ROCHESTER, Mich. — The Lakeshore Striders Pavilion was revealed and dedicated in honor of a large legacy gift given to the Track & Field / Cross Country program.

The Lakeshore Striders is a long-standing running club in southeast Michigan and has been very generous donors to the TF and XC program over the past 20 years, with gifts totaling $500K.

In recent years, the Lakeshore Striders assisted in providing equipment for the new track complex when it opened in 2015 and funded the purchase cost of a Ford Transit team van for the teams in 2018.

The recent legacy gift of $200K was the final gift from the Lakeshore Striders, and their club has now been retired, but this final gift was given to fund an idea that Paul Rice, Director of Track & Field, formulated back in 2015. 

"When we first opened our facility in 2015, I immediately thought, how great would it be to have a space inside the fences of the facility that would provide a permanent gathering area for our team, our alums, and the supporters of our program. This new pavilion is the perfect structure in the perfect spot in the facility," Rice said. 

Coach Rice and his longtime assistant coach John Nemens have had a 30-year friendship with the Lakeshore Striders and its founders Nick Papas and Bob Baril. Nick and Bob were the race directors of the Great Lakes Relay, a team relay running event that spans coast to coast across the northern part of Michigan over three days. Their event went on for over 25 years and, yearly, had close to 100 teams participate. Over time they have used their proceeds to help multiple charities, including the Special Olympics, in addition to their contributions to the Oakland cross country and track programs.

"Nick and Bob have been incredible friends to me personally and to our program for a long time," said Rice. "It has been great to develop a personal relationship with both of them and their families over the years. We have had many good times together and made some really incredible memories. They are two incredible guys!"

The Lakeshore Striders Track & Field Pavilion is the completion of the first stage of the project. Now Coach Rice has plans for fencing around the pavilion, landscaping, and constructing a brick paver, "Legacy Patio." 

"Once we complete our XCTF Legacy Patio, alums, friends, and supporters of our program will be able to purchase bricks and have a message put on their bricks," Rice mentioned. "It might be their name and years they were on the team, or maybe a message they want to leave behind. I am very excited to see the next stages of this project completed, and thanks to the Lakeshore Striders, the funding is already in place to move those phases forward."