Nanaimo & District Track and Field Club

History

A Brief History of Rotary Bowl and its’ supporters:

The Nanaimo & District Track and Field Club came into existence after World War II. Early attempts to develop partnerships with the City, football and soccer to build a stadium failed so the Club formed a partnership with the local school district and was able to develop a high caliber Track and Field venue. The newly sprouted partnership allowed the likes of Elwood Wylie – a recent inductee in the Nanaimo Sport Hall of Fame – to spearhead the development of this facility. Art Van Idour continued Wylie’s vision, creating what is now known as Rotary Bowl one of the finest track and field venues in the province. This facility provides free access to thousands of students, educators and members of the general public to pursue their physical fitness goals.

The original dirt track was laid out around 1960 and was later upgraded in 1985 to a synthetic surface. The surface did not fair-well and needed replacing within a few years; however, there was no money available to redo the track. Some 15 years later in the year 2000 and at cost of $650,000 the upgrade was completed. The funds for this upgrade were provided through partnerships with the Nanaimo & District Track and Field Club $393,000, with the remainder coming from the School District and the Province. In 2010, an additional layer of synthetic covering was added to the surface at a cost of $227,000 with these costs being covered by the Nanaimo & District Track and Field Club $60,000, Credit Union $5000, Nanaimo Heritage Foundation $15,000, Bastion Running Club - $1500.00, Vi Khalas Diwan - $1500, the School District $100,000 and the remaining being provided through the provincial Community Connections Program. What makes this track so unique in Canada is not only the fact that there is a separate sprint surface, which in not part of the traditional oval, but the fact that it is the only track venue in Canada that has all Throwing events within the infield, thus, it doesn’t matter if you are involved in the Hammer, Javelin, Discus or Shot Put you will be performing on the infield in full view of the stands. With the recent updates this facility is looking to host local, provincial and national competitions. The 2014 BC Summer Games will be one of those major events that will be centred at Rotary Bowl and it is hoped that in 2013 this facility will host the National Youth Championships, bringing athletes and families from across Canada to Nanaimo for a week of track and field events.

1960 photo of the dirt track, note there is no baseball diamond, 3rd Street Connector and a small college campus.

Although designed first and foremost as a track and field facility this venue has hosted many other events within its’ boundaries. The Rotary Bowl venue provides access to such programs, clubs and organizations as the NDSS PE program, VIU Mariner baseball, VIU PE, VIU International Student recreational soccer, the Breast Cancer 12-hour Relay, the Nanaimo Canoe and Kayak, the Bastion Running Club, the Sikh community, private Boot-Camps, Pacific Sport clinics and training sessions, the City’s access for the opening and closing ceremonies of two BC Summer Games and BC Senior Games, as well as for various soccer, basketball, hockey, football, and rugby clinics, available at little or no cost.

Nanaimo & District Track and Field Club 2000 shows a great deal of expansion in this area over 4 decades.

To date, as part of our long standing agreement with District, we rely on the District for general maintenance and up keep of the facility. This means that the District and Club reserve the right to restrict access to any group or activity that could result in undo wear or damage to the facility. It is in the spirit of community that our Club and the District hopes to accommodate as many interests as possible while keeping the material and communal integrity of our facility intact.