Athletics renovations set to happen summer ‘22
May 4, 2022
The red stain of the track on shoes is something many athletes are familiar with. For cheerleaders specifically, this is an event that occurs every Friday night.
Coming in at close to a half of a million dollars, many athletes are excited for the update. As it does not happen very often, a new track means a celebration by the track team.
Many have seen injuries such as excessive shin splints due to the faulty old track, including senior Devansh Saxena. These injuries leave many unable to practice or even compete.
The track renovation is just one of many updates to the school this year as Liberty will see a campus refresh over the summer. Last year, the campus also experienced a turf refresh.
With renovations happening this summer to the school, new developments are already underway in the athletic department.
“The building is getting a refresh this summer with new carpet, new paint, and similarly for athletics,” campus athletic coordinator Matt Swinnea said. “We’re getting a few things done out there. And the big one is the track and the track surfaces just like anything wears out and it is time to get a new surface.”
The main focus of the athletic renovations is a new track that will be ready for the 2022-2023 season.
“As tracks wear down they get harder and harder to the surface. It creates wear and tear on the legs,” Swinnea said. “We were starting to have quite a few shin splints among the athletes, and things like that on a regular basis. This will certainly alleviate that.
The opportunity to decrease the risk of injuries is an important factor in the building of the new track according to head track coach Chip Gregory,
“Probably one of the biggest things is the prevention of injuries and you would hope it will at least decrease it,” Gregory said. “I think injuries are going to happen somewhat no matter what. But obviously if we have an opportunity to be able to put them in a better position for a risk of injury when decreasing that, that opportunity. I’m just hoping that you know at the end of the day that it works.”
For the athletes, the new track brings many benefits.
“The new track will help prevent injuries because the old track was ripped, and it will prevent at least less shin splints,” senior Kam Smith said. “The new track will be smoother, and just better overall.”
