How Embarrassing

Extensive cracks force Allen ISD to shut down $60 million pigskin palace

When Allen Eagle Stadium opened to great fanfare in 2012, no one guessed the $60 million pigskin palace would close abruptly less than two years later.

In a February 27 statement, the district said it shuttered the football stadium "for a full evaluation and repairs after extensive cracking was found in the concrete of the stadium's concourse." All activities at the stadium have been suspended indefinitely "out of an abundance of caution."

"Our number one priority must always be the safety of our students, staff and community," said school board president Louise Master. "We do not have information at this point that confirms any areas outside of the concourse could be affected, but the most prudent thing to do, to absolutely assure the safety of students, staff and the community, is to keep the facility closed during this review."

The 18,000-seat stadium was funded as part of a $119 million bond package. It hosted a number of school activities and was slated to hold Allen High School's graduation in June. Those plans are now being revised as district officials investigate the extent of the damage. AISD expects the facility to remain closed through the scheduled graduation on June 6 and perhaps longer.

Nelson Forensics, an engineering firm, has already begun examining the stadium, and its preliminary review confirmed "pervasive cracking in the concrete of the elevated concourse." Nelson needs time to complete a full structural evaluation before recommending appropriate repairs.

The stadium was designed by PBK Architects and built by Pogue Construction. The district said both have been notified and are involved in discussion about the issues.

PBK Architects and Pogue Construction are currently involved in another massive building project for Allen ISD — a nearly $40 million bus barn project that has already raised community concerns. "An independent review of that project is underway, and any potential issues can be identified and addressed if necessary," the statement read.

unspecified

Good as gold

Dallas gymnast Skye Blakely wins gold at 2026 world championships

Day 7 - Artistic Gymnastics World Championships Rotterdam 2026

Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images

undefined

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) — American Skye Blakely soared to the women's all-around gold at the world gymnastics championships on Friday, putting together four stellar routines as other top competitors faltered.

The 21-year-old's total of 55.733 included a dazzling set on uneven bars and a stoic and steady performance on balance beam and no major form breaks or falls, giving the Dallas native a moment of redemption after bids to make the 2020 and 2024 U.S. Olympic teams ended due to injury.

Blakely was born in Dallas and lives and trains in Frisco, at the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy (WOGA); she's also a student-athlete at the University of Florida.

Blakely broke into tears when she walked off the podium at the end of her floor exercise in the final rotation, her long and painful journey with an unforgiving sport hitting a high note that seemed far away during lengthy rehabs that taxed both her mind and her body.

Liudmila Roschina earned silver at 55.199. Ke Qinqin of China took bronze at 55.032.

Algerian Kaylia Nemour's bid to become the first gymnast from Africa to win an all-around title at worlds ended with a fourth-place finish. The 19-year-old's finals got off to a rough start in her first rotation when her feet didn't land squarely on the springboard while vaulting, forcing her to do a simpler vault that cost her valuable points.

While Nemour recovered spectacularly thanks in large part to an uneven bars routine that is one of the hardest routines done on any apparatus by any gymnast — male or female — in the world, it wasn't quite enough to reach the podium.

American Claire Pease's hopes of joining Blakely on the medal stand ended when she hopped off beam on her way to a seventh-place finish. Pease, a Sunnyvale native, also trains at WOGA in Frisco.

Blakely and Pease were competing two days after the U.S. saw its long run of gold medals in the team finals at worlds end with a second-place finish to resurgent China. That up-and-down night included Blakely failing to get credit for a connection during her beam routine that cost the Americans nearly a point in a meet where they missed out on gold by a fraction of that.

There were no such issues this time around. Blakely headed to beam atop the leaderboard after an excellent start on vault followed by a bars routine that's pretty good in its own right.

Still, beam is something different. And this time there were no missed connections and barely a wobble. Her score of 14.200 kept her in front and turned her floor exercise largely into a victory lap.

The tears after she saluted the judges were real. So were the ones when her spot atop the sport became official about 15 minutes later.

Blakely then draped the American flag over her back while posing for the cameras becoming the ninth U.S. woman — and sixth this century — to win a world all-around crown.

While the picture figures to get considerably more crowded in the next two years ahead of the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, Blakely's perseverance and talent have thrust her back into the conversation.

gymnastics olympics sports