The majority of participants on this year’s Durango High School track and field team have never had a legitimate home meet. Finally, after nearly three years of construction and upgrades, Tuesday’s Ron Keller Invitational will mark the official opening of the DHS track for competition.
The meet will start at 1 p.m., and 10 teams will be represented at the grand opening meet. There will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 6 p.m. followed by more events under the lights to cap off the inaugural meet at the brand new facility.
“The last time we hosted a track meet here was in 2014, and I remember us having to apologize for the condition of the place,” Durango High School head track and field coach David McMillan said. “There were flaps on the track in the corner and kids were slipping when the track got wet. It wasn’t the best place to call home, so we’re beyond excited to unveil our new and much improved home. It’s a big deal.”
Safety of the athletes, excessive money invested in maintaining the previous facility and generally run down conditions brought on the decision to upgrade.
The overall renovation to the athletic facilities and additional add-ons was estimated to cost between three and four million dollars but should save money for the district in the long run.
Players and fans have already seen a full season of play on the football field, as the Demons team broke in the field in the fall. The soccer and lacrosse teams have also gotten time on the new turf, but the new and undoubtedly improved urethane running track is next to be shown off.
“This is beyond anything that I could have imagined,” DHS football player and runner Kaleb McMunn said. “The football field is great, but I prefer playing on grass. It’s hard to maintain a grass field, though, and the one here wasn’t even flat before they fixed it. The track is incredible, though.”
Physically, moving around and keeping solid footing is an obvious advantage compared to the previous track. Mentally, the improvements give the student-athletes an edge, as well.
“It’s going to be really cool because I’ve never even had a meet here, and I’m sure there will be a little extra adrenaline flowing,” DHS junior Teagan Garand said. “It just feels more like home and more welcoming. I think it’ll be an advantage for us all because we finally get to compete on our own turf.”
Having a facility to call home is nice, but Carter Reiter thinks the impact will be even bigger than just a physical and mental boost.
“This is like a complete rebranding of our team and our school’s athletics and Durango as a whole,” she said. “This falls in line with the promise our new principal made to create a bigger and better school. It’s really appealing to the eye, too, so, yeah I think they did a great job and I’m excited to get out there and compete.”
There is still work to be done, though. Storage buildings at the north and south ends of the field have yet to break ground and the throwing areas haven’t been finished yet. The discus competition Tuesday will be held at Miller Middle School. Part of the reason for the holdup was a necessity to renovate the Escalante Middle School track, which is now the same urethane material as the track at DHS.
“We had some budget constraints and some of the construction was put on hold,” former DHS athletic director and current 9-R consultant David Preszler said. “Escalante really needed the help and they put in a beautiful track over there. It’ll take some time to develop a financial plan for the rest of the construction but we’ll keep putting our heads down, working hard and hoping for the best.”
There was also an issue with the shot put area on the south end of the track as its completion has been stalled by what Preszler called “substandard previous material” that caused the ground to not settle properly. However, none of that will dampen the opening night festivities. If the new track and the ceremony aren’t reason enough to show up and support the Demons, the boys and girls teams should be near the top of the standings, which has become the norm under the tutelage of McMillan. The girls won last week’s John Tate Invitational in Pueblo and the boys team finished third.
However, the focus Tuesday will be thanking those who put in all the hard work to get the new place up and running. McMillan hopes to see a nice turnout from the DHS alumni to see the improvements as well. Though there is still work to do on bathrooms, a concessions area, side entrance and weight training center, the progress made already is something everyone involved can be proud of.
“We’re bringing our sponsors and extending invites to all the volunteers and little businesses who have contributed to our running programs over the years,” McMillan said. “For me, the MVPs are the parents, families and good people of the community who have put the time, effort and money into our programs. They are the ones who deserve to be cutting the ribbon.”
jfries@ durangoherald.com
