The anticipation of a brand new track has been building at Akins Highschool. The project, which began last summer, was predicted to be finished by Jan. 31; however, as the track season arrives, the construction site remains unfinished, closed off, and silent. This leaves the school’s athletes without a proper place to train.
Instead of running on a smooth, measured surface, the track team now finds themselves practicing on the uneven grass, tennis courts, and at Parades. These temporary solutions have created challenges for both athletes and coaches.
“We have had to get creative with training locations. Our sprinters are currently practicing on the soccer practice field. This uneven surface is not ideal and can be dangerous at times, especially when wet. We start with a plan and have to make adjustments each day based on conditions and availability of the practice field.” said Coach Flores, head girls track and head cross country coach.
The tennis courts and the field around it are not designed for running. Not only do they have holes, uneven grass, cracks, and hard cement; they do not have standard track distances. This makes it difficult for runners to accurately time themselves and is injury prone.
“Having to measure out the distance of the grass loops around the stadium makes it hard for field events, hurdles, and relays. Also the grass isn’t even and it makes me worried about injuries.” said Coach Brudnick, head boys track coach and football coach.
The Cost of Conditions
Unfortunately, these fears are not unfounded.
“I’ve fallen many times and one oFor junior Kolbe White, a 400-meter specialist, the lack of a proper facility has already had a physical toll.
“I’ve fallen many times, and one of them caused me to have to stop running for a few weeks,” White said.
Injuries ranging from tripped falls to chronic shin splints are becoming increasingly common as athletes’ bodies struggle to adapt to the hard, unforgiving surfaces of the tennis courts and the unstable terrain of the fields.
The space crunch isn’t just affecting the runners. The displacement has created a domino effect across the athletic department. With three football teams (Varsity, JV, and Freshmen) frequently sharing the remaining usable turf, the atmosphere is crowded and inefficient.
“It made it where there wasn’t as much field for the three teams to space out, and there was no space for drills,” Brudnick said.
Lost Preparation
The delays have also robbed the team of the “pre-season,” a critical window for distance runners to transition from cross country to the track.
“The start of mandatory practices did not change, but not having a track directly impacted our ability to offer voluntary practices in the late fall and early winter,” Flores explained. “This transition time… is crucial to the preparation of our track and field athletes.”
While runners struggle with distance and footing, field event athletes are facing a total blackout of resources. Because the entire practice area is under renovation, throwers have no circles, long jumpers have no sand pits, and high jumpers have no mats.
“I’m worried that we will enter the season unprepared in our field events,” Flores said. “Not to mention our school record holder in girls’ hurdles has not been able to practice hurdling on a track as she is entering her final season in high school.”
Looking Toward Spring
Sophomore Emma Graber summarized the general anxiety of the roster.
“You don’t really get the feel for a track, so we’re not as ready as we would’ve been last year when we had one,” she said.
As for a timeline, the finish line remains blurry.
“My prediction is that the track will be done by Spring Break,” Brudnick said.
If that prediction holds, the Eagles won’t step onto their home track until the very end of the competitive season. Until then, the team continues to adapt, clinging to the hope that when the gates finally open, they’ll still be fast enough to compete.
