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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 27, 1980)
Wrack | (Continued from page 1) for friction on the surface start to | \Vear out.” R.When that happens, the track gets slippery, just like a table top, ;i >' he said. ^ ■! Our track is so bad, the runners 1 j slide when it is raining,” he said. ei1, ‘‘They slide when it is not raining :ac ' too. :cti ffiNcxt, the foundation starts to crumble. B“Ours is crumbling, causing holes ^ in the asphalt foundation, which in turn, causes holes in the surface,” ^ Thomas said. '6 a U|Another problem with the track, -0 ! Thomas said, is the separation of the * fMrtan surface and the asphalt. !: |‘Tt should be glued together, but ■yOf i.itisn't anymore and when it rains, air bubbles form,” he said, osed | He said some of them are as big as ? of six to eight feet in diameter, nan\ I ?“The only way to get the air out is uon I to cut a hole in it with a knife, ” he use ! said. “Then there has to be a patch liter- ipiit over the cut. it ke I|“We have the worst track in the Bnference. There is no doubt about it. ■ He said the track was to be re placed about three years ago, but contruction began on Kyle Field and J the track repairs had to be post- * poned. f ^ “It was a wise move because a new i [track could have been damamged i i with the construction, ” Thomas said. S I \ He said when the track is resur- d, the Tartan will have to be rip- fed up, the asphalt smoothed and repaired, and a surface poured. I “That is about a $200,000 expendi ture,” Thomas said. Thomas said he is not sure where the money for the repairs will come from. T think every department that uses it, should pay for it.” As for affecting the team’s per formance, Thomas said the damage has been minimal. “We have, at this time, the best team in the history of Texas A&M. The bad thing is we have champion- The track has become so de teriorated that after nine years of hosting the prestigious Col lege Station Relays, it is no lon ger suitable for competition and the 32-school meet had to be moved to Rice University. ship athletes and the students can’t see them.” “The track facilities have cost a loss of exposure for the team,” he said. “Instead of watching them, all the fans can do is pick up a paper and see how the team did.” Calling off a nine-year meet just does not go unnoticed, and other Southwest Conference coaches have formed their own opinions about the University’s facilities. Clyde Hart, Baylor University track coach said, “We ran at A&M about two years ago and the track was not in good shape then. There were some pretty bad spots, and the run ner’s spikes would go all the way through the surface. “Texas A&M has a fantastic team. It would seem that practicing on that track would hurt their chances l3-hour seige ends in New Jersey jail United Press International ■NEWARK — Inmates in the vio- lent crime section of the Essex Coun ty jail shot a guard and took five other guards hostage before surren dering early Wednesday to end a 13-. hour revolt. ■ Four of the guards were released unharmed but exhausted by the ((deal. They were to be taken to the spital for physcial examinations. fifth guard who was beaten was jed at the start of the negotiations Jat ended the standoff at 3 a.m. Ilhe wounded guard, who was shot with a smuggled weapon, was in stable condition with a bullet lodged [between two ribs. t Prosecutor Donald Coburn said that as a result of the negotiations, a grievance committee would discuss inmate demands, including requests for a larger law library, private visits with wives and girlfriends, and bet ter food. Coburn, who estimated that any where between 50 and 100 of the jail’s 550 inmates participated in the revolt, said there would be no repris als or solitary confinement for dam age to the premises, but there would be prosecution for violence. “There will not be charges against anyone for taking the jail or property damage,” Coburn said. “The shoot ing of one guard and the striking of sEWbthfi'f Will be 'irt^estigated by my office.” but they just keep on winning. There is no telling what they could do with a better track. ” Baylor University resurfaced its track in 1976 with a Chevron surface. It is in “excellent” shape, Hart said. Rice University, the site of the 1980 College Station Relays recently spent $600,000 building a new track and track stadium. Coach Steve Straub said the cost of the 8-lane track was about $300,000. “We are currently, at A&M’s re quest, taking up the College Station Relays until A&M can build an adequate track,” he said. Straub said he has not been to Texas A&M in two years, but “the track was starting to deteriorate then. “What was a first class track in 1971 has been allowed to deteriorate too much for a University like Texas A&M,” Straub said. “It seems to me that priorities at Texas A&M have gotten out of line with the caliber of track team the school has.” The University of Texas replaced its in 1977 with a Tartan surface. Track team captain Tim Scott, said he thinks it is “pathe tic” that Texas A&M has a worse track than many junior high and high schools. “The recruits come from their high schools to visit, take a look at the track and say ‘Is this for real?’” he said. Glen Swenson, director of facilities said they have been pleased with their track. Swenson said their biggest prob lem was with the tremendous num ber of joggers who use the track. “Jogging really wears a track down,” he said. “It is like a rubber tire: the more is it used, the worse the surface gets.” The NCAA track meet will be held in Austin this summer and Swenson said they will decide soon if their present surface needs any repairs be fore then. Baylor University Coach Hart said “it is obvious to just about everyone that the track is worn out.” Wally Groff, Texas A&M associate athletic director, agrees that the track is in “terrible shape” and needs to be replaced. “Last year, we tried to get a new track but it was decided that is would “Last year, we tried to get a new track but it was decided that is would be better to hold off until Kyle Field construction was completed because a new track could very easily be dam aged during the work. ”— Texas A&M Associate Athletic Direc tor Wally Groff. be better to hold off until Kyle Field construction was completed because a new track could very easily be dam aged during the work,” he said. There is a feasibility study under way regarding the pros and cons of simply resurfacing the track or mov ing across the railroad tracks and building a new stadium. “Leaving it where it is would be more economical, but we are consid ering the other position,” Groff said. Thomas said he can see the advan tage of bulding a stadium at another position. “During the spring, there are foot ball players on the field, and men and women running track, all at the same time,” Thomas said. “It is like a three-ring circus. “Of course, the track stadium would cost a great deal more and I’m sure that is a main factor." Athletic Director Marvin Tate said he too is concerned with the track. “Lm interested in having the best facilities possible with the money available to us,” he said. “The process of getting a new track involves the Athletic Council talking with the companies who manufac ture the type of product we need. “Then,” Tate said, “we will work with them and the University offi cials to get what we want and need.” The next step would be to present bids to the Board of Regents, who “Right now, we are at the stage of talking with different manufactur ers,” Tate said. “We would love to have a new track by next fall.” Tate said there are many steps the athletic council must go through and the final decision would be based on what is best for the program and the University. 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