INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. This city, which bills itself as “the Amateur Sports Capital of the World,” is used to hosting major athletic events, but even blase local sports fans such as DeWayne Harding say they can sense a higher level of excitement now that summer is over.
“Sure we’ve had the Final Four and the US Synchronized Swimming Championships,” he says as he examines souvenir t-shirts and hats being unpacked by a vendor at the Olympic Village here, “but there’s never been a Fall Olympics before, so this is our first first, so to speak.”
Harding is referring to The Games of the Ist Fall Olympiad, or Fall Olympics for short, which will be held here the first week of October and will feature traditional fall sports such as the standing and running leaf pile jumps, 8 and 12-pound pumpkin put, 100 and 200 meter back-to-school shopping dashes, leaf throw and sychronized leaf pile thrashing, a demonstration sport.
“It’s been a blessing for our little girl,” says Myrna Cuillard, whose daughter Verna Lee is expected to lead a strong U.S. women’s leaf pile jumping-squad to a possible sweep of gold, silver and bronze medals. “She’s been doing this since she was a teeny-tiny tot, and we’ve spent thousands of dollars on lessons, a personal trainer and steroids so she could fulfill her dream.”
The lack of an autumn version of the summer and winter games has meant that athletes such as Tyler Obergson, the Junior Men’s AAU leaf pile-jumping champion, have had no place to go but sideways if they wanted to compete at higher levels after they’d outgrown backyard contests. “I could go into the so-called ‘skip ‘n wave’ show circuit like Leaf Capades,” he says with obvious distate, “but I’ve been trained to compete and win, not flit around in a Disney costume.”
Olympic officials have not promised that there will be a second Fall Games in 2028, and will watch attendance figures and TV ratings closely to determine whether the concept is viable. “It is vitally important that fall games be economically sustainable,” said International Olympics Committee President Jacques Rogge. “Also, it helps to bribe committee members with call girls, expensive liquor and cars.”