News Staff Reporters
Plans have been in place since last March to replace Choate’s clearly insufficient track. The new track is a welcome addition to Choate’s athletic facilities and will address many of the problems the old one caused.
What now looks like a heap of dirt and rubble atop the hill behind the Athletic Center will, in several months, be a top notch track and field. The previous Choate track had been built in the early 1930s. It was obsolete, inconvenient, and at times dangerous. The lane-less cinder running track not only slowed the runners down but also forced coaches to cancel track meets and practices in even the mildest of poor weather because of safety concerns.
Track runners had been complaining about the track for years. Before every meet, the runners would have to create the lanes themselves. Additionally, the placement of the discus and javelin cages in the middle of the track endangered both the runners and the spectators.
Once complete, the $2,040,000 replacement track, made by Clough Harbour Associates and Paige Design Group, will address all of the issues that plagued the old one for decades. Planning and construction are going well. According to Mrs. Paula Welch, Director of Facilities Services, “Everything is on track.”
The track will be 400 meters long, eight lanes wide, and made of full pore urethane. It will circumscribe a grass field hockey field with two D-shaped rings on either end. One ring will be used for the high jump and the other for the pole vault. Along the long edges of the field will be areas for the 100 meter dash and the long jump. To address the safety issues of the previous track, the shot put, discus, and javelin areas will be located on a separate field. The track is estimated to last for twelve to fifteen years before needing renovation.
According to Mr. Crouse of the facilities department, “One of the key points of the master plan was to replace the [old] track with something that could host championship type events and bring it up to the standards of a school like Choate Rosemary Hall.” Indeed, Choate’s old setup was definitely lacking.
“The main thing that I think this track will do is encourage people to come out for track. The sport will no longer be a joke at Choate,” said future Track co-captain Tyren Bynum ’07
