Fresh paint, new turf, new track

Installation of new track is delayed and then finished

By Lezla Gooden ‘11
Staff Writer

On your mark, get set….

A delay in the construction of a new track has, until recently, caused our student athletes to practice a very important virtue: patience.

This past May the administration announced that a new track would be installed. The completion of the track was scheduled to be finished mid July, meaning that the track would only be a five-week project. Excited for the new track, various teams and clubs patiently waited for their new addition. When the school year began, the track was not yet complete, due to a set of unfortunate events. According to President Marco Clark, “The contractor had a delay on equipment because it was being used at another job.”

When the old track was installed in 1999, the administration was told that it would have a ten-year life span, and so it did. Going on its eleventh year, the track began to deteriorate.

“The asphalt in the track started to become visible,” Ms. Jessica Nash, athletic trainer, explained. “There have been some injuries caused by it as well, such as shin splits.” Students complained about the wear of the track, saying that it was painful to practice on.

The delay caused some games and practices to be rescheduled such as those of the Men’s Soccer team. “For the first game, we were hoping to play at home to have the fan support for the start of the season,” said Jorden Howard ‘11. The boys had to postpone the home game and travel away instead. “It was disorienting for us,” explains Josh King ‘12.

To make up for the delay, Doc Inc. (the contractor) will be giving McNamara complementary drainage around the field.

The new track was completed on Oct 12, 2010. It features vibrant colors of maroon and gold, whereas the old track was simply black asphalt with plain white lines.

Already the track team has held practice on the track and enjoyed it. “Compared to the old track, it is much lighter on my feet and not as hard,” said track member Shanelle Debraux ‘11.