On the Right Track
TATYANA ESQUILIN | MARCH 14, 2018 | SPORTS
Photo by Katie Stevens
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (SCPDA) — The safety of athletes is the top priority in any high school athletic program. In order to maintain a safe environment for athletes, it is necessary for the school to have adequate practice and competition facilities, such as tennis courts, a practice field and a rubberized track. Despite this, Stanton College Preparatory School is the only sports-inclusive public high school in Duval County without a rubberized track; however, after years of waiting and multiple proposal requests, it appears as if Stanton’s track is finally getting the improvements its athletes need. Stanton’s principal, Nongongoma Majova-Seane, Athletic Director Chris Crider and former Athletic Director Lisa A. King-Goodwin have been making efforts to replace the track since 2010. According to Mrs. Majova-Seane, former cross country and track coach Rodney Smith also made efforts during his time at Stanton.
Duval County Assistant Superintendent of Operations Donald Nelson said the project was placed into the backlog of projects by the DCPS Department of Operations. The current track is seldom used for athletic purposes apart from gym classes, but Mr. Nelson stated the rubberized track will be installed in the summer of 2019 following the construction of a new drainage system this summer.
“Summer is the only time that the track is available to do work,” said Mr. Nelson. “Once the track drainage system is complete, the track asphalt resurfacing and rubberized surface installation would follow the same process.”
Drawbacks for the Athletes
The delay in acquiring a new track has caused many problems for the athletes who use it, the most concerning being increased susceptibility to injuries. Lacey Dennis, Stanton’s athletic trainer, emphasized specific injuries where the risk is heightened when running on an asphalt track. Among these are medial tibial stress syndrome, commonly known as “shin splints,” as well as other forms of tendonitis (inflammation of the tendon) and stress fractures caused by the impact of running on such a hard surface.
“Any type of tendonitis is considered a chronic injury because it’s something that can last months on end,” said Ms. Dennis. “Tendonitis is something that starts and then gets a lot worse, and a lot of the time it has to do with the pavement the athletes are running on.”
She says having a rubber track would decrease the impact of running therefore lowering the risk of injuries. Members of Stanton’s track and cross country teams have also expressed concern for this issue.
“When you run you are hitting the ground pretty hard which causes a shock that goes to your legs because the [asphalt] track doesn’t absorb any of the vibrations,” said junior Patrick Langen, a member of the Stanton track and cross country teams. “If we had a rubber track the shock would be split more between the runner and the track itself.”
Due to the safety hazards of an asphalt track, Stanton’s track and cross country teams currently have to travel off campus for practices and competitions which makes transportation more difficult for the athletes compared to being able to stay at the school. These hazards also prevent Stanton from hosting track meets. This is a disadvantage for Stanton’s runners because off-campus tracks do not offer all of the resources that can be found at a school, and transportation is not always ideal.
“We practice at Mallison Park. The track itself is very nice; however, we don’t have much in the way of other facilities,” said Doug Skiles, Stanton boys’ track and cross country coach. “Often times the restrooms are locked and we have to bring all of our equipment to the park each day.”
According to Coach Skiles, a rubberized track would enable Stanton runners to stay on campus for more efficient practices. Also, Stanton will be able to host track meets, which will increase income for the athletic department and help to alleviate some of its financial limitations. Overall, Stanton’s athletic department believes the new rubberized track will solve many of the issues faced by Stanton athletes.
“A rubberized track would be a good thing for all of our sports teams and would make our facility safer,” said Coach Crider.
Becoming a Safer School
Towards the end of 2017, Ms. Dennis submitted an application for Stanton to participate in a movement called “Safe Sports School,” which was initiated by the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA). This program is dedicated to developing and enforcing certain safety measures to ensure the protection of athletes. According to the NATA website, in order to become a Safe Sports School, the school must “promote safe and appropriate practice and competition facilities.” Such facilities have not been available to Stanton runners, which is why they travel off campus. Ms. Dennis hopes this issue will be resolved once the rubber track is installed and the athletes can maintain a safe practice environment on campus.
The asphalt track has also proven to be dangerous for sports teams like football who host games on the field. Its surface does not provide much traction for people walking on it, and becomes slippery when wet, which can cause more injuries.
“[With a rubberized track] other sports would also be safer,” said Coach Skiles. “I’ve seen many athletes slip on our track once they leave the grass field.”
