Track?

[KL31NY]

Is there any progress towards a track around Brown Field?

One of my high school teammates was just announced as a new assistant track and field coach and it reminded me of this. The Master Plan itself (http://www.valpo.edu/masterplan/assets/docs/VU%20MP%20Exec%20Summary_final.pdf) only has a mention in a "Football with Track" label on one of its images while the Future Campus Map (http://www.valpo.edu/masterplan/assets/docs/Masterplan_Map_poster.pdf) suggests we should have a track by 2032. Might we see it any sooner than that?

[bbtds]

http://www.valpofanzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=1593.0

Via Valpo WikiLeaks - We're finally getting a track around the football field.

[KL31NY]

Thanks for catching me up!

[vu72]

It is officially official although the University hasn't announced it yet!

http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?ID=63470

[VULB#62]

WHOO HOO!            

Starts this March and will be completed by July. 

Hope they put a nice fence and landscaping around it. 

Brown Field will now look almost finished. Still need to redo the home grandstands and press box, but ML says that comes after the ARC and field house.

BTW Mark Hagerman, the company CEO, was an OG on the 1962-1966 Crusader FB team. 

During Spring FB they will have to navigate through the construction site to get to the field.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

BTW Mark Hagerman, the company CEO, was an OG on the 1962-1966 Crusader FB team.

Wow.  For some reason, that makes me really much more excited about the project.  In good hands!

(...well, not 'good hands' literally, because you don't find guards on that special team, i don't think : )

[okinawatyphoon]

Here's an image of what the proposed track around Brown Field was going to look like when it was planned during FITT.  It's safe to say it will probably resemble this in some way:

[valpotx]

How accurate will it be, when the scoreboard is on the other side now  lol

[wh]

From the PT:

Also at the Site Review meeting, Valparaiso University presented plans to install an eight-lane track around its football field, remove the old tennis courts west of the field now used for parking and install an equipment shed.

They hope to start March 15 by removing the tennis courts and plan to use the former Porter Hospital parking garage and parking lots to replace the parking on the courts.

http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/porter/25678478-418/officials-learn-pratt-details-vu-plans-to-add-track-remove-tennis-courts.html

[valpotx]

Vu72 asked about the track during the Q&A portion of the DFW meeting with President Heckler tonight.  He confirmed the information above, as well as the name that the track will be given.  He mentioned that the name hasn't been released publically, so I will leave it to vu72 to see if he wants to mention it . 

I also thought that it was cool to hear that there will be another new dorm after the current one finishes this Fall, which should be available the following year as well.  This would be built to match increased student attendance.  He said that we are currently at 97% occupancy, with 54 male students having to live in study lounges for the first bit of the school year, and it will be 95% occupancy next year with the new dorm.  That is why they would be building another new dorm after this one.  The intent is to have the older dorms house FR (revamped dorms), the new dorm for SOs with Memorial/Guild, and any apartments for JR/SR students.  Heckler seemed pretty confident that we will reach the 6,000 student attendance that is desired, and that our average test scores/GPAs for incoming students has actually been increased, so the quality of students aren't going down with the increase in attendance.  A very informative meeting, and my first time meeting vu72 in person. 

[vu72]

Vu72 asked about the track during the Q&A portion of the DFW meeting with President Heckler tonight.  He confirmed the information above, as well as the name that the track will be given.  He mentioned that the name hasn't been released publically, so I will leave it to vu72 to see if he wants to mention it . 

I also thought that it was cool to hear that there will be another new dorm after the current one finishes this Fall, which should be available the following year as well.  This would be built to match increased student attendance.  He said that we are currently at 97% occupancy, with 54 male students having to live in study lounges for the first bit of the school year, and it will be 95% occupancy next year with the new dorm.  That is why they would be building another new dorm after this one.  The intent is to have the older dorms house FR (revamped dorms), the new dorm for SOs with Memorial/Guild, and any apartments for JR/SR students.  Heckler seemed pretty confident that we will reach the 6,000 student attendance that is desired, and that our average test scores/GPAs for incoming students has actually been increased, so the quality of students aren't going down with the increase in attendance.  A very informative meeting, and my first time meeting vu72 in person. 

It's true, I was there and it was terrific to meet valpotx in person together with his very nice and very pregnant wife!  President Heckler did confirm that the new track will be built, using only the finest (or close to the finest) ciders.  While new hurdles couldn't fit into the budget at this time (more fund raising in underway!), we were fortunate that at the same time Valpo High discovered an old storage facility which contained hurdles used most  recently during the forties.  Though somewhat heavier than today's version, they do fold for easy storage and the current track team has volunteered to sand and repaint them so they should be like new!! The jump beds may be problematic though he assured us that the  saw dust currently planned will be of the highest quality while foam rubber (from a used mattress company) is being priced for a possible replacement within the next five years.

