On Nov. 1, the first and last Kinkaid Game was played on Skip Lee Field.
The following Monday the track and field were demolished. The decision to remodel Skip Lee was due to irrigation standards after facilities noticed the field’s susceptibility to flooding during various storms that have hit Houston in recent years.
Construction aims to install a drainage system and replace the grass with turf by late 2026, leaving spring and winter sports without a track to practice on.
To substitute, logistics have been planned out months in advance by the athletic department and coaches to keep athletes on track.
“We’ve been working on it for a while now, but we are still figuring out some of the day-to-day details,” track and field head coach Richie Mercado said. “I’ve told all the athletes ‘I know this is frustrating for you, but we’ll all get through it together.’”
For the coaches, this means working together with the athletes to create the best possible schedule for practices. Currently, athletes have morning practice on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and afternoon practices on Thursday and Friday. But the tentative situation demands that athletes remain flexible to the changes in the schedule.
“Sometimes we are going to have practice in the morning, and some of my teammates are going to have practice in the afternoon,” senior Kori Hagins said. “A lot of people don’t want to wake up early, so they might quit.”
As a cross-country captain, Hagins is used to the 6 AM practices, but to other athletes, this can be a deal breaker.
“Especially for spring-semester seniors, they won’t want to wake up,” Hagins said. “Even for cross country people that are used to waking up, it can be hard doing it for just one season, let alone two.”
While this practice arrangement is a new occurrence for the track team, this is not the first time the School has used Lamar’s facilities. For the past four years, St. John’s has rented Lamar’s Natatorium, where the swim and dive team practices every morning.
“We’re very lucky that we are going to be able to practice literally right on the other side of the fence. Lamar and their athletic department have been cooperative through the years,” Mercado said.
But this construction brings obstacles. This season’s “home meet” won’t really be at home. The annual track meet, Maverick Relays, held on campus will be pushed across the chain link fences to the Lamar track.
“It’s unfortunate since it’s really fun to have a home meet,” junior AJ Alagarsamy said. “That’s really the only time that people will come out and support the track team.”
Seniors competing in their final season will not get the final sendoff in the home meet, which has become the norm in past seasons.
“It is a little sad because I’ve been running at St. John’s since sixth grade and now my last time won’t be here,” Hagins said. “It sucks that I won’t get to use the new facilities, but I’m excited to see how everything turns out.”
With all of the trials, tribulations and sacrifices that come with construction, there is an ultimate end goal. The new football field and track are the cornerstones for a school-wide improvement of campus.
“I’m really optimistic about the track team as a whole. This is going to be a great little moment of adversity,” Alagarsamy said. “We’re definitely going to find a way to push through, and I’m excited to see how everything turns out.”
