New Facility at USD Will Change the Way People Watch Track Meets
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VERMILLION – The Lillibridge Track Complex at the University of South Dakota got a quiet debut a few weeks back. The message from witnesses was that there is a new way to watch this sport around here.
It is not unusual for a lot of events to be going on at a track and field completion at the same time. It is rare, however, to be able to see most of these things while sitting or standing in one place.
That goes for fans and teammates. Nobody gets to see the big picture.
“Most of the times when you compete at a track meet, you don’t really get to see the track meet,” Gawain Williams, a sprinter at USD, said. “In the stands this time around, the layout of the track makes it so you can see the pole vault, the long jump and the high jump, as well as the throws. Everything is at one spot – there is never a time where an event is going on and you’re not able to see it.”
Seems simple, but if it was an easy project, the USD Twilight, a college meet that included athletes from the University of Sioux Falls, South Dakota State and Mount Marty in addition to USD, would not have seemed so unusual to those taking it all in.
“My wife talked about it afterward -- she couldn’t believe how many things going on here at the same time,” USD women’s track coach Lucky Huber said. “It makes for a different experience for the track fan. And that’s what we wanted. We still have the video board going -- and even here in the Dome we can see everything -- but when the pole vault is on the other side of the Dome, it’s hard to follow who is over there and what’s going on.”
There are differences in the layout of the facility, which will more prominently be on display for the Summit League conference meet May 12-14, that have had a dramatic effect. The infield is not a football field and it’s not a warm-up area, it’s where the throwers throw. And the space between the nine-lane track and the grandstand is where pole vault, long jump and triple-jumpers compete, directly in front of people watching the meet.
“There is so much right in front of you,” USD assistant coach Derek Miles said. “You don’t miss a long jump, triple jump, pole vault or the finish to a race. And you can see the javelin throws, you can see the disc, you can see the hammer throws. A lot of venues that are set up a little like ours have to move something outside. Here you catch everything.”
FOR THE ATHLETES
What spectators may not realize is that a new facility means a new running track, and with it, opportunities to work on personal records under better circumstances. A P.R. is the fuel that runs the motor for track and field athletes.
“The track is comfortable – I guess that’s the best word for it,” said Brooke Ireland, a sprinter at USD from Sturgis. “You can tell it’s new when you run on it. It’s such a quick track – you’re confident running. And it’s red. That’s awesome for us. We’re definitely going to see some quick times at the conference meet.”
The track surface has a fancy name – the BSS 2000 System from Beynon Sports – and is the same one used at Nike-funded track power Oregon. The company claims a long list of benefits for those who will be using it.
“It’s a surface you can run on without a lot of physical difficulty,” USD men’s coach Dave Gottsleben said. “It’s going to help us avoid stress-type related injuries but also be fast. It’s rare that tracks have both those qualities. They use it at Oregon and I guess their program is pretty good."
The facility will use an in-ground timing system. Runners will wear chips that enable immediate calculating of interval and race times. Athletes and spectators alike will watch replays and live events on a portable video screen that is 17.5 feet wide and nine feet wide.
The facility also includes a 10th lane on the west side that to be used for incline and decline training. It is one of two in the nation.
“It’s amazing we have this here,” Ireland said. “This is a small town in South Dakota and we have one of the best tracks in the nation. You look at all the extra little things. That’s where the difference is.”
NOW AN OUTDOOR PROGRAM
Without breaking it down by the numbers, Huber and Gottsleben have had conference-winning or conference-contending programs nearly every single season for more than two decades. Through a combined 54 years coaching at USD, they have sustained successful operations at Division II, Division I transitional and Division I levels. Tellingly, when the school joined the Summit League, the Coyotes were instant contenders for team titles.
What USD didn’t have, though, was an outdoor track. They were definitely beneficiaries of having a dome during the indoor season but the athletes had to drive to Vermillion High School for outdoor workouts.
It was a distinctive hole in the school’s sports facilities but not one coaches or athletes were inclined to spend a lot of time talking about. And now they don’t have to.
“It’s no longer about trying to get everyone over to the high school and get them out of the way before the high school kids show up,” Huber said. “You don’t really have your own facility. This allows us to practice the steeplechase, practice the pole vault – a lot of things we haven’t been able to do in the past.”
There are still projects to take on. Permanent restrooms are under construction but are not yet completed. As well, the staff and volunteers at the Summit meet will be working more aggressively at getting the athletes into the right spots at the right times within what for many will seem an unconventional layout.
It is now ready to host a track meet that utilizes Olympic-level technology, though, and it’s right across from the Dome and the new arena.
“It’s right there – we can warm up inside the Dome and go straight out there to run,” Williams said.
“And it’s the first outdoor track for us. We’re going to have a big meet here and we’re training on that same track. You get some confidence from that. Little things. We can train with the same blocks, the jumpers can use the same pit. You’ll know exactly what works.”
A school that has been closely connected with success in the sport has a new tool at its disposal. The benefits to the athletes will show up on the wings of a faster track immediately. The longer range benefit to the programs will likely take more time, but the Coyotes are looking forward to those, too.
“It’s probably too early to pin on it that all of a sudden we’re going to be better at outdoor track than we’ve been at indoor track,” Huber said. “We’re just now getting to the point where we can get into a normal routine. I think one of the real benefits will be in recruiting. Recruits are going to be able to come out here and see it and walk around it. That’s a wow factor. That’s where it’s really going to make an impact for us.”