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AMBER MOBLEYThe school will host the district meet and has an eye on regionals. "Everybody's ready to run on it," the district's athletic director says.
NORTHDALE - A $60,000 investment at Gaither High School is already making returns.
Instead of being resurfaced with asphalt, the school's track was recently rubberized for the upcoming track and field season that starts in February.
The new addition, the first of its kind at a Hillsborough County public school, is being credited for Gaither's clinching its bid to host the district track and field meet in April. And Gaither officials hope the track will make the school a cinch to host the regional meet, too.
Hosting bigger meets like districts and regionals saves Hillsborough County schools money, said Ladd Baldwin, Gaither's track and field coach.
Between gas, hotel and food costs for nearly 100 athletes plus coaches, it's not out of the ordinary for the school district to spend upwards of $12,000 on out-of-town district and regional meets, said Baldwin.
"By keeping people in town, if we're hosting all the kids in our county, you don't have that expense," Baldwin said. "That's where the cost of the track will be worth it."
Installing a rubberized running track costs about twice as much as resurfacing a track with asphalt, but the school district didn't finance the track alone.
The school district already had about $30,000 budgeted to resurface Gaither's track this year for scheduled maintenance.
Gaither rounded up the remainder of the $60,800 for the new track.
"We did the begging," said Henry Strapp, Gaither's athletic director.
The school chipped in $10,000.
New York Yankees owner and philanthropist George Steinbrenner gave another $10,000.
And another $10,000 came from the county's athletic department.
Installation of the rubberized track started in August and ended in October, said Strapp.
In addition to hosting the district meet, Gaither is hosting more track meets than it has in previous years, six or seven track meets, "which is a lot, but everybody's ready to run on it," said school district athletic director Vernon Korhn.
"We're anxious for the season to get here," Korhn said.
Softer on the foot and easier on the joints, a rubberized track makes for healthier athletes by lessening the chance for injuries such as shin splints, a painful condition common in the sport of track.
The school district wants all of the county's schools to have a rubberized track in the future but it's going to be "a slow process," Korhn said.
"We have 23 high schools and we're building two more next year. We want to see them all with (rubberized tracks), but it's expensive," said Korhn.
In the long run, the rubberized track is not only better for the athletes and cost-effective for the school district, but can be more durable than asphalt, said Strapp.
"If cared for properly," he said, "it will stand the test of time."
For the first year or two, All American Tracks Corp., the Ohio-based company that installed the track, will inspect it for wear and tear for about $4,000 to $5,000 annually, said Korhn.
Rubberized tracks can have up to a 15-year life span, longer than asphalt, said Baldwin.
"I've seen some asphalt tracks fall apart in a few years," Baldwin said. "With the rubberized track, as long as you keep vehicles off of it and make sure the grass doesn't grow in it, you're looking at a good life."
- Amber Mobley can be reached at 813 269-5311 or amobley@sptimes.com