Logistical Hurdles
The construction delay was thought to have been caused by several budgeting issues across the county. According to a 2017 article published by The Florida Times-Union, DCPS overspent its budget projections by about $21 million last year. The causes of the overspending were attributed to issues ranging from budget development to non-essential travel. The article cited the Proposed Financial Plan for Addressing Budgetary Practices & Processes, which was written by DCPS Acting Chief Financial Officer Leon Legutko and Executive Director of Financial Services Ronald Fagan and published in September 2017. According to the article, DCPS addressed 17 of these overspending issues. The sixth issue involved the review process for purchasing equipment.
The document stated DCPS lacks a review process to determine if purchases made by the county are essential to the functioning of the district and better education for the students. According to Legutko and Fagan, the lack of a review process may have caused “non-essential” equipment purchases by county officials. Senior Ethan Dunn, a member of the Stanton track and cross country team, argues the money spent on this equipment could have gone towards getting a new track.
“It seems as if the money is spent on items that aren’t necessary for an enriching academic experience,” said Dunn. “However, a rubber track is necessary for a high school track and cross country team.”
According to Assistant Principal Michael Kerr, who works closely with school faculty, PTSA and district maintenance to ensure Stanton remains in its best condition, maintaining facilities is essential to the functioning of a school.
“Our building is a little bit older,” said Mr. Kerr. “So it is important to stay on top of the issues to make sure the students have an environment that is appealing and conductive for learning.”
Although the track is one of the facilities that requires maintenance in order to serve its intended function, it is not the biggest issue the county has to look at. Ms. Paula D. Wright, Chairman of the Duval County School Board, said that the Board determines budgeting solely by what they think will enhance academic performance. She said issues in budgeting had nothing to do with the track, it was just a matter of prioritizing things such as supporting teachers and students at lower performing schools. Because Stanton is already a top-ranked school for academic performance and the track is not needed to improve quality of education, it was not considered a pressing issue.
“As we look at the budget process, we look at how do we best utilize the dollars we have to provide academic support and advancement of our students,” said Ms. Wright.
Even before installing a rubberized track, a new drainage system needs to be constructed for the school’s football field. Mr. Nelson estimated the amount of money needed for the installation of a new drainage system is $170,000. The cost of this project has contributed to the delay in the track’s construction.
However, according to boys’ cross country and track coach Doug Skiles, a new drainage system could be installed for a much lesser amount. Coach Skiles works for EnVision Design and Engineering, a company that specializes in the construction of drainage systems.
“I believe [the county] overestimated the cost of installing a field drainage system,” said Coach Skiles. “I design drainage systems in my profession and have come up with solutions that are closer to $50,000.”
Coach Skiles surveyed the football field last May and provided a quote of $45,700 to repair the drainage system according to the provided design plan. According to Coach Crider, the plan was considered insufficient due to county regulations, which is why they gave a much higher estimate of what it would cost. Mr. Nelson says this was because EnVision Design was not pre-approved by the school district and does not have the same regulations as the county when it comes to the construction of a drainage system. This includes specifications such as pipe size and a concrete gutter collection system.
“The EnVision Engineering plan is different from the DCPS completed design plan,” said Mr. Nelson. “EnVision design size of [a 6-inch] collection pipe is undersized. DCPS no longer uses 6-inch drain lines as they need continual maintenance and are insufficient to maintain the drainage requirements.”
Mr. Nelson claims the school district has been aware of the requirement to place rubberized track at Stanton since 2012 and it has not yet been completed because of the need for a new drainage system. He stated the reason that this construction has not taken place yet is the “lack of funds and higher priorities at other schools.”
Apart from financial issues, Mr. Nelson brought to attention that the drainage system requires excavation, a process which must take place in the summer in order to avoid the disruption of school functions. He says as a result, there will be one year of delay to install the drainage system, since the limited amount of time in the summer makes it impossible to install the rubber track then as well.
Being the only public high school in Duval County with a track team and no rubberized track has caused many problems in the past, and although it has been a long process, the athletic department believes finally receiving the new track will greatly improve Stanton as a school. Not only will it lead to fewer injuries and higher quality physical education classes, but according to Coach Crider, it will improve the image of Stanton as a whole.
“Having the track resurfaced would give our students a sense of pride that they are currently lacking when it comes to facilities,” said Coach Crider. “It is long overdue.”
This story appeared in Volume 34, Issue 3 of the Devil's Advocate, published in March 2018. Read the full issue here.