New Track Facilities

Installed at Rec. Field

By Ginny Richburg

The challenges of running a track program in a community without a track are not unique to Randolph. Many Vermont schools have been able to use areas of their athletic facilities to help athletes train, and some athletes only run on a real track at meets. Randolph’s local club has been fortunate in its first two years to have supportive parents and coaching staff to bring them to a local track for training, as well as to transport them to and from meets. But having the right kind of training and practice areas, those that come as close to real meet conditions as possible, would help our local athletes tremendously.

Placing these areas at the athletic fields behind the school would put too much of a strain on relationships between teams and the safety of the athletes. Nobody wants an errant javelin coming at them while fielding a pop fly, nor is hurdling and jumping possible while dodging stray baseballs and lacrosse balls.

In November of 2005, Coach Ginny Richburg approached the Randolph Recreation Board to get permission to build a nine-foot-by-nine-foot cement pad and a 100-foot-by-3-foot race track surface at the Randolph Recreation Field, where the squad had been practicing already. The pad would lie in the corner nearest the basketball court for throwing discus and shot put across the field, and the runway would go on the opposite side of the field, alongside the pool fence. The Rec. Board approved the plans and forwarded the decision to the Selectboard for final approval, which came later that month. The two small construction projects would happen in the spring of 2006.

With money from donations and fundraisers, the track club purchased a runway surface and planned to roll it out for long jump, triple jump, and spring and hurdle practice. But the spring of 2006 was one of the wettest on record. In its second season, the track club ran six out of eight meets in the rain. Coaches and officials across the state developed webbed feet and parents stockpiled umbrellas. Needless to say, digging at the Rec. Field became an impractical idea and the projects were postponed to the fall. Meanwhile, the RUHS custodial staff received shipment of and stored the runway, a 500-pound roll of half-inch thick rubber composite.

The Cross Country Club had its first running season in the fall of 2006, racing until mid-October. After a cold snap, the weather cooperated and the projects began.

Coach Richburg and daughter, Amy, outlined the two areas and with Joe Voci’s approval and support, the town road crew dug out the two spots. Lang Durfee, Bethel Mills, donated the stone and hardpac gravel for subsurfaces and Alan Lamell delivered the materials to the site from Central Supplies. Larry Richburg framed the areas for the cement and the gravel, and agreed to arrange for pouring the cement while completing his last foundation of the season.

During the week of November 6, numerous volunteers could be seen at the Rec Field, wheelbarrowing or tractoring subsurface materials to the two spots, and then shoveling, raking and packing the materials in place. RUHS social studies teacher Joel Tillberg operated his tractor while Principal John Holmes showed his skill with a shovel to help finish off the runway. On the next day, Coach Richburg and Amy rolled out that top surface, 100 feet of track for jumping and sprinting practice. Only the cement remains to be poured, hopefully before the snow flies.

To top it all off, in the same month, RUHS athletic director, Bruce Viens, received a call from U-32 AD, Amy Mollina. U-32 would be getting a new high jump pit this coming spring and wanted to know if they could give the old one to Randolph. Two quick trips with a truck brought the foam blocks and covers to town for use this coming spring. With the exception of pole vault, track club members can practice every field event and even all the running events right in their own backyard, and they’re willing to invite other schools; there may even be a summer program! Now, about the weather…

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