We accomplished something together that is transformational for this community.
The Track is done.
The Grandstands are complete.
We held our first District Track and Field Meet.
We have been featured as a sporting destination by Travel Oregon, Sport Oregon and Track and Field Fans from around the state and country. The visiting high school athletes from the District Meet named the track "The Infinity Track". The view resembles an infinity pool but the Deschutes River Canyon beyond the 200 meter corner gives that "Infinity Illusion" continuing down the Deschutes River Canyon.
Now what?
We have a few more stages we need to complete to realize the overall vision of the vision of the Maupin Deschutes River Athletic Complex.
Quality Track and Field Equipment including a Fully Automatic Timing System
Light Pole Foundations are in. We need to continue to raise funds for the lights.
The Stage and Food Cart Pods are Concepts and we still need to raise funds to complete those to truly make it a destination for athletic, music, community and cultural events.
Local Volunteer Base to help us put on quality events, starting with Track Meets.
The DRAC Team got it done...now we need your involvement and help.
Simply put.... a small group of individuals and companies put in a tremendous amount of time and talent to get us to the point last year.
Many people in the community and the state did not believe it would happen.To the joy of many of those people after all these years of dreaming about it we pulled it off and had the first Track and Field Meet of any kind in over 60 years.
The District Meet is the most important Track meet of the year for these schools.We put on a high quality event producing over 160 Personal Best Marks by the Athletes from 18 schools. This resulted in a great experience for visiting teams, coaches and families. It was even a success for the local businesses that benefited from athletes from 18 schools buying groceries at the market equaling a busy Saturday during rafting season. . This is something that we can build upon with some planning for 2023. A well designed plan and volunteers to execute the plan will make people think they are competing at Hayward Field.
Now is the time to plan for the 2023 season. It will not happen without the support from the community, school and alumni that just need to be provided the opportunity to get involved.
Heritage and History inform the future....
While progress was being made on the project we would hear from Alumni and those that have competed and had fond memories of their time in track and field.
The Redside Track and Field Record Board has an amazing history with records dating back nearly 60 years .
One of the goals after becoming involved in a track project or program is to build a quality championship mindset and culture to match the quality of the track.
All it takes is a group of dedicated coaches and volunteers and a vision to create a culture that elevates the sport.
A culture enhances our quality of life and increases overall well being for both individuals and communities The Track and Field are a centerpiece of the community. A Track Program can help that culture thrive and build momentum into making the Infinity Track a destination for sport and culture.
Creating a better facility only draws more athletes to compete when it is desirable to be out practicing on this great track. Athletes from other sports should emerge and hone their skills of speed, strength and power through participating in Track and Field. The Championship Teams I built at Central Catholic drew athletes from Basketball and Football because it made them better athletes in their primary sports by participating in Track and Field.
Records are meant to be broken
Some of these records date back nearly 60 years. Now that the track is ready to train on these records will begin to change as the program develops. .
Last month at the Track Dedication we had members of the National Guard visit the track for the first time since they helped build out the footprint with 800 dump truck loads of rock in summer of 2020. South Wasco County High School Alumni, Virgil Newberry was one of the National Guardsmen that helped make that happen. Virgil holds the school record in the 1500m that he set in 2002. Virgil was able to meet some of the visiting members of the Union Athletics Club that came to the dedication. Virgil met 2019 National Champion Craig Engels as well as 2022 National 1500m Champion Sinclaire Johnson and USA 800m Record Holder, Donavan Brazier.
We have built a world class facility and now we need to build a high quality track and field program and operation that will benefit the school and community.
It is critical to have people like Virgil come back and contribute to building a program that can transform the record board and really maximize the potential of the track.
A quality track and field program should be built from within the community. There is nothing better than Alumni, Community Members, Track Fans and School Families to be a part of the support system for the Track and Field and all Athletic Programs. It can be done with a vision and some training but also an opportunity for dedicated volunteers.
We should become the "go to" facility to host quality track and field meets, camps and clinics. In order to do that we want to hear from you to see how you can help us become that program that puts on quality meets for the region which in turn will improve the program, attract more talent and build a sustainable and dynamic track and athletic community.
What does it take? Reach out to us if your experience in track and field was memorable. We can put together a playbook for volunteers and meet management to follow. It is like any other process. There are 17 events, they are run in a certain order, the rules are straight forward if you have the basic training and you get to know the athletes from South Wasco County High School as well as the other schools that come visit to compete. What better way to show what a welcoming community Maupin is to these student athletes and families that experience a well run track meet on a world class surface.
We are looking to recruit volunteers that want to be part of the next phase of the Maupin Deschutes River Athletic Complex and can learn about how to run an event, volunteer a few times a year and perhaps even become a coach that helps build the program.
This is what is required...
Great attitude
Loves being outdoors in a beautiful environment.
Wants to work with student athletes to help them succeed.
Open to learning and dedicate time to building a great program and team.
Positive outlook and good communication and organization skills.( Calling athletes for their event and accurately recording the mark.
This is what is not required...
Maupin Resident...( you could live in Portland, Bend, Hood River, The Dalles, Madras, Dufur, Pine Hollow, Gresham)
Track and Field Experience
Athletic Ability
Please contact us as you receive this blog post and learn more about what you can do to be part of the Maupin Deschutes River Athletic Complex. We plan to put together a meeting that describes what is needed as we enter the 2023 Track and Field Season and hopefully host the 2023 District Track Meet with a group of dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers.
We look forward to hearing from you.