Finding a place to jump, throw or run is a great start. Knowing what to expect before you get there will save you even more time and frustration.
No jumper or thrower likes driving from one track to the next, hoping that they’ll eventually find one with a jump pit or throw circle. But it’s not much better to show up at the track and see that they have your event’s facilities, only to find that they are in disrepair or are unfit for athletic consumption.
The latest update to NALathletics’ map includes the ability to show pictures from each athletics stadium.
Now you not only know that the throws circles at Deerpark Middle School in Austin, TX, are in the field between the track and the side street - you can see what kind of shape it is in. When you make your way around the track at Terry Fox Track & Field Stadium in Brampton, ON, to go straight to the long jump pit at ///material.arrived.slimy, you know that, yes, it is well-maintained (at least it was last time we were there).
In a near-future update, anyone who creates an account and logs in will be able to add their pictures.
This will not only make things easier for athletes by helping them find an adequate place to train, it will ultimately lead to facility improvements.
Part of our ambition to be the “AirBnB of athletics” is our map being the “shop window” for athletics directors and facility managers. The better the upkeep on their athletics facilities, the more they will be able to attract paying customers like clubs and competitions. Those stadiums that allow debris to build up in the sand pit and weeds to grow through the cracks in the throws circle (you know the ones) will be passed by as others pull ahead.
The best facilities - or at least those with the most proactive managers - will end up being the home stadium for NALathletics clubs and traditional track & field clubs. That will not only help fund further improvements, but the extra revenue (or, this sport being what it is, the fact that there’s any revenue at all) might just keep the program off the financial chopping block.
Until then, feel free to send us your pictures, and we’ll add them to the stadium’s page. Maybe we’ll even come up with some incentive or contest for whoever sends in the most, the best or just the luckiest - especially if you find one with an amusing or notable 3-word address.
