AKRON — Winning traditions aren't always built. On the eastern plains of Colorado, they're grown.
Akron High School is home to just over 100 students, but you would be hard pressed to find a school this size with the types of facilities you'll find on its campus.
"It's definitely a great source of pride for us," Akron superintendent Brian Christensen said of the Akron football stadium. "We host several track meets and football games, and we're pretty proud of it."
In 1997, the Rams sold their old land and used the funds to move the new football field to its current resting place. Originally, there was an old cinder track that circled the area with some native grass growing in the middle. In two decades, the Akron community has transformed the space into one of the premiere high school football stadiums on the eastern plains. The first games were played on the new field the following season in 1998.
"It's interesting to see where it is now from where it was," Christensen said. "If you were here prior to 98, this landscape looks entirely different."
Nine years later, in 2007 a Go Colorado Grant was used to fund a new track -- a one-of-a-kind spectacle in the state.
"Initially it was going to be a traditional eight lane track. They were talking about a walkway around it, which is kind of tradition," Akron High School athletic director Tom Meyer said. "The engineers, the people that put the track in said, 'Hey, you got room for two more lanes. Let's do that."
So they did, thus building the only ten-lane high school track in the entire state of Colorado. The Akron School District would continue to build on to their stadium, adding a press box and bathrooms later. In all, the stadium cost a grand total of $1.1 million.
"That would probably be a bargain in today's economy," Christensen said with a laugh.
Despite the grant money, none of this would be in existence today if not for the generous support of the Akron community.
"We've had a lot of donations individually, construction businesses, and people hauling stuff that have their business, so yeah, it's been a real community effort to get all of this done," Meyer said.
In past years, the community has also been a force at the football games. The Akron Rams boast six state titles, and has been a power house for much of the past 15 years.
"We were blessed and fortunate to host five [home state championship games] in a row, from 2005-2009," Christensen said. "I think some things just continued to build and some tradition formed. I think it's still a source of pride where people don't want to see that tradition go by the wayside."
Akron is one of Colorado's leading agricultural producers. And be it tradition, support or passion, Akron High School sure knows how to grow.
