Big Macs trying to stay on track without a home
The idea that there’s no place like home hasn’t escaped Canon-McMillan’s track and field team, but instead of expressing frustration over the high school’s lack of a usuable track this spring, the Big Macs are embracing the situation.
The school district announced in February that there was no timeline to complete repairs on the track, as the school board voted to have core samples taken beneath the surface of the partially-completed track at Memorial Stadium that was supposed to be ready last August.
That means Canon-McMillan first-year head coach Mark Galley – with the help of district officials – has more than 100 athletes working out on the football field in Canonsburg and on the track five miles away at Chartiers-Houston High School.
The Big Macs will not have any home meets this season, competing in nine regular-season meets on the road, including the Washington-Greene County Coaches Track & Field Championships April 30 at Peters Township, which Canon-McMillan was scheduled to host. There’s no timeline for the track to be completed.
“There have been a whole lot of people involved to make it work; from (Canon-McMillan athletic director) Frank Vulcano and (Chartiers-Houston athletic director) Kurt Kesneck and our bus garage,” Galley said. “Every day is different, but it’s been good so far. We’re able to use everything at our track except for the track itself.”
Galley, who is also Canon-McMillan’s cross country coach, takes distance runners to Chartiers-Houston on Saturdays and other times throughout the week. The Big Macs’ throwers work on the football field and jumpers can still work at Canon-McMillan Memorial Stadium. Sprinters have been able to workout at the high school.
That means Galley’s team is spread out daily with his assistant coaches focusing on individual workouts. Mike Koot, who resigned as the Big Macs’ head coach last October after leading the program to three WPIAL titles in four years from 2006-10, has returned as the jumps coach. Lance Vallee also returned as throws coach.
“Everyone is really good at what they do, so instead of trying to get the whole team together we’ve been working our own squads in different places,” Galley said. “Nobody has been making excuses. We’ve just been getting it done. They all know what they’re doing. I know the kids are getting their training.”
Last May, the Canon-McMillan School Board approved a plan to install new turf on the football field and resurface the track at a total cost of about $1.2 million, including $914,050 for the turf from ProGrass. The field was completed for the 2015 football season, but the track is still unusuable.
In a news release last October, the district said the school board authorized the administration and solicitor to initiate all appropriate action against paving contractor Nagle Athletic Surfaces Inc. – a Syracuse, N.Y.-based company. Superintendent Mark Daniels told the Observer-Reporter in February that there were installation issues with the track.
The news came as no surprise to Galley, but he’s ensuring it won’t cause issues with the program’s plan to compete for WPIAL titles in boys and girls.
“I put together a list of four goals or expectations for them from the day they signed up,” Galley said. “The first one simply says individual improvement. I told them they can do that anywhere; wherever you are every day, do whatever you can to improve. The second one was team accomplishment, and we think team accomplishment will come from that.”
The school board voted unanimously in Febraury to move $2,000 from reserves to purchase portable track equipment, including portable runways to allow the Big Macs to practice jumps anywhere.
That doesn’t mean the transition has been free of challenges. Canon-McMillan’s middle school track team also has to use Chartiers-Houston’s track, limiting the amount of days Galley’s athletes can use the facility. The Bucs also have a team that needs to use the track.
“Maybe as the season progresses it will be more challenging, but this time of year it’s as much about the conditioning,” Galley said. “One of the biggest hassles will be not having home meets. It’s nice to be home; just not having to travel to all your meets and things like that. From day one, everybody knew the situation and instead of worrying about it, we’ve organized and gotten things done.”