Lindbergh High School has had a track program for over 50 years. By 2024, Lindbergh’s track had been weathered through snow, storms, flooding, and extreme heat. It’s safe to say a new track was needed. And in early June of 2025, construction started for a brand new track. 

 While construction took a little longer than expected, it is finally complete and has been in use for a couple of months. Many of the track and cross country athletes are very excited to use and practice on the new track and equipment.

 The new track being done offers significant advantages to the track and cross country programs at Lindbergh. The ability to train on newer and smoother surfaces makes track workouts much more beneficial, which provides more direct results of a workout and prevents injuries. When asked about his thoughts on the old track, Benjamin Donaldson, a track and cross country runner at Lindbergh High School, expressed his opinion.

“It was old. 
It was kind of falling apart. We were due for a new one. But, I mean, it got the job done,” said Donaldson.

However, the construction of the track took longer than expected and caused issues for the sports during the fall season, specifically the boys’ and girls’ Cross country teams. Olive Erpelding shares the team’s frustration with the timeline of the track being completed.  

“I just felt like it was really frustrating, because they told us it was gonna be done before cross country started, and then they told us it was gonna be done halfway through the season, and then they told us it would be done the last week of the season, and it didn’t get finished until the winter,” said Erpelding.

Despite the wait, the new track was finished, and the brand new facilities offer way more opportunities for young athletes practicing on the new track, which helps to keep runners from getting injuries. The old track was slightly uneven because of the randomly filled-in patches, and how stiff it used to be, the new track is a bit softer, helping prevent shin splints. Bryan Hilton, the girls’ head track and cross country coach, explains how he feels about the necessity of a new track. 

“It was time. There were several areas that needed to be addressed, so it was good to do it all at once.” and continues with “the rule is you want to train on a softer track and race on a harder track. New tracks are softer, so that will be good for us,”  explains Hilton.

Evan Scheidenhelm, a student athlete who pole vaults and runs track and cross country, explains how amazing it is to use the track and other facilities. 

“I’ve run on the new track a lot lately, and I do really like it, and I’m really excited for the new pole vault pit and high jump pit, because our old one hurt whenever I landed on it. And going to other schools and seeing how their pits were really nice made me jealous. So now we have our own,” said Scheidenhelm. 

The track will be a big improvement for this upcoming season. While the delays caused their fair share of frustration during the cross-country season, the long-awaited arrival of the new track marks a turning point for Lindbergh athletics. With a softer surface underfoot and updated equipment for field events, the track team is going into a new season with more excitement. Bryan Hilton, the head track coach, remains optimistic for this upcoming season.

“Absolutely, I always am. It is great to continue the efforts of current athletes and start the process for new ones. Our team culture is great, and I look forward to being a part of that every year!” expresses Hilton.