Texan Mosaic

Story by Noah Moreno, COMM 2311-601

On your marks, get set, go! The track season at South Plains College is in high gear. And a freshly paved track on the Levelland campus, one without cracks, obviously allows for smoother runs.   

But the resurfacing also brings with it an expansion to SPC’s physical training facility. And, as it turns out, that could be one key to a successful season.  

“We needed a larger space to do rehab,” Andy Reyes, SPC’s head athletic trainer, says, “because if you think of our old training room it was probably just a third or half this room.”   

He says the old training building, now a track equipment storage room, didn’t have running water or air conditioning. But the biggest difference, Reyes emphasizes, between the old and new facility, is space. 

“We really only had six tables in there,” he says, “and a taping table and we did everything in there.”  

SPC Head Track Coach Wes Miller agrees with how valuable the upgrade is to athletes.               

“I used to have to step over athletes that were doing rehab on the ground,” Miller says, “just to have a conversation or ask what was going on. And, in here there’s plenty of space for recovery. Tables, rehab, they’ve got workstations, computers.”  

Even with so much more space, the facility is not just one big room. It is separated into two sections, each having its own unique purpose. 

One side of the space is dedicated to “rehab or therapeutic exercises”, Reyes says. It’s also a place where athletes can foam roll and stretch on their own before or after practice.  

The other side of the building is where Reyes and his team perform actual treatment for the athletes. “Whether it be soft tissue work or modalities or whatever work,” Reyes says. 

Miller says this facility now rivals many small Division Ones.  

“This is comparable to what we had at Louisiana Tech,” Miller says. “We had a training room about this size and then a rehab room, probably the exact same square footage for a pretty big university. And that was not just for track that was for all sports, except for court sports.” 

Miller also points out the new track and larger facility is a huge “selling point” in the recruitment of athletes. “It tells the recruiting athlete that South Plains cares about track and field,” he says. 

So far, it seems to be a huge success. The injury load has gone down greatly Reyes says, and it is not just track athletes that get to use the facility. Basketball athletes use it too. 

Student athletes appear to be enjoying the improved facility. So much so that Miller says he has to give “cutoff” times to his students. “They’ll hang in here as long as they’re allowed to,” Miller says. 

Being in the midst of the season, there are plenty of ways to see the new track and facility in action.   The indoor track and field season wraps up with the NJCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship taking place at Texas Tech University March 7 and 8. 

After that, the starting gun sounds on the outdoor season. 

Go Texans and Lady Texans!