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For decades, high school tracks around Brevard County have been deteriorating.

The harsh Florida climate coupled with intense rains have left many concrete tracks needing upgrades.

In recent years, four schools have installed rubber tracks: Satellite, Merritt Island, Holy Trinity and Melbourne Central Catholic.

Now, the number will be 10 as Cocoa, Astronaut, Cocoa Beach, Eau Gallie, Melbourne and Rockledge are set to have rubber tracks installed on campus.

At Rockledge, it means being able to do something the program has not had the ability to do in quite some time.

"We are excited for it, because we are looking forward to being able to host home meets," Rockledge girls head coach Beth Scarborough said. "We used to have to always pay $200 to enter other meets." 

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Scarborough said Rockledge will be able to raise money by charging entry fees and having a concession stand at home meets.

All these things will help with track maintenance and generate money for the team. 

New rubber tracks also potentially mean something else big for local schools: fewer injuries for runners, an important issue for high school athletes who look to build a future in track and field.

"The more you run, the more repetitive use injuries are a possibility," said Dr. Tara Forcier of Pediatrics in Brevard, who is a parent of two distance runners. "The rubber is a more springy surface that can absorb the shock better."

Examples of repetitive use injuries include stress fractures, shin splints and strains that come from the constant pounding created while running or jumping over hurdles.

Forcier said not only do rubber tracks absorb the shock better than asphalt; they also provide runners with more bounce that can lead to better speeds and performances.

The benefits are not only ones student-athletes will see now; rubber tracks may help better protect these young athletes' joints, muscles and tendons as they get older.

"If they are spending time dealing with injuries, that can be discouraging sometimes and makes them want to give up," Forcier said. "That's not what we want. We want kids to participate in sports as long as they want."

While the number of school tracks will stand at 10, there are still at least eight more schools that do not have rubber tracks: Titusville, Space Coast, Viera, West Shore, Palm Bay, Bayside, Heritage and Edgewood.

At anywhere between $250,000 and $400,000, it’s a cost some schools have trouble coming to terms with.

Rubber tracks are a luxury, not a necessity, so schools could resurface existing asphalt tracks at a much lower cost.

At the same time, it’s a luxury many would like to have.

“We are not currently getting one, but we are hoping to get one in the next year or two,”  Bayside athletic Director Brandon Sherrill said.