Curtis Anderson, “The Track Guy”

By Don McLean Curtis Anderson, 64, grew up in Wisconsin. Always passionate about sports, he played basketball and baseball in high school and spent one season as a walk- on baseball player at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He graduated from UW-Madison with a degree in Journalism in 1978. After moving to Oregon that summer and a one-week stint as a commercial salmon fisherman, he began a distinguished 35-year newspaper career, which included stops in Newport and Coos Bay before joining The Register-Guard in 1986. He spent 27 years at the R-G, where track and field eventually became his main beat. In the fall of 2013, he left the newspaper industry to become Director of Curtis Anderson Communications at TrackTown USA (TTUSA) for five years. At present, Curtis is the Press Officer for Oregon Track Club Elite, and he remains active on a part-time basis with TTUSA. He is married to Linda Zang, a prominent physical therapist in Eugene. They have three grown children, all graduates of Oregon State University: Ben, 38, Portland; Austin, 26, Corvallis; and Monica, 23, Portland. Monica leaves for Togo, West Africa and the Peace Corps at the end of May. Almost certainly your major achievement in life was winning the hand of Linda Zang, which also resulted in your move to Eugene. Details please.

I first met Linda when I was sports editor for the weekly Newport News-Times. I had blown out my ACL playing basketball, and my last day of rehab was her first day on the job, having just moved to Newport from Denver. We spoke briefly and, suffice it to say, I was smitten. Later, at our weekly newspaper staff meeting, I volunteered to do a “Business Brief” on the new physical therapist in town (something I had never done before). After my interview with Linda, in which I conveniently “forgot” to bring my camera so there would be no photo and thus no advertising of this cute, young, single professional woman, I asked her out on a date. Though taken aback, she said “give me a call.” It took five years of courtship, including two years in which she lived in Eugene and I lived in Coos Bay, but we celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary last July. You were “the track guy” at the R-G from 1990 to 1996, and again from 2005 to 2013. What are some of the memorable highs and lows for the University of Oregon program during those years?

Two very distinct eras. When I first started covering UO Track and Field, I knew very little about the sport. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Bill Dellinger, John Gillespie, Tom Heinonen, and Mark Stream for being patient with me as I struggled to learn the nuances of a very complex sport. The Ducks had plenty of success in the early 1990s, winning Pac-10 titles in 1990 (men), ’91 and ’92 (women). They also produced Olympians such as Danny Lopez, , , and Kelly Blair. All of those individuals were an absolute joy to cover. During this time, I also had the privilege of covering local pros such as , Maria Mutola, Mary Slaney, , and . Favorite memory: sitting in the East Grandstand at , basking in the sunshine of a warm spring afternoon, and watching Mutola, Favor Hamilton, and Huber absolutely crush 800 meter workouts in the build-up to the 1996 Olympics.

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My second stint with UO Track and Field coincided with the arrival of newly hired coach Vin Lannana in the summer of 2005. His ability to reach out to local stakeholders and build an informed consensus to rekindle a bid for the 2008 Olympic Trials and sparked a track and field renaissance in this community which continues to this day. Under his watch: a post-collegiate training group (OTC Elite) was established, the UO program soared to unprecedented heights, and the city of Eugene was re-positioned as the rightful owner of the moniker, TrackTown USA. I thought Vin was crazy when he first floated the idea of bringing the IAAF World Championships to our humble community, but here we are, less than three years away from Oregon21, in a brand new Hayward Field. Favorite memory: having a front-row seat to the growth and maturation of Ashton Eaton, who went from not even knowing what the decathlon was, to setting the world record and winning two Olympic gold medals in that event. You said covering the 2012 London Olympics was a peak, “one of the best experiences” in your career. Why was it so?

Without a doubt, securing my credential for the 2012 London Olympics, and subsequently covering more than 35 track and field athletes with Oregon ties over 11 consecutive days and nights was the highlight of my professional journalism career. From my perch high atop a sold-out Olympic Stadium, capacity 80,000, I dutifully documented the individual journeys of our local contingent. Somehow surviving on four hours of sleep, I wrote three stories per day, blogged at the conclusion of each event, and tweeted the results of every throw, jump, or race. It was equal parts exhaustion and exhilaration. I have never worked harder, yet in terms of job fulfillment, it was easily the most rewarding experience of my life. I will never forget the deafening sound of 80,000 screaming fans when the hometown Brits won three gold medals in a span of 45 minutes, or the sheer audacity of David Rudisha’s wire-to-wire world record in the 800 meters. At the risk of sounding like a cliché, it was truly the experience of a lifetime. Thoughts, plans, responsibilities for the 2021 World Championships?

My sincere hope is that the IAAF 2021 World Championships will be a transformative event for the sport of track and field in this country. I can’t define exactly what that means, but I do believe that Eugene, Oregon is the only place in the U.S. equipped to handle such a historic occasion. The athletes will come through with mind-boggling performances, and the fans will respond with enthusiasm and support, no matter what country is emblazoned across their jerseys. I will do whatever is asked in the years and months leading up to the meet, but during the actual 10 days of competition, I see myself sipping wine and nibbling bruschetta in the VIP suite. That’s not too much to ask, right? What three track and field personalities have you found to be courageous, good, challenging, brilliant, brave, or wildly funny and a joy to be around?

One of the joys of covering track and field is the discovery that those involved in the sport, coaches, athletes, fans, officials, meet promoters, volunteers, etc., are almost always passionate, thoughtful, and introspective about their chosen path. Thus, I could never reduce such a list to just three individuals. It is a large and inclusive club. Books on your night table?

A Gentleman in Moscow (Amor Towles); The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood); The Track in the Forest (Bob Burns). Three things that make you grumpy?

Sitting in traffic, bruised avocados, and the current occupant of the White House. continued Anderson continued

What does your morning routine look like?

Now that I am semi-retired, I usually wake up around 7 a.m., drink at least two cups of coffee with cream, read the local newspaper, make and eat breakfast (my go-to is a fried egg and avocado sandwich on buttered whole wheat toast, dipped in Yumm sauce and washed down with OJ), clean dishes, shower, check e-mails and text messages, let the dog out, and off to work by 9:30 a.m. In recent years, what has become more important and less important?

More important: personal relationships with those close to you. Less important: work. Best lesson your father/mother ever taught you?

My parents were both highly educated, liberal, and progressive individuals, especially when compared to the folks who inhabited the small, rural towns of my youth. Social injustice was always a topic of discussion at the dinner table. My dad taught me to follow my heart and be true to myself, and my mom, who was a terrific writer, gently reminded me on more than one occasion that there is no good way to end a relationship.