Track and field renovation

Whether you’re part of a sport that uses the field regularly or not, you’ve probably heard talk of the new track that will begin construction next year. For more information on the timeline and plan for the track, read this (erscream.com/post/the-round-table-state-of-campus) Round Table article. To summarize what is said in the article about the track and field, the rebuilding will begin in 2025 and last for one and a half years, and during that time, they will both be unusable. However, the new track is promised to be much better than our current one.

Mr. Martinez, our school’s athletic director, describes the improvements that will be made to our track: “They’re putting in what’s called an all-weather track, meaning that it's a rubberized surface.” This allows for the track to be usable even in inclement weather. During weather such as rain, PE classes and sports will be able to use the track without the issues that our current dirt track presents. It will also have eight lanes. With the addition of the new track, “we’re also getting a new field, which will be synthetic turf.” This will benefit many sports that use the field, such as flag football, football, and soccer, making it easier to practice and play in different conditions.

Mr. Martinez also mentioned the setbacks that our current track presents, calling it “terrible” for students and coaches. “Whenever it rains, we have to find other ways of being able to get work in, and it's just not as effective.” He also says that track meets are very difficult “because you have to chalk the lines, put in the zones for relays, and put in the marks for the hurdles.” The new track will remove many of these challenges, and it’s something that he is looking forward to.

When we hear that the new track is going to take over a year, many people are reacting with shock, but it really is just how long construction takes within the district. When a process like this happens in LAUSD, we can almost always expect them to take longer than they would elsewhere.

“I think long term, it’s going to be worth it,” Mr. Martinez says. “In the short term, it really does suck for everybody that is either coaching or participating on a team that requires the use of either the track or field itself. But, you know, it's about long term vision… It's about what's going to be beneficial to the school long term.”

Beyond teachers, many students have some opinions on the time that is predicted for the new track to be completed. Avni Koppula says that “it’s really interesting that it’s taking this long” and was also surprised that this is the project that our school is using their money for, when there are lots of other things around campus that they could put the same funds towards. Being on the drill team, she’s also sad that there won’t be any home football games for her junior year.

“It will be sad not to have any home games during the renovation,” Quinn Powell said, agreeing with Avni. However, being on both soccer and track, she has experienced the setbacks that our current track and field present, and she says that “It will be very exciting to finally have quality facilities.”

There have also been some questions as to the funding of this project. It’s a very large project, costing over $10 million dollars. Luckily for our school, it is all being funded by our school board member, Karla Griego. When asked about it, Principal Steinorth says, “I think it was two years ago, each school board member had a fund of money that they could use to allocate for different projects at schools in their area.” When he became principal of ERHS, one of the first things Mr. Steinorth did was talking to our school board member about the athletic facilities at our school. “I actually didn't think it was [going to happen], but about five, six months later, I got a call and they said, ‘Yes, the school board member is going to totally fund the project.’”

Some people have also wondered if this project is going to end up impacting the Horticulture garden, but it should not be affected;

One of the biggest questions has been where the sports that require the track or field will practice while it is under construction. As of right now, it seems that plans have not yet been made for specific locations. For sports that cannot use the softball field or places available at Yosemite Recreation Center, other arrangements will have to be made. Mr. Martinez says, “From what I understand now, they'll build in some money so that we can rent other facilities to go practice or play our games.” However, he doesn’t yet know what that budget will be. All that is known is that the construction area will be unusable, but practice locations will be found.

The process of rebuilding our school’s track and field will be long and time-consuming, and we will have to adjust while they are under construction, but eventually it will benefit many future classes and our school in the long term.