STAFF EDITORIAL: Come out for Penn Relays

The 106th annual Penn Relay Carnival presents students with an opportunity to see the finest in track and field. Every April, the Relays bring to Franklin Field the best track and field athletes from across the U.S. and a host of other countries. The event's 24,000 competitors represent the high school, collegiate and professional levels and range from Olympic gold medalists to nervous teenagers out for the first time on one of track's grand stages. Penn students should take every opportunity to join nearly 100,000 other fans at this once-a-year spectacle of athleticism at its finest. Thousands of runners, throwers and jumpers will be giving it their all for a moment of glory, and it would be a shame if Penn students stayed away. Unfortunately, this is what students have for so long done because of past instances of criminal activity associated with the carnival. But security is again tight this year, and there is little reason to expect the sort of disruptions that have plagued the Relays in the past. Event officials are again making it easy for students to attend. Students can enter free today and tickets for Saturday's slate of high-profile championship races -- including a series of relays pitting America's finest against the world -- are more than affordable. If past years prove any guide, the next two days will feature the suspense and magic that only the oldest of sports can summon. Come out for Penn's own men's and women's track teams, for the world record-setters or for the thousands of others who make the Penn Relays so special.