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By Kyle Ringo
BuffZone.com Writer
Hundreds of members of the University of Colorado track and field and cross country teams have been forced to use Balch Fieldhouse on the west side of Folsom Field for training during the winter and spring months over the years.
Originally posted by Daily Camera
Click here to view the article.
"
Hundreds of members of the University of Colorado track and field and cross country teams have been forced to use Balch Fieldhouse on the west side of Folsom Field for training during the winter and spring months over the years.
More than a few have developed "Balch Hack." It's what the athletes have dubbed the cough they say comes from breathing in the dusty, musty air in the 76-year-old building during indoor meets and training.
It's not the only hazard that comes with training in such a dilapidated facility. Dozens of athletes have suffered lower-leg injuries over the years from the hard surface and tight turns in the fieldhouse, and often those setbacks bleed into the outdoor season and have Buffs coming from behind from the start.
...
We've never gotten through a winter with a reasonable amount of injuries," veteran coach Mark Wetmore said Friday as he watched the start of the CU Invitational at Potts Field.
Wetmore, who oversees six programs and more than 70 athletes at CU, is about to enter a new era with his programs. His final winter and indoor track season at Balch is already behind him and he is going through the final spring in which his athletes are sometimes robbed of training days because of wind, snow and ice.
Those issues will be a thing of the past when CU completes construction on its new indoor facility immediately east of Folsom Field. The building will house a full-length football field as well as a state-of-the-art six-lane, 300-meter track. Wetmore, who has churned out multiple cross country national champions and Olympians, mostly in distance running, will now be able to combine the skills and knowledge that have made him and so many athletes successful with a pristine place to train when the weather isn't cooperating.
...
Wetmore said sprints coach Drew Morano is already seeing a benefit in the quality of sprinter and hurdler now showing interest in CU knowing they will be able to train at a high level all year. Sprinters generally prefer warmer weather and make their college choices based on that.
"Right now we have an indoor facility but we're not able to run as fast or as long as we'd like just due to injury in a lot of turns, whereas this track is going to be one of the finest in the country or the world," Morano said. "I think it's going to be huge for the development of our student-athletes who are already here and their training through the winter months.
"I can't get over the medical side of things. I think it's going to be a lot safer and a lot more convenient for our training."
A new indoor track is only one element of how the track and field and cross country teams are being enhanced with the $181 million facilities project currently ongoing in and around Folsom Field. Renovations to the Dal Ward Center are included and those renovations will create new locker rooms and weight rooms for all of CU's Olympic sports athletes.
...
"
BuffZone.com Writer
Hundreds of members of the University of Colorado track and field and cross country teams have been forced to use Balch Fieldhouse on the west side of Folsom Field for training during the winter and spring months over the years.
Originally posted by Daily Camera
Click here to view the article.
"
Hundreds of members of the University of Colorado track and field and cross country teams have been forced to use Balch Fieldhouse on the west side of Folsom Field for training during the winter and spring months over the years.
More than a few have developed "Balch Hack." It's what the athletes have dubbed the cough they say comes from breathing in the dusty, musty air in the 76-year-old building during indoor meets and training.
It's not the only hazard that comes with training in such a dilapidated facility. Dozens of athletes have suffered lower-leg injuries over the years from the hard surface and tight turns in the fieldhouse, and often those setbacks bleed into the outdoor season and have Buffs coming from behind from the start.
...
We've never gotten through a winter with a reasonable amount of injuries," veteran coach Mark Wetmore said Friday as he watched the start of the CU Invitational at Potts Field.
Wetmore, who oversees six programs and more than 70 athletes at CU, is about to enter a new era with his programs. His final winter and indoor track season at Balch is already behind him and he is going through the final spring in which his athletes are sometimes robbed of training days because of wind, snow and ice.
Those issues will be a thing of the past when CU completes construction on its new indoor facility immediately east of Folsom Field. The building will house a full-length football field as well as a state-of-the-art six-lane, 300-meter track. Wetmore, who has churned out multiple cross country national champions and Olympians, mostly in distance running, will now be able to combine the skills and knowledge that have made him and so many athletes successful with a pristine place to train when the weather isn't cooperating.
...
Wetmore said sprints coach Drew Morano is already seeing a benefit in the quality of sprinter and hurdler now showing interest in CU knowing they will be able to train at a high level all year. Sprinters generally prefer warmer weather and make their college choices based on that.
"Right now we have an indoor facility but we're not able to run as fast or as long as we'd like just due to injury in a lot of turns, whereas this track is going to be one of the finest in the country or the world," Morano said. "I think it's going to be huge for the development of our student-athletes who are already here and their training through the winter months.
"I can't get over the medical side of things. I think it's going to be a lot safer and a lot more convenient for our training."
A new indoor track is only one element of how the track and field and cross country teams are being enhanced with the $181 million facilities project currently ongoing in and around Folsom Field. Renovations to the Dal Ward Center are included and those renovations will create new locker rooms and weight rooms for all of CU's Olympic sports athletes.
...
"
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