New Balance has announced the TRACK at New Balance. It is opening in March and is supposed to be the fastest track in the world.  This track is next to the New Balance headquarters in Boston. Cape Ann League winter track meets will now be held at the TRACK which many of the Athletes are excited for.  The TRACK at New Balance is going to be one of, if not THE nicest track in the world. 

The facility will feature a hydraulically banked track, A warm up area, basketball courts and much more. It is built to be the fastest track in the world, ¨We want the TRACK at new balance to be known as the greatest and fastest track in the world. Whether you’re a high school athlete, college, professional or masters, when you come to the TRACK you’ve run your best time.   We want to be the place where world records are broken, and athletes compete at their best,¨ said General Manager, Jay Rourke. 

The concept for the TRACK originated in 2011. Jay Rourke, grew up in Brighton where the TRACK is built and has been a part of the project since its origin in 2011. He is proud to be working on the Boston Landing project which hosts the practice facilities of the Bruins, Celtics, and

¨The thing that i’m most excited for is the hydraulically banked track,¨ said Junior Parker Burns.  The 200 meter track has the ability to change the banking angle to optimize it for each event. This will help to make it one of the best tracks in the world.  The Reggie Lewis track is fixed at 8° while the TRACK can go anywhere from 0-11.99°. The track surface will be Beynon BSS 4000. 

Outside of track season, the TRACK will be a venue for a multitude of other sports. The hydraulics allow the track to be laid flat. During the spring, summer, and fall, it will be converted into 8 basketball/volleyball courts. Also, turf can be rolled out to convert the space to an indoor soccer, lacrosse field. 

Junior Trinity Cole says she is excited for the 24,000 square foot area dedicated to warmups. At the Reggie Lewis Center, warmups are cramped.  This warm up area is on the fourth level of the facility and has a 130m oval and two 60m straightaways. In the center of the oval is a room with training tables and ice machines and hydration. There are TVs so athletes can stay updated on the events going on. The stairs down to the main track area are coated in rubber so athletes don’t have to worry about taking their spikes off to go downstairs. 

At the Reggie Lewis Center, there is space for 3500 people while at the TRACK, there is space for 5000. The shot put area will be in a separate room from the main track area. There is seating for 630 people to watch the shotput. Junior Emma Campbell said that she is excited for the stands that will be overlooking it. 

On the west side of the building there is a 20´x 50´ Daktronics screen to post results. The facility staff will have the ability to control the humidity inside to maximize the athlete’s performance. 

There will also be food options. The facility will have its own concession stand that will serve healthy options. You can step outside to get some fresh air and right outside are multiple restaurants on Guest Street. 

This new state of the art facility might attract new athletes to our track team.  Junior Andrea Boyle and multiple other students expressed their interest in joining the track team. Some people were hesitant to do winter track because they didn’t want to go to the Reggie Lewis Center but now we are going to a luxurious facility.