Coach Berney’s Dream of a New Outdoor Athletic Complex

 Sports are usually defined by their equipment. Basketball, baseball, track and field—their very names come from the equipment required to play them. And yet, for Corban’s track and field teams, there is no track. 

For the past few years, Corban’s cross country and track and field teams have had to practice off-campus every day at Salem Academy. While the high school is nearby, the added travel hours, logistics, and rental costs take a toll on head coach Norm Berney’s program, his coaches, and, most importantly, his athletes. “We share with other teams,” Berney says. “It’s difficult, but we’ve made it work. We have to travel for all of our track meets. We’re on the road just about every weekend in the spring.” 

The inadequacy of Corban’s current situation has only been illuminated and exacerbated by the onset of COVID. “Right at this point in time, we’re frozen,” Berney says. “If we had a track, we could practice, but right now we can’t get on any tracks. The closest one that we could get is 104 miles away.” With facilities rental options even more scarce due to COVID, Corban student athletes have been forced to adapt their training and development to circumstances that are even less ideal. 

Coach Berney is determined to put the track into track and field at Corban. The current circumstances might be an obstacle, but years of competition have taught him exactly how to handle those. It’s nothing more than another challenge, another lap, another leg of the race he has been running. “It’s been a long journey,” he says. “But God has blessed us so much with the athletes we’ve had. It’s not a disappointment, it’s just a journey we are on right now, and with prayer and God’s will, we will get the thing done.”