Understanding a Track and Field Meet by Bill Hollett What's a track meet? What is everybody doing? How does it all work? What should I watch? A track meet is fun, exciting, and much more interesting if you know what's happening. Remember how much better a football or basketball game seemed once you understood how it works? Track is like that, too. TEAMS School Track and Field meets are team competitions. Each school is called a team and usually has both boys and girls teams. A dual track meet has two teams competing to win (it is not a duel as in sword-fighting, but a dual as in two teams). A Tri-meet (or triangular meet) has three teams, a Quad meet has four teams, etc. An invitational meet can have any number of teams or individuals who responded to their invitation from the host. EVENTS All Track and Field meets have events that make up the meet for the whole team. The 100 meter dash is an event and the 1600 meter run is, too. A relay race is another event, as is the High Jump or the Shot Put. Any athlete in any event can score points for their team, and all those points together determine the team winner. ATHLETES In High School, an athlete can compete in up to four different events. In Middle School an athlete can compete in up to three. A meet can be won or lost based on which events a coach assigns his athletes. A single great athlete, no matter how good, cannot usually win a meet single-handedly. POINTS Track Meets (they are called meets not games ) keep score with points. A number of points are assigned for first place winners in events, and less points for other places (like second or third place). There may be lots of runners or field competitors in any event, but usually only the top few earn points for their team. As the Olympics only give medals to just a few places, points in track meets are usually only awarded for the top few finishers. The team with the most points from all the events in the meet is the winner.
WHY IT'S CALLED TRACK AND FIELD A meet is called track and field because there are running events on the track and throwing and jumping events on the field. A running event is fun and easy to understand. It's a race. You go fast, you win. Watch some runners sprint down the track and you know what they're trying to do, everybody turns their head to watch. Who is the fastest? Who gets to the finish line first? Field events involve throwing and jumping. With throwing events (the Shot Put, the Discus), who throws it the furthest? He's the winner. The jumping events measure who jumped the highest (the High Jump, the Pole Vault), or who jumped the furthest (the Long Jump). Field event usually give each athlete several tries and their best result is credited to them. Michigan does not have the javelin throw or the triple jump as events in high school or middle school meets. RELAYS There are also relay races where four athletes from a team take turns competing together in the same event. In a mile relay race, for example, the first runner runs a lap around the track and passes the baton to the second runner, who then runs his lap, and passes it to the third runner who runs his part or leg of the race, and then on to the fourth runner, who finishes the four lap Mile Relay race. First team to the finish wins. Other relay races go different distances, each relay has four members per team. THE TRACK Races are run on the track. The track is 400 meters around. One lap is 400 meters. That's about a quarter of a mile. Four laps is about a mile. Shorter races like the 100 meter dash or the 110 meter hurdles are run on a straightaway in front of the main stands (where the crowd sits). THE START All races begin with a gun. Shorter races start with the commands, On your Marks and Set before the gun. Longer races just use On Your Marks and then the gun. LANES AND ALLEYS Races sometimes have the runners race in lanes or alleys (two lanes) to avoid contact with each other. Longer races run in lanes (or alleys) only for the first part of the race, when the field is crowded, and
then they all cut in to the inside lane to run the rest of the race. The cut-in spot is predetermined and explained to the runners before the race. STAGGERS Because each outer lane going around a turn is longer than the inside lane, races sometimes have runners start further ahead on the track. This is called a stagger start. In all stagger starts the amount of head start is determined by the longer length around the track for that lane. The goal is to have all runners run an equal distance to be fair. THE FINISH Most meets try to have all the races finish at the same spot (the finish line) on the track. The finish line usually has officials, and/or a tent or table on the inside of the track, right in front of the finish line. The finish line is usually in front of the main stands. For many races, the start and finish are at the same spot. Longer races just run more laps. For races less than a lap long, the start is somewhere else on the track so the finish is still at the same spot. A 200 meter race, for example, would start halfway around the track from the finish line. RACE TIMING Often, races are timed by hand with a stopwatch (or several stopwatches). Sometimes