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New Track, Who This?

Three cheers for the new track, coming on October 31, 2017! A new track is long overdue, as issues prevented its use for years. Some include horrible drainage and uneven surface, which were often time consuming. The old track was a dirt one and vulnerable to rain. Footprints could always be seen after rain. “The drainage was horrible, so it [would] always flood up. And we couldn’t even practice on it,” stated Track and Field Coach Rohit. And the surface becomes uneven and dangerous for users. It’s also time consuming.
Cross Country Coach Watkins weighed in on the struggles of the old track, “For practicing things like the hurdles, we got to measure every time…trying to do exchanges, you got to measure out the exchange zones.”
Thankfully the new track will solve these problems. First off, it’s an all-weather track. Teams can practice in rain or shine, instead of in the hallways and on the blacktops, according to Coach Rohit. The new track will have better drainage, so they can practice in the rain. The new track adds consistency for the track team. “Every track we run on is all-weather but we practice on dirt and gravel and stone,” he said.
           Construction for the new track began on June 19 and is set to finish by Halloween with the budget being 4.5 to 5 million dollars. However the money will not cover the equipment the cross country and track teams need. Although the constant construction could get noisy at times, even the residents around the construction site are all for it. From their point of view, the old track was fine but it was generally agreed that renovation will be nice for all who use it.
One neighbor says construction has not been an inconvenience at all. “We have young kids and we’re active so, we’d like to visit,” she enthusiastically said. She hopes it will be beneficial in the near future.
It is clear the old track was problematic. Eight years later, the construction of a new one receives praise from many. But it seems that although the construction of the track has at times been bothersome, the result is universally seen as good, even necessary. Certainly this new track will be enjoyed by all, for years to come. “It’ll benefit everyone in the McClatchy community, the community around.” adds Coach Rohit.

One reply on “New Track, Who This?”

I am a LP resident, CKM graduate, as my kids were. I have pictures, in progression of 4-5 evolution’s, start to completion of the long time coming, CKM Track & Field construction. I also have approx. 10 questions from me, with answers by the CKM AD. Short, sweet, to the point. If you are interested, I would be happy to forward to the Prospector. R/S Art Taylor, Go Lions

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