"It's like we're in Jamaica," Frater said of the atmosphere at Franklin Field.
Funny, but American 400-meter gold medalist LaShawn Merritt was saying the same thing.
"We're home - we're in the States," Merritt said.
Short of the Olympics, or maybe the world championships, or maybe those proposed dual meets between the planet's two most dominant exporters of speed, there's no better place for the United States and Jamaica to resume their rivalry than the old stadium on the Penn campus.
It will be sunny and hot today. And there will be 45,000 to 50,000 folks on their feet when the relay batons reach the curve in the northeast corner of the stadium and the anchor runners begin their blazing races for home.
"Jamaican fans come out in droves for the Penn Relays," said Sanya Richards, who anchored the American women to the gold medal in the 4x400 at the 2008 Olympics. "It doesn't matter who people are cheering for as long as they are cheering. It's going to be electric."
This is the 10th year of the "USA vs. the World" series. Thirteen nations are scheduled to enter teams in events that include the distance medley and sprint medley relays as well as the 4x100 and 4x400.
But let's be honest: It's all about the USA vs. Jamaica, especially since this will be the first full-scale meeting since the guys and gals from the island nation got the better of the competition at the Beijing Olympics.
"It's fresh," said U.S. sprinter Allyson Felix, a two-time Olympic silver medalist.
Felix, Richards and Lauryn Williams will be among the American women on the track. The American men will be led by Merritt as well as Walter Dix, who won bronze in both the 100 and 200 in Beijing.
