By Long Beach State will soon host track meets after more than five years of not being able to.
The Jack Rose Track — which is worn down, cracked and has holes that can fill with puddles — will be renovated within the next six to nine months, Athletics Director Vic Cegles said.
In March, the Associated Students Inc. Senate unanimously passed a resolution calling for funding to renovate the track, which is estimated to cost more than $1 million.
“The university is committed to redoing the track, and now we’re meeting with an architect and designer to see how much it’s going to cost,” Cegles said.
Cegles said the track has been in major disrepair for the last five to seven years.
“There’s a lot of things we’re looking at to make it the best possible track for Long Beach State,” Cegles said. “It will be a great addition to our university and athletics department.”
Cegles said the track was patched up in late June for the 2013 Special Olympics Southern California Summer Games, and it is currently only open for track and field practices.
LBSU track and field head coach Andy Sythe said he is happy the track will be renovated because it’s in poor condition.
“The condition of the track is similar to what they determined was a safety hazard,” Sythe said. “It affects our practices because there are real risk areas that we avoid. It affects our ability to train.”
He said that no one, aside from track and field athletes, is allowed to step in the gate.
“The only reason [the track and field team] is allowed in is because we know the facility and we know what areas to avoid, unlike a person who doesn’t know the facility,” he said.
LBSU last hosted a track meet in 2005 and since then has been forced to hold home meets at Cerritos College, Sythe said.
Sythe said he thinks the new track will improve LBSU’s ability to recruit athletes.
“It’ll be a major positive for us when it was a major negative,” Sythe said. “It’s a 180 degree turn. It’ll improve the overall program because the facilities will be better, and that in itself is a positive factor.”
Cegles said, however, that the track team will have to find a new place to practice during the spring, when the renovations are scheduled to take place.
“I’m excited, and the student athletes are excited [too],” Cegles said.
Sythe said he shares a similar level of excitement.
“To be able to get this new track is a blessing,” Sythe said.
