More than a decade in the making, a plan to rebuild the track and field at West Vancouver Secondary has finally come to fruition.
On Tuesday afternoon, the refurbished facility was unveiled to the community for the first time.
In place of the old grass field and 70-year-old running track is a modern, artificial turf surface and six-lane track. But, as laying the new rubber track requires warmer weather, West Van District said that work won’t happen until next April or May.
Temporary markings for lanes, the finishing line and running race starting points have been painted on the asphalt so the track surface can be used in the meantime.
The project also includes new lighting for the field, as well as renovated washrooms and change facilities accessible outside of school hours to accommodate sports facility users.
The need for a new artificial turf field in the district was identified back in 2011. Extensive fundraising efforts for the West Vancouver Place for Sport started way back in 2015. But it wasn’t until 2022 that a goal of nearly $5 million in community funding was met, and the district agreed to provide $2.25 million it had previously committed to the project.
After a new council was elected, the district expanded the scope of the then-$9.5-million project in January 2023 to include a wider track, washrooms and public viewing areas. Council decided to budget for an additional $215,000 to get the facility over the line.
Dubbed the Harry Jerome Oval, the new track has been named to honour the late, great sprinter who began his legendary athletic career on the North Shore.
Track will honour Harry Jerome's legacy of giving opportunities to youth in sport, says sister Valerie Jerome
While rubber was noticeably missing from the running surface, soccer players ran about the completed turf as elected officials gathered with members of the local sporting community on Tuesday to commemorate the long-awaited Place for Sport.
West Van Mayor Mark Sager said the field represents the pinnacle of modern sports infrastructure.
“It is built for FIFA standards, incorporating cutting edge technology, and it rivals some of the best fields used by the MLS, the CFL and the NFL teams,” he said. “Beneath its surface lies a shock pad designed to reduce injury risk, enhance player safety and ensuring the durability and longevity of this facility that will enable our athletes to train and compete at the highest levels.”
Before a large white tarp was pulled away to reveal plaques enshrining the project’s donors and namesake Harry Jerome, his sister and fellow Olympian Valerie Jerome spoke to the crowd, many of them high school students.
“It was here on these grounds at this track, more than 60 years ago, the Grade 11 student from North Vancouver, my late brother Harry Jerome, ran some of his earliest races in his astounding career of world-record-breaking performances,” she said.
“Although the world records are often seen as his legacy, Harry’s great legacy was his determination to provide more and better opportunities for all youth in sport, and there can be no greater example of that legacy than this upgraded and expanded new facility, the Harry Jerome Oval,” Valerie said.
Following his career as an athlete, Harry worked for the federal government's Fitness and Amateur Sport Directorate (now known as Sport Canada). There, he lobbied for better conditions for amateur and youth athletes across the country.
Speaking to the North Shore News, Valerie said that the facility in her brother’s name would foster athleticism not just in youth but in people of all ages and abilities.
“It’s nice to see a person of racial diversity changing our world, giving us heroes and people we can look up to who come in all sizes, shapes and colours,” she said.
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