races are timed electronically instead. Fully Automatic Timing (called FAT timing) means that a microphone records the instant that the gun goes off and the finish times are determined by a camera at the finish line. All runners are scored the same way in any event (either FAT or Hand-timed). Perhaps surprisingly, FAT times are usually slightly slower than hand times, but are considered more accurate. This is because while the stopwatch is started in reaction to the gun, inducing a slight delay, the finish time is anticipated (the timer sees the runner coming to the finish and hits the button just as he crosses), which makes for a slightly less overall time. MHSAA RULES In Michigan, we follow the MHSAA (Michigan High School Athletic Association) rules for a meet. Their officials are in charge, and can usually be distinguished by their red jackets or yellow sleeves. The National Federation of High Schools publishes a book each year with the general rules for high school athletics. Here's a link to the 2013 book: http://www.usatf.org/groups/officials/files/resources/rules/2013-nfhs-rule-book.pdf
So, how do you keep score for a whole team for all these events? Whose team wins? Here are answers for the High School and Middle School meets in Michigan. MHSAA meets have seventeen (17) events for a High School or Middle School meet. High School has an extra field event (the Discus). Middle School has an extra running event (the 70m Dash). All official meets are MHSAA meets, unless they are a scrimmage or some other non-official meet. DEPTH OF SCORING How many athletes in an event make points? The depth of scoring determines how many athletes make points. If a meet has a depth of scoring of three, then three places score points. In a larger meet, the depth of scoring may be six, so then six places score points. At the MHSAA State Championships meet ( Finals ), the depth of scoring is eight, so the top eight finishers earn points. Scoring Depth 3 6 8 Place and Points 1st place 5 points 2 nd place 3 points 3 rd place 1 point 1 st 10 2 nd 8 3 rd 6 4 th 4 5 th 2 6 th 1 1 st : 10 2 nd : 8 3 rd : 6 4 th : 5 5 th : 4 6 th : 3 7 th : 2 8 th : 1 Relay scoring is slightly different. Note that in a relay race at a dual meet, only the winning team makes points. The number of teams competing in a meet usually determines the depth of scoring. Number of Teams Competing in the Meet Individual Scoring Relay Scoring 2...5-3-1 5 3...5-3-2-1 5-3 4...6-4-3-2-1 6-4-2 5...8-6-4-2-1 8-6-4-2 6...10-8-6-4-2-1 10-8-6-4-2 7 or more (6 scoring)...10-8-6-4-2-1 10-8-6-4-2-1 7 or more (7 scoring)...10-8-6-4-3-2-1 10-8-6-4-3-2-1 7 or more (8 scoring)...10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1
MEET EVENT ORDER Field Events are usually held before the running events. Because both boys and girls teams are at the same meet but don't compete against each other, the boys are designated as competing first on even years, and the girls go first on odd years. 2014 is an even year so the boys go first. Sometimes both boys and girls will run in the same event (like the 3200m run) but they only score against other teams of the same gender (the boys don't really race the girls, etc., but against the boys on the other team(s), and vice versa). Here are the events for a MHSAA meets in the order in which they are held. HIGH SCHOOL ORDER OF EVENTS Field Events EVEN YEARS: Girls discus, pole vault and long jump first. (Followed by Boys discus, pole vault and long jump) Boys shot put and high jump. (Followed by Girls shot put and high jump.) ODD YEARS: Boys discus, pole vault and long jump first. (Followed by Girls discus, pole vault and long jump) Girls shot put and high jump. (Followed by Boys shot put and high jump.) Track Events 3200m Relay (4 x 800m) 110m and 100m Hurdles (boys and girls) 100m Dash 800m Relay (4 x 200m) 1600m Run (sometimes called the mile run) 400m Relay (4 x 100) 400m Dash 300m Hurdles (boys and girls) 800m Run 200m Dash 3200m Run (sometimes called the two mile run) 1600m Relay (4 x 400, sometimes called the mile relay)
MIDDLE SCHOOL ORDER OF EVENTS Field Events EVEN YEARS Girls long jump and pole vault first Boys high jump, shot put first ODD YEARS Boys long jump and pole vault first Girls high jump, shot put first Track Events 3200m Run ( two mile run, this event occurs during field competition) 55m Hurdles 800m Relay (4 x 200) 800m Run 1600m Run ( mile run ) 100m Dash 400m Dash 3200m Relay (4 x 800) 70m Dash 200m Hurdles 200m Dash 1600m Relay (4 x 400 mile relay ) 400m Relay (4 x 100) LEAGUE MEETS In the KVA League (Kalamazoo Valley Athletic Association) in which our school, Kalamazoo Christian, participates, each school usually has several dual meets during the season against other members of the league, and then has one Jamboree meet against all the other league schools they haven't competed against in a dual meet. There is one final League Championship meet in which all the league schools compete. INVITATIONAL MEETS Any school may receive an invitation to participate in a non-league meet in which they might compete against any other school present. They are free to accept or decline their invitations. The host determines the depth of scoring.
