Ballard getting new track

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http://www.ballardnewstribune.com/artic ... news04.txt

Coach eager for new field

By Dean Wong

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

When the new million dollar multi-purpose field behind the school opens in the fall of 2008, head coach Bruce Drager says it will be the happiest day of his coaching career.

The lack of their own site for track and field practice has kept the Ballard Beavers from winning 4A state championships two consecutive years.

Drager has been with the Ballard track team for the last 15 years and teaches biology and says not having adequate practice facilities of its own, has kept his team from being the best in the state. In 2004, Ballard finished third in the state and in 2005 they were second.

Both those years, pole vaulter Ty Fotheringham was set back by not having anywhere to practice. When the state meet came around, he got hurt due to the lack of workout time. Fotheringham was one of the top pole vaulters in 4A and his points were being counted on towards the team scores.

In 2005, the Beavers lost crucial points in the state meet because the 4 x 100 relay team was not as ready as it could have been.

"There was no place to practice," said Drager. "We couldn't get handoff repetitions on a regulation track,"

Other track and field athletes were not at the top of their games with no exclusive practice facility available to them. The 2005 team was Drager's best in all his years coaching at Ballard and at a Los Angeles school. The Beavers had to settle for the runner up role to state champ Gig Harbor.

The Beavers take a bus to Ingraham High School to use their track facilities.

One time, Drager got into an argument with a soccer coach who would not allow Ballard to run the track at Ingraham. Another time the high jumpers were scheduled to practice, but found the high jump pit locked.

Over at West Seattle stadium, Drager once got into a dispute with a coach from O'Dea who would not share one track lane with Ballard.

Drager has had his runners climb over the fence at the Northeast Athletic Complex at Nathan Hale in order to get track time. He has asked the University of Washington for time on their field.

Drager said he could talk for an hour on the obstacles his teams have faced just to practice.

"I've had to sneak around just to get the kids on a track," said Drager.

He says his team needs a track to have a good program. "It has cost us a state championship two years in a row," said Drager.

Drager said he wouldn't believe the school is finally getting a six-lane running track and other field facilities until he can actually stand on it. The statement is indicative of his frustration with the issue over the years.

He was hoping a new track field when the new Ballard High Building was built, but a baseball field was added instead.

The new building opened in 1997. Construction of the new school actually removed an adequate running track.

"It will make a difference in quality workouts. It has been a real stumbling block over the years," said Drager.

Once Ballard's track facility is built, Drager wants to start a summer running program for young people to build the Beaver program. He says he wants to get a "culture of running infused in the Ballard community."

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http://www.ballardnewstribune.com/artic ... news03.txt

Field of dreams set to be realized at Ballard High

By Dean Wong

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Ballard High at long last is getting its very own multi-purpose synthetic turf field.

The Seattle School District and D.A. Hogan Architects, presented plans for the new multi-purpose field last week. The field is part of the Building Technology and Academics Levy passed by voters in 2004.

The project will cost $1.1 million and construction will begin in May 2008 with completion in the fall when that school year begins.

Plans call for a running track, surrounding a synthetic turf field that can accommodate football and soccer games, as well as track and field events.

A six-lane 400-meter running track will feature a rubberized surface with finish lines for 400 meter, 110 and 100 meter races. A standard size track consists of eight lanes.

Portions of the field will be designed for long jump, triple jump, high jump, discus and pole vaulting events.

The field can also accommodate the sport of lacrosse. Ballard students interested in lacrosse are now playing with the Roosevelt High School team.

"We have quite a few kids going to Roosevelt now. We could put together a team of our own in the future," said Ballard Principal Phil Brockman.

With a new field, the school will save money on travel expenses. The track and field team takes a bus to Ingraham to practice.

The boys and girls soccer teams must go the Queen Anne Bowl west of Seattle Pacific University. Soccer players carpool or are dropped off for practice by parents. Home games are played at Memorial Stadium.

Last spring, the baseball team stopped playing their games at Ballard High because the field was too small and players risked injuries. The team moved its games to Soundview Park and Lower Woodland Park.

The new field will be a welcome change for the sports teams. The old field as it is now, is muddy and all torn up, said Brockman.

Eric Gold is a landscape architect for D.A. Hogan a firm that specializes sports field designs and worked on the Salmon Bay Athletic Field at Salmon Bay School.

Gold said the existing baseball fencing will be removed. A bleacher with a seating capacity of 135 people and a second bleacher holding 45 people will be located on the western side of the field. Another area of the field will be available for sports fans who want to bring their own chairs.

"We looked at a facility with limited spectator seating on the school side," said Gold.

With only a running track next to the alley between the field and nearby homes, noise will be minimized at the east end of the field. In the past neighbors had complained about baseballs landing in their yards and hitting their cars. Although the meeting was meant to solicit public input, no one from the surrounding community attended the meeting.

The school will not be able to host full-scale track and field events due to parking restrictions. At the most, two teams would be allowed to compete against one another. Most KingCo meets feature three or more teams.

There will be several entrances, including access for the disabled and vehicles.

Brockman will seek the support of the Ballard High School Foundation in funding a strength training facility on the field to replace the small weight room in the school's basement.

The old weight room could be converted into a classroom or be turned over to the wrestling team, which now practices in the Commons.

Members of the public would be allowed to use the facility outside of school hours. All school fields in the city are open to outside use.

"It will support what we do well and we will have a field close to us," said Brockman.