New is nice.
But there's a pristine, untouched quality about something new which elicits a hesitation to touch, dent, stain or mar. It's only after that first tiny, defiling scratch that we can finally relax and use the thing.
Then, through the slow process of accumulation, the marks of use develop within the thing a certain character.
Like an old pair of jeans, or a classic car, or an heirloom rocker, the hardness has softened, the roughness has smoothed, and it just feels right.
Through decades of exposure to the abrasive forces of competition and the weathering of endless assaults on greatness, the very timbers, track, and turf at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field are permeated with character.
To compete in or witness a track meet at such an historic place as Hayward...well, it just feels right.
The grand old facility has presided over no less than 15 world records through the years.
Not to take away from the younger, more modern track and field sites around the world. They certainly have their state-of-the-art facilities and perhaps even greater seating capacity than Hayward's modest 16,500.
It's just ...
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