During the Oratory Prep indoor track season, there are many tracks the team runs at, ranging from some of the most disliked to those run at the national level.
Starting at the bottom is Bennett Indoor Athletic Complex, better known as “The Bubble”. This track is flat, compared to the nicer banked tracks, which help in the tight turns of the 200m indoor track. Additionally, the common consensus of the complex is that the air is bad and hard to breathe during races – most likely due to it being stuffy and trapped inside the bubble. Unfortunately, the state meeting will be held here. Fast times are possible, but not expected.
Second from the bottom is the Jersey City Armory. This is again, a flat track. This track has more of a warmup area than The Bubble, with a basketball court inside of the track. Other than the track being flat, this facility is cold inside, due to its age. Finally, the bathroom lines do not move fast, so runners have to make sure they get there twenty minutes before the warmup time if they have to go.
Next up is The Lawrenceville School. This indoor track was completed in 2022 and is a four-lane, semi-banked track. This track ranks above the others as it has a bank to it, however, it is only four lanes, so it can’t rank too high. The one meet that was run at this track was with schools Oratory does not normally compete against, so it was a nice refresh of competition.
The start of the top is the New York Armory, sponsored by Nike. This is the track where Nike Indoor Nationals is held, as well as holding many high-level competitions. This track sees all runners, from Olympians to freshman runners. The actual track is a toss-up for the best track the team runs at, but the facility drops it to number two. Aside from the horrendous warmup area, there is no “track” surface around the facility, so to get around you’d have to wear socks. Since they don’t allow you to bring anything with you, (you must walk down in your uniform and spikes) you have to take your spikes off after your race, then walk up flights of stairs and across the facility.
The Ocean Breeze Sports Complex is the number-one track facility Oratory Prep sees at its meets. This track is banked, has a great temperature, and has padding on the floors throughout. It has everything you would look for in a facility, including a large warmup area below. This facility is where the majority of the meets are held for the team. In addition, this facility hosts meets of some of the best runners in the nation.