Well, that wasn't exactly how he explained it.  Let me try to add a few things from what valpotx said.  It will be an eight lane track made of the latest spongy stuff.  A new storage facility will be part of the project which has been mentioned in some of the news releases.  The track will be named for a long time track coach at Luther North High in Chicago.  Can't remember the name but 2 million dollars were raised which made it all possible.

If you haven't ever had the chance to hear President Heckler, don't pass up the next chance you have.  He is a gem and incredibly polished and professional.  No doubt, being a trained thespian makes public speaking easy, but he is simply brilliant and has a great vision for the future of Valpo.

[historyman]

The track will be named for a long time track coach at Luther North High in Chicago.  Can't remember the name but 2 million dollars were raised which made it all possible.

The current and long time track coach at Luther North (33 years) and current Ath Dir is David Grim. That seems like the perfect name for this track.

http://il.8to18.com/LutherNorth/gallery?page=7

[valpotx]

That isn't the name I remember being mentioned

[VULB#62]

Now it's time to speculate on the track's design.  Will it be the traditional reddish/orange with white lines we see so much of, or will it be brown with yellow lines?  A milk chocolate brown, not a dark brown, would look pretty good IMO.

[78crusader]

VU72/ValpoTx --

Did President Heckler mention when construction would begin on the second new dorm?  Was there mention made of any other building projects? 

Paul

[vu72]

VU72/ValpoTx --

Did President Heckler mention when construction would begin on the second new dorm?  Was there mention made of any other building projects? 

Paul

I recall him saying that the new dorm would begin almost immediately after Beacon Hall is occupied.  He did mention a glaring need for a new science building so I suspect that could either be an addition to Neills or a new structure as part of the STEM cluster.

[valpotx]

He also spoke in-depth about the work they have done in the chapel.  I didn't know that they updated the heating system in there, or that O.P. Kretzmann put in an experimental heat conducting system in 1959, that was the cause of it often being cold in there.  He briefly mentioned that the hospital has been demolished, as you probably knew, and that will become the site of the fieldhouse, but no timeline. 

[okinawatyphoon]

These sound like very exciting times for Valpo, and I think a brown and gold track would be awesome!

[SanityLost17]

Do you think the addition of a track make VU more competitive in track and XC? 

[mvandersee]

Do you think the addition of a track make VU more competitive in track and XC?

Well seeing a track on the campus should help with the recruitment process and retention of our top track athletes. Along with that it will give them a good facility to practice at every day (at least during nice weather). So in theory it will make the Track/XC teams more competitive.

[VULB#62]

I think it goes a little bit beyond that.  The completion of this facility (Brown Field with a track) speaks to the overall commitment to athletics in general.  So when a prospective volleyball player or a baseball player tour the campus on a recruiting visit, they not only see the facility they are most interested in, they also see a more complete picture.  It might not be an overwhelming aha! moment, but with everything else equal it might be the difference in getting a kid versus losing out to another school -- regardless of the sport they play.

Given that much else needs to be done (ARC renovation, FB Locker space, eventually a field house, etc.) this is still a major improvement for VU athletics in general -- not just T&F and CC.

[okinawatyphoon]

I think it goes a little bit beyond that.  The completion of this facility (Brown Field with a track) speaks to the overall commitment to athletics in general.  So when a prospective volleyball player or a baseball player tour the campus on a recruiting visit, they not only see the facility they are most interested in, they also see a more complete picture.  It might not be an overwhelming aha! moment, but with everything else equal it might be the difference in getting a kid versus losing out to another school -- regardless of the sport they play.

Given that much else needs to be done (ARC renovation, FB Locker space, eventually a field house, etc.) this is still a major improvement for VU athletics in general -- not just T&F and CC.

Agreed.  It can also be used by other sports, other functions (such as Air Force ROTC), and the general student population. The track is a no-brainer.......hopefully prospective students just thought they missed seeing the track before on the tour, but now they will know we have one.

[SanityLost17]

I agree that the new track should help out with recruiting all sports.  However, as a track/xc guy, I can tell you that the track and XC programs will not see significant improvements without a coaching change.  I see this as the perfect time to get somebody in there that knows how to recruit.  A good recruiter can do wonders even without much scholarship support.  The fact that several D3 programs in Indiana are out recruiting VU in these sports is just plain sad.   

[VULB#62]

I might add that now that a track is actually in our future, recruiting could be stimulated a bit with the addition of a couple more scholarships that can be spread among in-coming athletes.  I understand that VU is lagging quite a bit behind other HL schools in scholarship aid and when it comes to attracting athletes, even trackless schools (e.g. UWM, Oakland, Detroit, Wright) with a larger scholarship pool can get the attention of good athletes.

As of this summer, all of the following HL schools will have complete outdoor track facilities:

YSU:  Actually a new facility for the 2014 outdoor season because they demolished the older facility to build a field house
Valpo:  Should be completed by the beginning of the 2014-15 academic year

Yep, that's it.

[valpotx]

I believe that we are in the top 3 in athletic department budget in the HL.  Can someone confirm that?