THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 7, 1996 TAG: 9607060082
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB MOLINARO, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 53 lines
AS FANS AND Olympic veterans, Sharon and Dave McDonald of Norfolk are what you would call event-specific.
``People ask us what events we have tickets to,'' says Sharon McDonald, ``and I say, `There's only one we'd be interested in.' ''
Anyone who knows the McDonalds knows what that would be: track and field, or athletics, as it is officially known at the Olympics.
On the night of the 10,000-meter men's final, the second Monday of the Games, Dave will be in his seat at Olympic Stadium, soaking up the action and atmosphere.
Five nights later, he'll return to Olympic Stadium with Sharon and the McDonalds' daughters, Marlee, 6, and Madison, almost 4, for a session dominated by relays and the men's 1,500 and 5,000 meters finals.
It figures that the McDonalds, who also attended the track competition at the '84 Los Angeles Games, would favor distance events. At the University of Pittsburgh, Dave once held the school record in the 10,000 meters.
McDonald, 40, is a fixture in the Hampton Roads racing scene and one of the area's most respected spokesmen for the sport.
Dave qualified for the Olympic marathon trials in 1980, '84 and '88. But these Summer Games will not be a test of endurance for the McDonalds. No roadside motel for this family.
Most of their Olympic week will be spent far from the heat and traffic of Atlanta, in a condo by a lake in Fairfield Glade, Tenn., about a three-hour drive from Olympic Stadium.
Dave's ticket to the 10,000-meter final ran him $48, not a bad price when you consider that admission to some events requires a co-signer.
It's fair to say he would be willing to pay at least twice as much.
``TV might show the first lap and the last lap,'' he points out, ``but you won't see the entire race, not all 25 laps.
``I'll be able to report what I see to my running friends the next time we're out.''
The family's second night at the Olympics will cost the McDonalds more - four tickets at $80 each.
``And those are the cheap seats,'' Dave says.
He doesn't mind, though. Sharon and Dave are purists, after all. At both the original Olympics and the first modern Games in 1896, track and field dominated the Games. So it does for the McDonalds in 1996.
No offense to gymnastics, field hockey, wrestling or any other sport, but the McDonalds just can't relate.
``I didn't even look at other events,'' Dave says. ``To spend that much money on a sport I didn't know and athletes I wasn't familiar with . . . I might as well go over to ODU and watch the same thing.''
KEYWORDS: SUMMER OLYMPICS by CNB