Thu, Jan 16, 2014
In 1958, the search began for a site on which to build an indoor track-and-field facility for Massachusetts high school athletes. On November 5, 1995, the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center, on the campus of Roxbury Community College, was finally dedicated.
It was a long struggle, led by the Massachusetts State Track Coaches Association (MSTCA), and one that has paid off in ways far beyond anyone’s hopes. In addition to the 96 track meets on this season’s schedule, “the Reggie†has turned into a magnet for community life, hosting everything from political rallies to benefit concerts to day-care tots looking for a place to romp indoors in the New England winters.
Just months after it was dedicated, the facility threw open its doors to the first Boston Indoor Games—now the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix—which will mark its 19th year on February 8. Keith McDermott, director of the center and intercollegiate athletics at Roxbury Community College, has been instrumental in the growth of the meet, which exploded from a smattering of mostly local athletes and a few hundred spectators into one of the top indoor track-and-field events in the world, the site of six World Records and 10 consecutive sell-outs.