CHAMPIONSHIPS In Middle School, the only championship meet is the League championship meet. In High School, besides the League championship meet, there is also the Regional and State championship meets. The depth of scoring at a league championship meet is usually eight. Finishing first or second in an event at a league championship meet qualifies an athlete as All-League. In our school's case, belonging to the KVA league, that makes these top two finishers All-KVA. They are awarded medals. MICHIGAN HAS TWO PENINNSULAS Michigan has two peninsulas and traveling from one to the other can be time (and weather) prohibitive. So, schools are separated into upper and lower peninsula schools. DIVISIONS Because a bigger school has more potential athletes to draw from, which gives them an advantage, Michigan divides its competing schools up based on the number of students in each school. Each division has about the same number of schools in it. Division 1 has the biggest schools by attendance, Division 2 has smaller schools, Division 3 schools are smaller than Division 2 schools, etc. The lower peninsula has four divisions, the upper has three. Regional and State Championship meets are separated by Division. In 2014, Kalamazoo Christian is in Division 4 of the Lower Peninsula. REGIONALS AND QUALIFICATION Divisions are further broken up into local regions. Schools can then compete at the Regional Meet against other schools roughly of the same size and locally nearby. At these regional meets an athlete can compete in an event if he qualifies for that event. In order to qualify, an athlete has to have met certain qualifying standards set for that event by MHSAA. To qualify for Regionals, an athlete must match or best the event qualifying marks at a MHSAA meet that season "prior to 4 p.m. on the Opt-Out Due Date" (in 2014 that date is May 13). So, if the boys qualifying mark for the 100 meter dash is 12.04 FAT, and a boy has run that fast (or faster) at a MHSAA meet this season before 4pm on May 13th, he qualifies to run at the Regional meet this year. In 2014, Kalamazoo Christian is in Region 34 (of Division 4, so that region is called 34-4). You can see the regional qualifying marks for our school at this link:
http://kchristianrunning.com/qual_marks.php The depth of scoring at regional meets is eight. Athletes who finish first or second in their event at Regionals are considered All-Region and are awarded medals. They are also invited to MHSAA State Finals. MITCA TEAM STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS If a team wins its regional meet, the whole team is invited to the MITCA Team State Championship meet. MITCA stands for Michigan Interscholastic Track Coaches Association. At MITCA's discretion, a team that doesn't win its Regional meet can still be invited. At the MITCA meet, each team can have up to three athletes in each event (there are no individual qualifying marks for events), and points are awarded for every finisher. Thus, the depth of scoring is determined by the potential number of competitors. If there are ten teams, there are thirty potential athletes in an event. Thus, first place would get 30 points, second place would get 29, third place 28, etc. Each team can have one relay team in each relay event, and first place is worth double the points of an individual event. So if there are ten teams, and first place in an individual event is worth 30 points, then first place in the relay is worth double that, 60 points. Each individual place in a relay is then worth six points less. So, ten teams in a meet would mean relay points for first place is 60 points (double the 30 of individual events) second is 54 (six points less than first place) third is 48 (six points less, and so on) -42-36-30-24-18-12-6. Twelve teams would mean 72 points for first, then 66, 60, 54, 48, 42, 36, 30, 24, 18, 12, 6. The team with the most points at the end wins the meet. MHSAA STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS ( FINALS ) AND QUALIFICATION If an individual athlete performs well enough at the regional meet, that individual qualifies for the MHSAA State Championship, also called Finals. Thus, MHSAA State Finals only has elite athletes competing, not their whole teams. Athletes qualify by event. To qualify for Finals, an athlete must either place first or second at the regional meet, or best (or meet) the qualifying standards for state finals in that event at Regionals. Finishing first or second at the Regional meet gets an automatic invite regardless of the time or mark. But, if an athlete, for example, finishes fourth in the 1600 meter run at Regionals, but the finishing time of 4:35.1 is equal to or better than the state qualifying time of 4:41.3, that athlete still qualifies for State Finals and is invited. You can see the qualifying marks for state finals for our school here: http://kchristianrunning.com/qual_marks.php?standard=2
All eight top finishers in an event at State Finals not only earn points but are also considered ALL- STATE and are awarded a medal and an All-State certificate. The depth of scoring at MHSAA Finals is eight, and the scores are totaled to determine the team winner.