The making of a Grand Slam Track, Kingston, Jamaica
Rekortan installer, Doug Stone, reveals the story behind the inaugural Grand Slam Track racing surface.
Doug Stone knows his tracks. With almost half a century of track building experience behind him, there was no better man for the job of resurfacing the track at Jamaica’s National Stadium, host of the world’s first Grand Slam Track event. The biggest innovation in track in decades needed an innovative track solution. And while not a man for titles or credit, Doug is a man for problem-solving. Between him and the terrific team on the ground, the standout Jamaican track was delivered in record time. Here is its remarkable story complete with surprise appearances from some famous characters…
How long have you been in the industry and what’s your role at Rekortan?
I’ve been in the track industry for 48 years and must have laid over a thousand tracks in that time. I started with a manufacturing company who made acrylic coatings and moved into polyurethane running tracks. To the best of my knowledge, I was part of one of the first crews that installed polyurethane running tracks in the U.S.
After 36 great years with that company I moved to Nagle Athletics Surfaces, a regional business that was bought by AstroTurf. That’s how I made my way into Sport Group and Rekortan. I’ve had many titles here from VP to GM but I simply like to be known as the guy who can solve just about any track problem.
Speaking of track challenges, it doesn’t get bigger than Grand Slam Track. How significant was the Jamaican resurfacing job at National Stadium?
It’s been a huge, fulfilling project and a masterclass in teamwork. The old track that we inherited was in poor shape. There were areas that needed repair and some safety issues we had to address in order to hand back a lasting world-class surface.
Rather than ripping out the old track and starting from the ground up, we proposed a resurfacing solution that would bring it back to competition standard in record time. Working alongside the talented Don Lockerbie, the venue director for Grand Slam Track and mastermind behind the track’s design inspired by the Jamaican flag, we pulled off what some thought would be impossible.
“I’ve had many titles here from VP to GM but I simply like to be known as the guy who can solve just about any track problem.”
When you say the project was delivered in record time, what timescales are we talking about?
I was brought in at the beginning of February. The resurfacing work started on February 26 and the job was completed by March 13, so pretty much two weeks. On the day we finished, there was a soccer game between Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami and Jamaica’s Premier League champions, Cavalier SC, at the venue. I don’t know much about soccer but I quickly learnt that Messi is a pretty big deal... Fans were literally flooding into the stadium as we were finishing the track.
Another remarkable part of the project was bringing Don’s vision to life and delivering the track in three colors. The Jamaican green, black and gold had to be custom-made, so this put even more pressure on our tight turn-around. All the materials from APT had to be shipped to Jamaica and we managed to have all components, equipment and crew on the ground within three weeks of our first meeting.
How did you pull it off?
We had a terrific team.
Without Billy Wellborn and Jeff Townsend from the AstroTurf logistics team and Jerry Ambrose and his team in Syracuse, we wouldn’t have been able to get all the materials and equipment on site within the timeframe.
My experience of working with Don Lockerbie was second to none. With some of my guidance, he made sure everyone was aligned on what needed to happen.
On the ground, I had an exceptional crew of eight headed up by our operation superintendent, Paul Clark. Through the Jamaican government, this was reinforced with an additional team of 12 who rotated in groups of four to cover the morning, afternoon and evening shifts. This meant we could put in the long hours required to get the job done and gave us a good mix of international expertise and local know-how. Once we hit the ground over there, it went flawlessly. Even the weather played ball, meaning we had minimal delays due to rain.
Special mention also has to go to the stadium director, Major Desmond Brown, and the minister of sports, Olivia Grange, who were instrumental in making the project happen.
“Having this world-class track will be a big boost for track and for the community long after the first Slam. I received the biggest handshake of my career from Major Desmond Brown who put his trust in us to deliver the project.”
As well as delivering tracks in record time, we heard a rumor that you can run pretty fast?
Well, I didn’t think I still had it in me, but it was only fair that we got to test out the track first. So, a 30m dash was arranged. The Racers included myself, Don Lockerbie, Olivia Grange, Tim Jordan (the VP of Rekortan U.S.) and Jamaican sprint legend, Asafa Powell. It was a tightly fought race which the minister won.
What will be the legacy impact of this track for the local community?
Having this world-class track will be a big boost for track and for the community long after the first Slam. I received the biggest handshake of my career from Major Desmond Brown who put his trust in us to deliver the project.
Feedback from athletes who have run on the track is that it’s fast. As we speak, Champs is taking place on it. This competition has acted as a high school springboard for many of Jamaica’s biggest track stars including Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. It is also a feeder competition for the Penn Relays which, similarly, has launched so many great track careers. We’re very proud to have provided the track for both and through the Penn Relays, have already seen what an impact a top-quality track can have on young racers.
Beyond the track, do you have any other highlights from Jamaica?
There was a fantastic woman on the team called Sharon Burke. As well as helping us with logistics, she also handles most of the music venues in Jamaica. Through her, I had drinks and dinner with Shaggy (of Bombastic fame) and was introduced to Gramps Morgan. It was an experience of a lifetime.