By Emmett Ansari
A serious bump that has developed on the Peter K Oley track has some concerned that it may lead to a disruption in practice and maybe even prevent the Irvington track team from hosting any meets this spring, including the League Championships.
The bubble, which appeared on the Campus gym-side turn, extends across all six lanes, and was discovered by Irvington coaches in late September. Some have speculated that it might be a tree root that has pushed under the track. Irvington district buildings and grounds is reportedly looking into having it repaired, but with colder temperatures there is some concern that it might be too late to fix it before the season.
According to Mr. Christopher Barry, the head coach of cross country and spring track, the bubble directly impairs Irvington’s ability to host track meets this year and could even lead to the cancellation of this year’s Doc Rasbeck Relays, and force the school to lose out on holding the League Championship. Mr. Barry was also concerned with the implications for Irvington’s graduating class:
“It would be a big shame for our seniors to lose the chance to run their last League Championship [at home].”
In addition, he feels the cancellation of the Doc Rasbeck Relays, the popular 18 team race, would be a terrible loss for Westchester track and field.
The bubble was first discovered during the cross country season, though it didn’t do any significant harm to the season as all cross country meets rely on usage of the trails in the woods by the school with minimal usage of the track. However, all running events this upcoming spring obviously take place on the track, and the bubble poses not only a danger to runners, but also could have a competitive impact when runners finish seconds apart or less. There is also the question as to whether Section 1 officials would allow the track to be used in its current condition.
Mr. Williams, head winter track coach and assistant coach for both cross country and spring track said, “We are hoping it will be remedied soon. It has already affected some of what we do in practice [for winter track].”
“I need to be conscious of the bump and keep athletes running in lane one on that curve,” said Mr. Williams. “Even though it is not necessarily high enough to trip anyone, when you are moving fast over a track you expect to be flat and it suddenly isn’t, it can lead to a misstep or a stumble and potentially to an injury.”
Still, the approach to a solution is undefined, as while the district is currently working with a vendor to fix the problem, a timetable signaling when the bubble might be resolved was not communicated to coaches.
Be First to Comment