Visit Topeka Announces Inaugural Youth Indoor Track & Field Invitational
Visit Topeka is pleased to announce the capital city has secured a new youth indoor track-and-field meet slated for February 2022.
Soon to be dubbed the Topeka Super Indoor Invitational, this inaugural, 2022 event is being organized by Cliff Wiley and Kenneth Ferguson, both heavyweights in the track-and-field world.
They hope to make the event an annual invitational, drawing hundreds of talented youth athletes from across the Midwest.
"In 2028, this country will again host the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, and kids throughout the Midwest, inspired by the games of 2021, are now dreaming of winning a medal for the United States in seven years," Wiley said.
"On Feb. 19, the city of Topeka will become an important part of those Olympic dreams, as Washburn University will open the doors to its world-class, indoor track-and-field facility for the inaugural Topeka Super Indoor Invitational."
Wiley, a two-time Olympic qualifier himself, said he is confident the Topeka invitational will become known as a premiere scholastic and youth competition, on par with those in Boston, New York and Virginia Beach.
"Just as Daytona Beach says NASCAR, and Augusta, Georgia, says golf, Topeka, Kansas, is about to become known as the new center for indoor track and field in North America," Wiley said.
Wiley is a graduate of the University of Kansas, where he also attended law school. He won All America honors 13 times at KU and took home an NCAA indoor title in the 1 ,600-meter relay in 1977. Wiley's achievements don't stop there, as he has competed for numerous international honors. Following his track-and-field career, he remained active in the sport, serving on multiple U.S. national team staffs and hosting his own "Cliff Wiley Track Classic" in his hometown of Baltimore. Wiley now resides in the Kansas City area.
Ferguson, also a Kansas City resident, attended college on a Football scholarship but has been heavily involved in track-and-field events and policy for decades. Ferguson is president of the Missouri-based Flyers Track Club Inc. He has served on multiple NCAA committees, both for division one and Olympic sports. He has also worked closely with USA Track & Field, as a member of the organization's board of directors and other USATF committees. In 2006, Ferguson received a President's Achievement Award for his work with USA Track & Field.
"Having the weight of these two track-and-field leaders behind this invitational is an incredible opportunity for Topeka," said Mike Bell, vice president of sport sales and marketing for Visit Topeka. "We are excited to have Cliff and Kenneth spearheading this event, as it is bound to put Topeka and Kansas on the radars of young track-and-field athletes everywhere. Visit Topeka looks forward to continuing our partnership with the pair to bring their vision to life."
The inaugural Topeka Super Indoor Invitational will be held Feb. 19, 2022, at Washburn University's new indoor athletic facility. Wiley and Ferguson estimate the invitational will bring at least 300 youth athletes, as well as their families, to Topeka, resulting in positive economic impacts for the capital city and local tourism partners.
