Community can, should drive track project

(Editor’s note: The following letter does exceed our preferred word count. The Project 56 effort is a valuable one and Al McBroom offers a tremendous amount of detail and his perspective, which is worthy of the space dedicated to this letter.)

My letter will be in two parts. First part will address all of Ritzville’s outdoor recreational facilities that we all have used, appreciated and enjoyed.

To set the record straight, I have been in Ritzville long enough to know some history. I started working in the area starting in 1965 and moved to Ritzville in 1970 to work in a furniture and floor covering shop called Ritzville Furniture owned by Ken and Allison Heimbigner, both locals. I know living in eastern Adams County for only forty plus years makes me a “newbie” but my vocation allowed me to meet almost every family in eastern Adams County and the southern part of Lincoln County. So I gathered a lot of local history.

In the early 1940s the Ritzville School District and Ritzville community felt they needed a track for school kids to use and compete on. So the word went out from the school. Community, local organizations and local farmers replied, “We are in.” They put in lots of work and labor and you see the results yet today in the football and track complex.

Next was the golf course. From land donations and tons of volunteer labor, it happened. Today you are proud of our nine-hole golf course and it is an attraction for out-of-town use and revenue.

Next, was the swimming pool, built with all of the same type of labor and donations. The history of our pool is in past editions of the Journal.

Through all of the above community facilities and also the following facilities, we can thank all of our local volunteers, service organizations, school, city and Adams County Public Works for their involvement.

In the 1970s Title IX, or the National Directive for Girls Sports came into effect. Well, up to this time the boys used our track-football complex for their baseball also. Title IX changed all that. It required that Ritzville School District #160-67 have a facility to host both boys baseball and girls softball.

The reason I know of these directives and requirements is because of being elected to a Ritzville School Board position in the 1970s.

So we sent the call out, “Help” we need to build a new baseball/softball complex. Ground was donated and all service organizations pitched in. Many volunteers including Adams County workers and donation of Adams County equipment (before rules were changed the equipment was operated by Adams County employees) and the baseball/softball complex as we see it today, with improvement, came into existence. Special thanks in part to Ritzville Eagles and Ritzville Jaycees for a large workforce and equipment operators.

As you can see from the above documentation, a large part of our outdoor facilities were school district and community driven and we should be proud! This leads into the second segment of my letter. As stated above in the 1970s Title IX came into effect, “Equal Opportunity in Boys and Girls Athletics.” Now Ritzville School District has two track teams. Ritzville coaches put out the word, “We need someone to help as the Race Starter.” Guess who came forward? Harold Undeberg, who really enjoyed helping kids and being around high school athletic events. Having his own children and later his grandchildren involved only increased his enjoyment.

A short time later Harold invited me to help with track meets and having my own children involved, I said, “Yes. Harold you were a great teacher.” So began a long lasting and enjoyable relationship. Both of us enjoyed working with kids and, having been a high school track kid myself, I have really enjoyed all involvement.

Over the years, our team, Harold and Mac, graduated from “starting” Ritzville track meets to working Ritzville Invitational track meets, with about 20-25 schools, Bi-County track championships, Panorama League Sub-District and finally to District 7 Track and Field Championships, winners going on to state. It was a very enjoyable time for Harold, for 27 years. After 25 years, we were awarded plaques for service to District 7 Track and Field as “Starter”, “Assistant Starter” and “Clerk of the Course.” I have continued my involvement with our track kids and will be entering my 37th year, if coach still wants me, in the spring of 2012.

By the above documentation, you can see that I am no stranger to track. The oval is still 440 yards, excuse me, 400 meters, which is now the worldwide standard.

That leads into my pitch.

We need to build a new “all weather” track for our student athletes to compete. Our cinder track, built in the 40s, is no longer a competition track. It was good until the 80s when all weather tracks were being built in other areas.

The Ritzville Relays were a statewide draw, 40-60 schools participated, until school size classifications came into effect. Our cinder track, one of the best in the state of Washington at the time, had Class B, 1A, 2A, 3A and 4A schools participate in the Ritzville relays.

As resilient as we were, we became the Ritzville Invitational primarily for B and 1A schools. Finally As chose other meets leaving only the Bs. We, the Ritzville Invitational, became the largest B track and field meet east of the Cascades, hosting from 20 to 30 schools. Our cinder track was considered excellent.

But guess what? Along came all the all weather tracks. Schools chose to compete on them because of race time improvements. So our cinder track became almost a thing of the past, other than a practice facility. This became really evident to us in the 1990s when the Ritzville Invitational participation dropped below 20 B schools.

Ritzville High School then started looking for all weather tracks to rent for their Invitational. Spokane Falls Community College was too much money. Finally, Medical Lake, who had just built a new all weather track graciously let us use it for a reasonable price. The Ritzville Invitational, now the Undeberg Invitational, is held at Medical Lake.

Look at all the lost revenue to the community of Ritzville. Head count at the Undeberg Invitational in 2010 was over 20 schools and 400 plus participants. Look at the DOLLARS we could have made.

In 2006 the class of 1956, at its 50th class reunion, formed a committee to address this problem of a Ritzville track upgrade to an all weather track.

Thus formed Class of 56 Committee to support the upgrades of all athletic facilities in the Ritzville High School District. Many members of Ritzville joined Class of 56 and money raising began, of which still is ongoing.

To show that Class of 56 was serious, we completely redid the RHS tennis courts. All new surface, new standards and nets. It’s first class.

Next, our primary goal, is an ALL WEATHER TRACK, which includes new field event facilities and underground sprinklers for the football stadium. We have come a long way with planning and preparation. Now our fund raising has a small road bump, the original estimate for the track and football field was between $250,000 to $300,000. Donations and fundraising have gone well. We spent approximately $35,000 on the tennis courts and have around $100,000 in the bank. So as you can see, our goal is obtainable with everyone’s help.

We have two avenues for donations: “Direct Donations” made to the Class of 56 Project Committee, c/o Leffel, Otis, and Warwick, attn: Kris Harder. Or, “Buy a Meter” program. Cost is $100 per meter, as many as each donor can afford. Or, buy one meter at a time to as many as each individual or family or business or corporation feels they want to donate. We will even accept donations from organizations. Donations spread over time will also be greatly appreciated.

If you are an Alumni, please help our kids and good old RHS and help make all the cash registers ring in town for all the track meets we can host!

Have you bought your meter yet? I have!

Al McBroom, Class of 56 Committee; 36 years as Track Official; Clerk of the Course;

Recall Starter