The PAC, home to many loved sports and where fans cheer with every goal, grand slam, or lap around the track, is no more. Many know the PAC for its great view of the city; however, the hill that creates the nice view also created the PAC’s downfall: literally. The ground gave in under the weight of the different sport fields, so the PAC fell down the hill.
On March 25, the Track and Field Snicker’s Invitation was underway as planned. The 4×400 relay was almost set as two teams prepared to face off. The distance team and sprinter team went to the line as Coach Boeing raises the gun, “Runners on your mark! Get Set! …”
The blast from the gun is muted from the sound of the tennis courts crumbling beneath themselves. Rackets in hand, the tennis team watched in horror from the parking lot. (Practice was delayed that day) The track soon began to crack and fall as the crumbling land spread across the soccer field and towards the bleachers. Dumbfounded, the track team ran up the stairs and into locker rooms as parents ran for their cars, deafened from the noise of falling debris with the baseball fields being the last are to fall victim to the landslide.
Eventually, the noise grew quieter and the ground stopped shaking as the track team built up the courage to look outside. As Coach Ward opened the door, he saw nothing. It was a ravine filled with nothing but clumps of dirt and crushed trees. An observant eye could still pick out some turf or the pitcher’s mound, but most just saw rubble.
The track team now practices at Panther Park. It is crowded, and occasionally someone trips on some garbage. However, it is better than nothing, so the team continues to work as usual. The Skyline Invitational is cancelled; home baseball games got cancelled, but everyone just kept working and grinding without complaint.
The same cannot be said about those driving on Quebec Road. The whole street was flooded with rocks, dirt, and tennis balls. Search and rescue workers were quick to arrive and dig the helpless cars out. The rubble fell all the way down to Quebec Gardens. One customer noted, “I walked in to get some lunch, and I walked out onto a soccer field.”
With the old PAC out of the picture, Elder sport fans are wondering what’s next for the teams who practice their everyday. Mr. Espelage answered many of those questions when he announced the PDASC. (Panther Domed Athletic Super Complex) This new sports complex with come with a dome over the soccer field, an indoor theme park called Panther Land, a 3-story tall spirit store, and most importantly, golf simulators. Construction is predicted to be complete in 2028 just in time for spring sports.
Although the PAC suddenly crumbled onto Quebec Road, the hype from the PDASC quickly overshadowed the structural integrity of the hill that which it will lay.
Oh, by the way, April fool.
