Texas Water Project










The Oblivious Athletes Taahir Kelly, October 2023



The Journey begins with the crossing of a desolate land of asphalt, unprotected from the wrath or the Sun. Upon crossing you reach the mountainous set of stairs that often feel like an undefeatable task themselves; standing atop are the gates to Olympus or some would say to hell. The air is dry, the light is bright reflecting off the concrete pavement with heatwaves in the distance, causing you to squint to see any further than right in front of you. Home of 8 Olympians, 37 Team Conference Championships, and 106 All-Americans, the track sits 
a pale red with faded white lines caused by the unforgiving climate of San Marcos, TX.  



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The large oval is symmetrical all around for the most part, however, due to the sifting plates of the earth, a bank has developed on the outer lanes. Monday through Friday is filled with chaos, around 80 people share the track facilities, all attempting to complete their practices. The smell of tiger balm, icy hot, body odor and the occasional breeze of marijuana fill the air, with bodies dropping all around due to the excruciating workouts.




Established in 2011, the track used to occupy the space around the football field’s sideline, but with success came funding and the construction of the standalone Track and Field Complex, one that has seen 4 coaching staffs, thousands of athletes, and can hold up to 2000 people.  Throughout this short history of the Track and Field Complex and its occupants, two things have remained constant, the athletic reliance on water, and its abundant supply at their disposal. Hydration has always been the most important aspect of an athlete’s performance and how well and long they can train and race without suffering things such as cramps and light-headedness.
What they now face is something they may not have seen in their history, a drought, one that is drying of water throughout central Texas. If spoken too they may ask, how does this affect me, what does it have to do with us, as they will always be taken care of and never be at practice or anywhere without ample water. That attitude is apart of the bigger issue, that indifference leads to some of the biggest wasting of water one will see. To drink, to cool off, to horseplay, to celebrate, and for emergencies; water is a vital part of athletic life and they treat it as if the resource s infinite. We look at the now, we understand and realize that this issue at hand isn’t as threatening to the athletes as it is to normal residents who really are on their water from lakes, rivers, and other sources of water like such. But looking to the future, looking far beyond the next few years, what will become the reality of this special group if the drought is to continue, what will life for them look like? Better yet, will they exist without their unique and abundant access to free, clean drinking water?

 








“Athletes have hisotrically treated warter as an infinate sourece of hydration, coolling and celebration”











“The athletics industry is one of waste, greed and polution” 







“Gain insight into the practice of
Texas State Track and Field team”