Concrete and Asphalt. That’s what meets the eye of passers-by when they look at The University of Alabama track facility. It’s no longer covered with red, rubber pellets as it had been since the 1970s. There’s no grass on the infield as work trucks litter the sight. The track team has no home.

Hopefully, that will all end in November when the University unveils a brand new track and field facility. As a member of the team who will have access to the complex, I’m not sure how long I will be able to contain my excitement. It may be strange to think that a venue where I will spend hours a day sweating, stressing and sometimes even breaking down is the cause of so much elation. But that’s what I’m ready for. I’m ready to lay everything I have out on a brand new track each and every day in order to reach goals I have set for myself. Pushing through pain and putting my heart into every sprint, jump and medicine ball circuit is why I go to practice. I know my teammates feel the same.

Over the past two years, I have seen the track program grow through various changes. I was nervous when an entirely new coaching staff moved into the coliseum. They were intimidating, but the whole team knew it was a positive change. There was a new attitude, a new work ethic and a new plan.

But, one of the most exciting things was head coach Dan Waters’ announcement that the team will have a brand new, state-of-the-art track and field complex. It won’t just be your stereotypical rubber surface that sat under the hot Alabama sun for over 40 years. The Sam Bailey Track and Field Complex will be outfitted with a Mondo surface. Mondo is known for its speed and some of the fastest tracks around the world are made of this material, including the track within the London Olympic Stadium, which hosted three world records in this summer’s games.

Every time we hear we will be competing on a Mondo track, we know that we have the opportunity to move faster around the track or down the runway. So, of course it’s exciting that we will be able to train on this surface every day. We’re hoping for faster times, higher jumps, and farther throws. As a team we are ready to progress this year with the help of the new facility.

The athletic department has shown a commitment to its athletes on the track and field team with this construction and the addition of new coaches. The department recognized that the team was struggling and put in an enormous effort to bring the team up to the standard set by a long history of champions at the Capstone. This endeavor has allowed me to realize what I want to achieve on the track and I have been given every opportunity to do so.

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Alexis Paine is a member of The University of Alabama’s track and field team and also works as a staff reporter for The Crimson White.