLUMBIA, Mo. -
Tiger post-collegians Christian Cantwell, Olympian Derrick Peterson, and Tim Dunne will continue their indoor seasons with the Reebok Boston Indoor Games in Boston, Mass., on Saturday. The Boston Games are part of USA Track & Field's 2005 Indoor Visa Championship Series, where American athletes will compete not only for more than $1 million in prize and support money, they will also be racing toward a combined $50,000 jackpot and other prizes for the Visa Championship.
Olympian Derrick Peterson (Jonesboro, Ga.) and Tim Dunne (Jerome, Idaho) will compete in the 1000-meter run. Peterson won a spot on USA's Olympic Team in 2004 in the 800 meters, placing third at July's Olympic Trials. Dunne, a 2003 All-American, is coming off his meet record-breaking performance at the Missouri Invitational, winning the 1000 meters in 2:26.90.
Christian Cantwell (Eldon, Mo.) will compete in a five-man men's shot put competition that includes familiar foes Adam Nelson, John Godina, and Reese Hoffa. Cantwell, 2004 IAAF World Indoor Champion, is currently the early World leader in the event with his winning throw from the Missouri Invitational of 69 feet, 1¼ inches (21.06m). Something has got to give as the all-time series between Cantwell and Nelson is tied at 7-7, as well as the series between Cantwell and Godina at 4-4. Cantwell holds an 18-5 advantage over Hoffa.
The male and female athlete with the top overall performance in the 2005 Visa Championship Series will be named Visa Champion and receive a $25,000 bonus. In addition, each Visa Champion will be awarded an invitation of their choice to a premiere Visa-sponsored event, including the Super Bowl, NFL Pro Bowl, Daytona 500, Kentucky Derby, Tony Awards or Pebble Beach weekend.
The top American male finisher and top American female finisher in each event of the Visa Championship Series, including the Millrose Games on February 4, the Tyson Invitational on February 11-12, and the USA Indoor Track & Field Championships, will have their performances assigned a point total based on the IAAF Scoring Tables of Athletics. The athlete whose performance has the highest point total at the end of the Visa Championship Series will be named the Visa Champion.
Now in its seventh year, the Visa Championship Series - formerly the Golden Spike Tour - provides America's best athletes the opportunity to compete in the United States and earn substantial prize money in front of a nationally televised audience. Live crowds at Visa Championship Series meets typically have averaged more than 10,000 fans, with TV ratings rising as much as 25 percent in any given year for individual broadcasts.
USATF's seven shows on NBC in 2004 averaged a 2.5 rating, which exceeds the NBA's regular-season average. Track & Field has upwards of 40 national TV broadcasts in any given year, and average Nielsen ratings for track broadcasts compare favorably with nearly every sports property. In addition to securing national TV coverage of the Visa Championship Series, USA Track & Field has worked with ESPN and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) to bring same-day, prime-time coverage of international Golden League meets to ESPN throughout the summer season.
The 2005 Visa Championship Series television series begins with tape-delayed coverage of the Reebok Boston Indoor Games on January 30 on ESPN, airing between 4 and 5:30 p.m., central time.
