The Bernards High School Olcott Field is undergoing a big transformation, with a revamped track set to be completed for the spring track season. Construction on the new track started in early summer, causing disruption for the pre-seasons of many of the fall sports teams. Now, many months into the renovation a finish line is in sight as the surface is in its final stages of completion.
This major change comes one year after the replacement of Olcott Field’s turf. Much like the turf’s replacement, the revamped track was done with the primary goal of preventing player injuries on the surface.
According to the girl’s track coach and BHS History and Economics teacher, Mr. Szostak, the new surface is designed to be “thicker and softer than the old one,” to prevent “injuries such as shin splints and stress reactions and fractures.” These injuries are considered among the most common for track runners.
The official decision to replace the track was made in the Board of Education meeting in late April of last year. The project, which will wind up costing north of 980,000 dollars, is being completed by Halecon INC, a paving contractor based in Bridgewater, New Jersey.
Prior to the demolition and reconstruction of the new track, the old track had become a concern of many coaches and athletes alike. Coach Szostak noted that the track had deteriorated significantly and he had noticed “hard and weathered” spots “with numerous potholes, bare spots, and soft spots,” which all could lead to potential injuries for athletes.
It is not just Coach Szostak who is excited about the new track, but many of Bernards High School’s runners as well, including Junior Brody Watt. Watt, Nike Indoor National Champion, believes that the “new track will tremendously increase the performance of [the] team and allow [them] to compete at the highest caliber”. The new track also has provided Watt with “excitement” as he is looking forward to running on the new track for the first time.
Despite the general excitement, the construction has experienced some challenges. Although it was planned to start in summer, its progress has been stalled all the way into the school year. Athletic Director Mike Hoppe explained that the “weather and [the contractors] schedule compounded, resulting in a delay of [the BHS] track being redone”. Hoppe also spoke of the emphasis placed on last year’s graduation in the scheduling of the track’s construction as the reasoning for the planned late start was in order to “keep graduation on Olcott”.
The new track will not only increase the safety of Bernards High School runners, but also boost the quality of the athletic experience at Bernards High School as a whole. Paired with the recently renovated turf, Bernards High School will have a high-quality athletic facility to bring home even more championships.
The track is expected to be completed within the next few weeks putting this long saga to an end in time for the spring season.
