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Louisville, Ky. (March 23, 2022) - ASM Global managed Norton Healthcare Sports & Learning Center completed its first full indoor track season this March with multiple record breaking performances and new revenue streams for the Russell Neighborhood.
From December 2021 through March 2022, the venue hosted 20 indoor track meets for youth, high school, collegiate, masters and professional athletes, including the Mid-South and Appalachian Athletic Conference Championships; the Louisville Urban League / Kentucky State University HBCU Classic; the American Track League pro meet and the Kentucky Indoor High School State Championships. These meets featured 9,000 athletes from more than 80 colleges, 20 foreign countries, 250 US cities and 27 US states.
"I have been to many indoor track complexes across the United States as well as globally, and the Norton Healthcare and Learning Center rivals any of the top facilities in the World," said American Track League Founder Paul Doyle. "The facility, the officials and all the people involved from the ground up are top-notch. I couldn't imagine a better partnership for the American Track League."
These indoor track meets have generated more than $3 million in economic impact for the city, and this total is expected to more than double next season with the addition of several championship events, including the recently announced 2023 USATF Indoor Youth Championship and Masters Championship events. As one of only nine banked indoor track and field facilities in the nation, the Norton Healthcare Sports & Learning Center was built for top performances and it's gaining a reputation as one of the fastest and most competitive indoor track facilities in the world. The facility not only bolsters the local economy, it gives athletes a much sought after platform to compete at their highest levels. Some of the highlights from the 2021/22 indoor track season include:
- University of Kentucky track & field senior Abby Steiner broke the 300-meter collegiate record running a lap and a half in 35.80 at the Louisville Cardinal Classic on December 11, 2021. Steiner broke Nebraska's Merlene Ottey's 40-year-old record of 35.83. Steiner's 300-meter time was an all time NCAA Mark.
- Shane Streich broke the American record in the 1,000-meter record Saturday, February 12 at the American Track League Eastern Indoors. Streich, who runs for the Atlanta Track Club, ran 2:16.16 to break the record of 2:16.27, set by Bryce Hoppel in 2021.
- Olympian Vashti Cunningham set the facility mark in high jump on February 12, 2022 with a height of 1.98 meters (6.5 feet). Vashti is currently the top ranked women's high jumper in the United States.
- During the Eastern Indoors indoor meet on February 12, Madison Central junior Wyatt Stewart cleared 17-07' and earned the top ranking as the No. 1 high school pole vaulter in the nation.
- On March 5, during the KTCCCA Indoor Championship eighth grade Owensboro Middle School runner King Combest ran 7.10 in the 60-meter dash. This is not only the top ranked middle school performance in the United States this season, it is the fastest time ever run for a middle schooler. King is the son of one-time American record holder and former Kentucky high school standout, Casey Combest, of Owensboro. (Video of record setting race)
"Our desire from the very beginning was to bring a truly world-class venue to the west end of Louisville," said President and CEO of Louisville Urban League Sadiqa Reynolds. "We achieved that in the development of this complex, and since our opening a year ago, our focus has been to fill this space with world-class events and world-class experiences - for athletes and fans from around the world and right here in the west end. These performances prove how far we've come in such a short time and we look forward to watching more athletes soar in the coming years."
For information on upcoming events or booking the venue, visit our website at nortonslc.com.
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