Skyline’s athletic track is being resurfaced to maintain its durability and appearance, though weather-related problems have put off the project’s completion.

“The track was about 15 years old,” Athletic Director, Andreas Wolf said. “Those tracks usually last about 10 to 20 years depending on weather (and other factors).”

Richard Inokuchi, Skyline’s supervisor of campus facilities, had originally planned for the track to be finished on May 2, but due to circumstances beyond his control, he is now planning for sometime in the next two weeks.

“No one knew of the windstorm that was coming,” Inokuchi said. “On Friday (April 22) around 3, these tornados came and pulled all the sheets off.”

The process of cleaning the track takes about two or three days of perfect weather, which Inokuchi says is a rare occurrence at Skyline.

First, the track is closed and washed, then covered with a protective sheet and a new surface is applied by being sprayed on. The weather needs to be good because if the wind is blowing too hard, the red paint the track is being painted with could be blown away and get paint all the new Marisol homes, and everything around the campus with red polka dots.

“[The track] had a few more years of life on it, it just started to crumble, unlike CSM who tore their field up, ours was still good,” Inokuchi said.

According to Wolf, it would be a huge cost to replace the entire track, and since Skyline’s track was not in horrible condition, they could just do a resurfacing. Resurfacing a track usually lasts about 5-10 years.

If Skyline had a legitimate track team, the track would be in much worse shape than it was. The track serves the local community and PE classes, so it’s important to keep it in good condition.

Wolf says the track will be done when forces of nature allow them to finish.

“We are at the mercy of the weather,” he said. “Whenever the winds stop blowing, it will get done.”