The new athletic facilities at Redondo Union High School has turned the campus into a sports Mecca.
Jim Vetrovic remembers vividly his days running around the track in Sea Hawk Bowl. The cross country and distance runner spent countless hours on the oval course with many fond – and some not so pleasant – memories.
“There were spots on the track that seemed to be under water much of the year,” said the 1962 Redondo Union High School graduate. “The drainage was terrible and when the clay did dry out, it turned to brick and we would tear chunks of it up hoping not to fall.”
Those days are long gone. After the passing of the $145 million Measure C, which was approved by the school board in late 2007 and by Redondo voters in early 2008, the new athletic facilities on the Redondo Union campus has created what former Athletic Director Les Congelliere termed the “sports Mecca of the South Bay.”
Beginning with new synthetic turf on the football field and track in Sea Hawk Bowl, renovations have included upgrades on baseball and softball diamonds, tennis courts, soccer fields, field houses, lighting, locker rooms and shower facilities.
The crown jewel of the campus may be the school’s new 25-yard-by-40-meter pool that features stadium seating, a Jumbotron electronic scoreboard and a large deck area. It is heated by solar panels built into the roof of the adjacent gymnasium.
The new, smaller gym opened during the basketball season and will be used by the highly-ranked boys’ volleyball team this spring while upgrades to the large gym are completed.
