By Mary Helen Sprecher

Although tracks and fields are two separate types of sports facilities, the fact that they are co-located means that responsibility for caring for both generally falls on the same person.

The question then becomes“ Is the facility in meet-ready condition?” Seasons of use and exposure to weather can take their toll, say those who build and repair tracks for a living. And if the coach, athletic director or maintenance person is not aware of problems, things can quickly get out of hand.

“ I think the school or coach should inspect the track weekly or every other week for the safety of the athletes,” said John Schedler of Baraka Sport in Fort Worth, Texas.“ Taking photos of issues, even if they just look like minor concerns, can be very important. Get the questions into an expert’ s hands to evaluate.

Photo courtesy Braden Collum on Unsplash

“ Small issues become big problems if not identified early,” Schedler added.“ Thanks to mobile phones, everyone has a camera in their back pocket.”

Regular walk-throughs can reveal any number of problems in the making. However, those inspections are only as good as the attention that is actually paid to the track throughout the time spent there.

Schedler recommends a checklist of items to look for:

Delamination or any movement or change at the edges of the track.“ Sometimes, track systems can pull and relax with temperature fluctuation, and that can really cause issues with the surface.”

Bubbles on the surface.“ Moisture and heat can cause sealed or solid systems to bubble.”

Surface fading.“ Chalking is the common term for situations where polyurethane fades and becomes dusty looking. In some systems, the rubber granules on the surface will start to come off or detach at a frustrating rate. There

32 SportsField Management | March 2026 sportsfieldmanagementonline. com