Trying to get back on track

By Tom Miller

May 25, 2008 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- It's been three years since the North Dakota high school state track meet left UND's Memorial Stadium.

After hosting the combined Class A and B boys and girls meet for 20 years, an aging Memorial Stadium complex prompted state officials to move the meet to Bismarck in 2006.

With the state meet ending Saturday at the Bismarck Community Bowl, it serves as a reminder of the deteriorating track facilities in Grand Forks and East Grand Forks.

At one point this spring, the cities didn't have a track capable of hosting a large meet.

The Memorial Stadium track hasn't been touched since 1993 and the jumping areas surrounding it since 1986. East Grand Forks Senior High was scheduled to host two section track meets this spring but poor track conditions forced officials to ship the meets elsewhere. And the track at Cushman Field was given temporary fixes mid-spring to host a handful of meets.

"It just seems to be in Grand Forks; I don't know if it's coincidence that tracks are at that point," UND women's track coach Dick Clay said. "Ten-12 years ago, we were probably fine."

Structural problems

At Cushman and Senior High, bubbling on the track and poor jumping areas have been the biggest issues.

Cushman had temporary patches placed on the problem areas this spring, allowing it to host high school meets. Senior High attempted repairs to its track, too, but results weren't good enough to host a large meet.

"We've gotten to the point where the track is beyond its life expectancy," Senior High athletic director Jim Scanlan said. "Twenty-five years in this part of the country is a long time.

"We have to see how we want to proceed. It's not cheap when you talk about going from the ground up."

The Section 8A meet, which is set for Saturday, had to be moved from East Grand Forks to Thief River Falls. At the Lions Invitational meet Monday in East Grand Forks, cones were used to block off the middle lanes because of poor track conditions.

In addition to improving the track surface, Senior High would like to have two jumping runways, which would allow it to simultaneously hold the triple jump and the long jump.

Cushman also needs updates and improvements.

"We'd like to get a couple of more years out of that surface," Grand Forks athletic director Todd Olson said. "Right now we're just putting on Band-aids."

Cushman hosted its first high school meet of the season May 4. East Grand Forks hosted its first high school meet Monday.

"We're just not able to host as many meets as we'd like and teams are staying away from the meets we are hosting," Red River coach Bob Zimney said. "The track right now actually isn't too bad. But we're not happy with the jumping areas. We're hoping something occurs to those this summer."

The problems have been frustrating for Grand Forks Central boys track coach Sean Allan.

"We're one of the major cities in North Dakota and we can't host a meet," Allan said. "There are four high school teams that use (Cushman). Fargo has about six tracks."

Also, in terms of participation, track is one of the most popular sports in Grand Forks and its supporters would like to see more equal treatment.

Hockey teams in Grand Forks use facilities such as Purpur Arena, Gambucci Arena and Eagles Arena and many outdoor rinks. In addition, there are countless tennis courts, baseball and softball fields, basketball courts and golf courses.

"We only have one facility in town and we would like to see it taken care of," Allan said.

UND is in the same situation. The Sioux haven't hosted a meet in five years.

"Nothing has been done to the jumping areas since 1986, when they were initially put in," Clay said. "Nothing's been done with the track since 1993, so it went through (the flood of 1997)."

A lost recruiting tool

Although participation numbers and team success rates in Greater Grand Forks remain strong, the state track meet at Memorial Stadium has been missed.

Grand Forks high school coaches liked it because athletes had the chance to stay in their own bed at night and travel across town to compete.

UND coaches liked it because the state's best athletes came to town, viewed the campus and ran on the school's facilities.

"When the track athletes qualify for the state meet, they bring their mom, their dad, their brother and their sister," Clay said. "So it's that opportunity for those other people -- the family -- to be on campus.

"If you look at attracting people to come to UND, it's a built-in recruiting tool. You have 6,000 people coming to UND's campus. We've lost a recruiting opportunity for the university. Those are the indirect results of having a meet like that at UND."

Allan knows all about recruiting tools. As a senior at Williston High School, he competed in the first combined state track meet in 1986 at Memorial Stadium.

"It's the reason I moved here," Allan said. "As an alumnus of UND track, it's frustrating not really having a chance to watch a home meet."

What's in future?

The return of the state meet to Grand Forks is a long way off -- if ever.

But UND does plan to add a track in the next few years.

Brian Faison, UND's new athletic director, said an indoor track and practice facility is the department's biggest facility need.

"There have been a couple of different proposals," Faison said. "I'm still on the learning curve, but I know that's the next big project."

The indoor track facility would aid many Sioux programs, including football, track, baseball and softball.

"Just look at this winter, how brutal it was," Clay said. "That's why (the indoor facility) has to be the No. 1. And it's not just track, it's a facility that would be used by everyone."

Clay looks forward to being able to use the indoor facility to host meets once again.

"Hopefully when we get conference affiliation, there'll be a rotation of hosting meets," Clay said. "If it's a nice facility and a fast track, we can get some of the better schools like a Minnesota to come here and compete."

School boards must be involved in any major improvements to the Cushman or East Grand Forks Senior High tracks.

"There's a lot that goes into that decision," Scanlan said. "We've talked about it a number of times. We'll see what happens."

The coaches realize it won't be cheap.

"We're talking over a million dollars," Zimney said. "The school and community have to decide what they want to do. If you don't spend good money for the base of the track, you're going to have problems in North Dakota. I'd like to see them put the base down and flat out do it right."

Miller reports on sports. Reach him at (701) 780-1121; (800) 477-6572, ext. 121; or send e-mail to tmiller@gfherald.com.

Newstex ID: KRTB-0074-25524445