Former Laurel Creek Track and Field coach Chris Timm was fed up.
Not with the demands that come with coaching but by the fact helping his young athletes achieve their goals was being made more difficult by the lack of quality facilities in Waterloo region.
It's part of what prompted him to leave and pursue a similar role with a club in Guelph.
"It's evident," Timm said when comparing local facilities to those of neighbouring cities and beyond.
"We really are restricted in what we can do. It was starting to compromise the success of the athletes. It was a hard decision because I had been at Laurel Creek for almost 10 years but I had to put my athletes first."
It doesn't add up, as the region has produced several high level track and field athletes, from Olympians to national and provincial champions, Timm said. Many have also gone on to compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association level.
The success is something he credits to the athletes and the coaching they receive despite the settings they're in.
The issues aren't hard to see in Cambridge, whether it be the overgrown track at Galt Collegiate Institute or the torn up high jump and pole vaulting areas at St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School.
Timm said the region only has two serviceable tracks and one jumps facility, with Jacob Hespeler Secondary School making his short list for both.
"It was a no-brainer to go to Guelph," he said.
"We were already training there indoors. It's like a breath of fresh air, it's so much better."
The strain on current facilities is only made worse by the demand. With the growth of the sport comes additional athletes and clubs, putting more pressure on the few facilities that are up to par, Timm said.
Ward 3 councillor Corey Kimpson had raised the concern at a council meeting in June and posed the question as to how the city could work with school boards on the problem.
When questioned on if any further discussions have been had since then, Kimpson said not yet but with budget discussion heating up, it's possible it could come.
"I haven't heard anything specific to tracks," Kimpson said in an email.
"I expect there will be more discussions in the coming days as we move forward through the process."
In Mayor Jan Liggett's budget that was presented this week, $1,415,000 was allocated to "Jacob Hespeler Secondary School Field Refurbishments."
When reached for comment on what the money could be used for, the Waterloo Region District School Board directed questions to the city.
The city didn't respond with an answer by the time of publication.
Timm isn't naive to the costs of resurfacing tracks and building new facilities but he's hopeful more of a focus can be put on preventative maintenance.
He also realizes a more united voice among those in the track community could help in drawing more attention.
"An understanding of the depreciation of them and maybe starting to build a small contingency out of the rent that's paid to go to a maintenance fund," he said of what could be done to find a solution.
"I understand it's a big ask to come and resurface or build a new track. In Canada, the weather is not good for them and we're getting a lot of users. It's unfortunate we have these limited facilities but we have kids that want to exercise the opportunity."
