After a long and proud history, the only outdoor all-weather track in Saskatoon may be nearing the end of its life and could be removed in the near future. The aging Griffiths Stadium track has been repaired annually for over a decade, and organizations around the community are currently working together to devise a plan to construct a new outdoor replacement.

Paul Rogal, director of recreation services at the University of Saskatchewan, said that the current track is costly to maintain and building a replacement track in the future would be a better alternative for the community of Saskatoon rather than continuing upkeep on the existing track.

“Where we’re at now is not removing the track or moving it elsewhere. The track will get through this year, and we’re confident that the track will be good for 2017, but beyond that we’re not sure about its usability or safety going into 2018,” Rogal said.

According to Rogal, the cost to maintain the track varies per year but on average, the annual expense amounts to roughly $20,000.

The Griffiths Stadium track surfaces is littered with bubbles that are costly to repair.

“We put layers over the track over time, and when those layers are penetrated by a spike, water gets into it and tends to bubble a little. If you go to the track right now, you’ll see that we’re filling in bubbles, and we just can’t keep doing that over time,” Rogal said. “The track needs to be replaced. Whether it’s replaced in its current spot or elsewhere is a discussion that is ongoing; it might be useable in 2018 but we just wanted to give everyone a heads up.”

Rogal added that although Huskies athletes currently compete inside the Field House during the track season, an outdoor track is important for the community. Certain field events, such as discus and javelin, cannot be held indoors, and Huskies track and field athletes often train with non-university clubs on outdoor tracks during the off-season.

At the moment, all plans for a new track are still in the preliminary stages and no formal plan has been proposed. However, the U of S is currently working with other groups in Saskatoon to plan for a replacement track, whether or not the new track is located on or off campus.

“The university is working hard with all of the community partners to develop a long-term strategy to create a new track. Hopefully we’ll have a plan in the near future to address the needs of the community and put a new track in place,” Rogal said.

Dennis Beerling, an inductee to the Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame and the National Track & Field Officials Wall of Fame, is concerned about the possibility of Saskatoon being left without an outdoor track before a new track can be built.

“It’s the only [outdoor all-weather] track that’s in the city right now. Mind you, it’s been in bad repair in any case and the university has been shouldering the expense trying to upkeep it every year. Nobody else has helped [the U of S] in repairing the track each year and it’s getting to the point right now that it’s almost beyond repair,” Beerling said.

Beerling added that if the Griffiths track were to be removed before a replacement could be built, Saskatoon would be the only major city in Saskatchewan without an all-weather surface track — something unusual for a community with such a storied track and field history.

“Track is a big program at the university, and maybe people don’t realize it but the track and field program at the U of S has won more Canadian Interuniversity Sport championships than all the other university sports put together. They have had a very successful track and field program at the U of S for a long time now,” Beerling said.

Beerling thinks that the U of S campus would be an ideal location for a new track, but added that the needs of the community and available land locations must be considered in the final decision. He added that building a replacement track — regardless of the location — before the Griffiths track expires is top priority.

“I would like to see a new all-weather surface track in place by the fall of 2017. It’s a short timeline, but right now we’re exploring every option that we can,” Beerling said.

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Brenden Palmer / Sports & Health Editor

Photo: J.C. Balicanta Narag