Kaymarie Jones
The Paw Print
After twenty-five years of waiting, Coach Damon Martin has finally pulled a team of sponsors together, along with the Adams State University family, to construct a High Altitude Training Center which holds a flat 200 meter Mondo track. Construction started in early April under the direction of project manager, Reed Nelson. With the help of the ASU track and cross-country team, site workers were able to spread and pin down the vinyl coated polyester fabric in record time.
“We’ve never had a team come out and pin all four corners of the dome in one day and ASU was able to do it! A lot of that had to do with the hearts of the athletes that helped us. It is really awesome to see people wanting to be a part of this, wanting to have their names attached to it because they know they will be participating in this dome in some way or another,” Alcon Construction’s project manager, Reed Nelson, concedes.
Due to poor weather conditions, the track took a longer time to set than normal, but after the weather cleared up, construction workers were seen working day in and day out, in efforts to get the dome up and running in the time allotted. Following the construction of the track, there were a few mistakes that the project manager and his team caught before the dome went up. Coincidentally, the student-athletes did not care for the mistakes, they were too excited to see the training center finally put together.
“It’s just an incredible building. You know, I never thought such a small school could have such big hearts until I came to Adams State. Just look at the effort Coach Larry and the Grizzly VIP Club made to boost our efforts to compete. It is indeed a wonderful feeling,” says the 2012 NCAA Outdoor 400m champion, Kayon Robinson.
The 8,500 square foot dome now sits north of Plachy Hall on Sunset Dr. and will accommodate all track, field, and cross-country athletes for their indoor season, and during unpleasant weathers. ASU will now be able to host the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Championship, a venture the Grizzlies have not seen in four years.
“I have been waiting to build a state-of the-art facility here Adams State for quite some time, and now that it has finally become true, proud does not begin to explain how I feel. But what’s gratifying is seeing the hard work my team displayed over the weekend, helping with the material and also taking a break to participate in the Stephanie L. Miner 8th Annual 5k Run/Walk,” Coach Damon Martin celebrates.
ASU president, Dr. David Svaldi, smiled with pride as he watched the construction workers inflate the bubble; “I love it! It’s been years in the making and its well-deserved on the part of the cross-country and track team. It provides another facility for our student-athletes to practice in and I believe it will literally raise our profile in the track world. In some ways, I feel it should be called the Damon Martin High Altitude training Center, but we will leave that for some people in the future to make the decision on what to name it. Its long over-due and I am really proud of it, I am proud of all the people that had a hand in bringing this to our campus.”
The High Altitude Training Center is not yet completed. The contractors still need to mark the track, install lights, roll the turf, and add a few final touches on the inside and also on the outside.
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