East administration came together and made the decision to to renovate East’s track. The track was starting to get old and worn out and it was time for an upgrade.

The old track worked well for many years, but wear and tear began to show. After resurfacing, the new track has multiple changes from the old track that have some of the athletes excited.  The track will make it easier for the runners because the lines on the track are white and the track itself is black. The track plays a big role in East’s athletic program, including hosting track meets with a variety of events.

“I think this change needed to happen because the amount of wear on the track only grows every year,” sophomore long distance track runner Christian Lewis said.

The track has a new aesthetic that is different from the old brick red color. The instalation of the black track happened over the summer, although the track season was a while away. Besides track events, other groups like spirit squad use the track for football, and soccer games, and the band uses it for field shows and for practices.

“All of the tracks in the district were in need of repair and replaced because they were not safe anymore, so all of the tracks in the district were resurfaced.  All of the schools in the district went with the color black,” Activities Director Chad Holtz said.

The worn track caused pain for some runners. With the amount of use the track gets, it is necessary to have a quality running surface.

“I think it’s better because it hurts less to run on it will also be easier to run without getting awful shin splints,” Lewis said.

The new track is part of the renovations happening around the school, not including the heating and cooling installation. The upgrades include different areas of athletics in the school.

“There have been renovations of facilities that have been ongoing such as new stadium lights, new baseball lights that will be going up this fall, new weight room equipment just to name a few,” Holtz said.

Approximated by Holtz, the cost of the track resurfacing was $300,000 along with $300,000 for each stadium’s new lights, and $50,000 for new weight room equipment. The quality of athletic equipment can impact the experience of the athlete. Junior George Grinnell experienced the new track first hand as a runner.

“It’s a lot better. Not only does it look good, but running on the track feels better as it is easier to maintain a stronger stride,” Grinnell said.