SportsCenter Signature Event

WolfPtCat · Post by **WolfPtCat** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 5:02 pm

Did you see what ESPN is going to feature during their visit to MT on July 27? Sky diving in Lost Prairie, Montana??? What the.....? I don't even know where Lost Prarie is. Guess thats how it got its name.

What would be your signature event for the State of Montana to have featured on SportsCenter? Let's throw Cat-griz out, as it is the obvious choice.

How about stacking the Montana Mile at the Big Sky State Games? There has to be at least 8 All-American distance runners (High School, NCAA, NAIA, etc.) in the last 5-10 years. Give them all 6 months to prepare and let em' duke it out.

With ESPN's summer schedule it would even fit.

What do you all think?

mchammer · Post by **mchammer** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 5:28 pm

It is funny what some networks think is really important here in Montana. As a track coach I like the Montana Mile idea, but they don't run that fast, 4:21 this year. The reason is that it's not the right time of the year for peaking. Most distance runners are doing pre-season training, and avoiding the speed work. Although the race is exciting to watch, and really fun for the runners, I don't think that it would have broad appeal, and I think that viewers would be disappointed with the times.

CelticCat · Post by **CelticCat** » Tue Jul 19, 2005 7:23 pm

You guys have to look at the other states events, then you will be ecstatic at skydiving.

mquast53000 · Post by **mquast53000** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 8:30 am

I think that ESPN should have done something related with rodeo. It would have been really cool if they would have done the Bucking Horse Sale in Miles City, but that event is in the spring not the summer. I was wondering how they heard about this sky diving event… Heck I don’t even know where Lost Prairie is located.

Ponycat · Post by **Ponycat** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 8:37 am

I think they should have done the 6-man footbal championship.

PDXKat · Post by **PDXKat** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 8:40 am

mquast53000 wrote:… Heck I don’t even know where Lost Prairie is located.

Mike, no one knows where it is, they used to, but it's been lost for some time. Good luck finding it ESPN.

longhorn_22 · Post by **longhorn_22** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 10:04 am

Ponycat wrote:I think they should have done the 6-man footbal championship.

Unless that takes place in the summer, then they couldn't do it. I live in Billings, and no one here or any other bigger Montana town care about 6 man football.

Post by **SonomaCat** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 10:45 am

longhorn_22 wrote:
Ponycat wrote:I think they should have done the 6-man footbal championship.
Unless that takes place in the summer, then they couldn't do it. I live in Billings, and no one here or any other bigger Montana town care about 6 man football.

Not to get too knee-jerk reactive here, but I think it is a bit of a put-down to 6 man football to say that "no one" in Billings or other bigger towns care about it. You might not, but then most people in Billings and other bigger towns don't care about the AA football games, either.

I'm not sure how many the AA championship games draw, but when a six man football game set in a town of 200 people draws over 3,000 fans, that tells me that somebody must care about it and that it probably is a unique story to tell that would show a lot about the rural nature and community feel of Montana.

They don't play the games in the summer, though, so you're right -- it's not a good choice.

longhorn_22 · Post by **longhorn_22** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 10:53 am

Bay Area Cat wrote:
longhorn_22 wrote:
Ponycat wrote:I think they should have done the 6-man footbal championship.
Unless that takes place in the summer, then they couldn't do it. I live in Billings, and no one here or any other bigger Montana town care about 6 man football.
Not to get too knee-jerk reactive here, but I think it is a bit of a put-down to 6 man football to say that "no one" in Billings or other bigger towns care about it. You might not, but then most people in Billings and other bigger towns don't care about the AA football games, either.

I'm not sure how many the AA championship games draw, but when a six man football game set in a town of 200 people draws over 3,000 fans, that tells me that somebody must care about it and that it probably is a unique story to tell that would show a lot about the rural nature and community feel of Montana.

They don't play the games in the summer, though, so you're right -- it's not a good choice.

The games we do care about in Billings are AA games, not 6-man, thats all i was saying. I wasn't trying to get anyone angry or anything. That 3000 people are the entire town and the relatives. Personally I know no one that goes to 6man games, mainly because i live in Billings, but thats just what i know. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Post by **SonomaCat** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 11:12 am

The entire town is only 200 people, so virtually all of the fans were from out of town (some undoubtably from bigger towns). The point was that a lot of people traveled from all over the state to see those games, so obviously there was a decent amount of statewide interest.

When I lived in Billings, nobody I knew cared about AA games, but a lot of people followed the smaller schools quite closely. It just depends on what crowd you run with.

I know you intended no offense in your comment, and what you are saying makes sense. I just wanted to point out that those small school sporting events do certainly capture the attention of many people in the state even outside of the towns of the teams that are playing.

El_Gato · Post by **El_Gato** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 11:25 am

I could respond by asking if you lived in any town that participated in 6 man football, what else would you do the weekend of the Title game, watch paint dry?

But I decided not to...

FTG22 · Post by **FTG22** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 3:59 pm

Does anyone know what day espn will be broadcasting the montana edition?

Post by **SonomaCat** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 4:08 pm

El_Gato wrote:I could respond by asking if you lived in any town that participated in 6 man football, what else would you do the weekend of the Title game, watch paint dry?

But I decided not to...

Now be careful there, El Gato ... you're starting to sound like a snobby elitist city dweller talking down to people who live in rural areas ... and we both know how much we dislike that sort of thing....

Ponycat · Post by **Ponycat** » Wed Jul 20, 2005 4:19 pm

I live in Billings, and no one here or any other bigger Montana town care about 6 man football.[/quote]

But they do about skydiving

mquast53000 · Post by **mquast53000** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 1:29 pm

Here is some information about Sky Diving in Lost Prairie. I wonder how ESPN heard about this place?

http://www.skydivelostprairie.com/default.htm

Cat Grad · Post by **Cat Grad** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 1:51 pm

And you can go fishing in McGregor Lake, the Thompson Lakes, bounce down to Libby and fish the Kootenai or Koocanusa...maybe head back through Columbia Falls and watch us float what many now consider the best trout fishing in the state on the Flathead--just don't tell anybody or we'll wind up with a neoprene or Hyde Hatch like elsewhere in the state

Cat Grad · Post by **Cat Grad** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 1:54 pm

Remember the Sports Illustrated feature article on Montana? They featured the Columbia Falls semi-pro football team

Cat Grad · Post by **Cat Grad** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 1:56 pm

All of the MSU ROTC Airborne products know about Lost Prairie

catatac · Post by **catatac** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 2:00 pm

Cat Grad wrote:And you can go fishing in McGregor Lake, the Thompson Lakes, bounce down to Libby and fish the Kootenai or Koocanusa...maybe head back through Columbia Falls and watch us float what many now consider the best trout fishing in the state on the Flathead--just don't tell anybody or we'll wind up with a neoprene or Hyde Hatch like elsewhere in the state

I love the Flathead R. but it is in no way, shape, or form the best fishing in the state... My opinion of course...

Cat Pride · Post by **Cat Pride** » Thu Jul 21, 2005 2:07 pm

Being as its summer, and things in the sporting world are pretty quiet and if anything is going on its the same in every state - baseball, soccer, tennis, golf, etc. Therefore, I think ESPN wanted to get out and show a sport or even unique to each state. For Idaho they showed base jumping over the Snake River.

At first, I didnt like the skydiving event, but after taking the above mentioned look at things, I like it more and more.