Beginner’s Guide to Track & Field Meets
Indoor Track & Field Meet Formats:
…… Indoor: Meets raced inside on 200m oval, 6 lanes (55m is 6 or 8 lanes).
…… Polar Bear: Meets raced outsideside on 400m oval, 6 or 8 lanes.
…… Entry Limits: Maximum number of entries permitted (for a team, for an event).
…… Entry Standards: Minimum performance marks required for entry into an event.
…… F.A.T. Timing: Fully Automatic Timing (a camera system that receives Start signals).
Track Order of Events for Indoor Meets:
Girls first, Boys follow except for Combined Events.
…… 4 X 800m Relay (aka 3200m Relay)
…… 55m Hurdles
…… 55m Dash
…… 4 X 200m Relay (aka 800m Relay)
…… 1600m Run
…… 500m Dash (finishes unlaned)
…… 1000m Run
…… 300m Dash
…… 3200m Run
…… 4 X 400m Relay (aka 1600m Relay)
Schedules and Starts:
…… Start Time: Field Events and 1st Running Event have start times.
…… Rolling Schedule: After 1st Running Event, all Track events proceed through schedule, in order.
…… Schedule: Some meets will publish a time schedule with allowances to move faster or slower.
…… Combined Events: Girls and Boys events do get combined, sometimes on short notice.
…… Heats: Track Events are broken into Heats, usually ordered slower to faster.
…… Flights: Field Events are broken into Flights, usually ordered lower to higher.
…… Finals: 55m Events and/or Jumps and/or Throws may offer Finals to Qualifiers.
…… Seed/Position: Placement of Athlete in a Heat or Flight, does not correspond with Lane.
…… Verified Seeding: Seeds must be from another in-season or past-season performance.
…… Waterfall: Distance Track Events, Athletes are placed on an Arc.
…… Alleys: Distance Track Events, Athletes are placed into 2 Alleys with separate Waterfall Arcs.
…… Break-Line: Depending on Event, Athletes “break” in to Lane 1 on a Merge.
Other Terminology:
…… State Qualifier: Athlete performs at a mark equal or better to the State Championship Qualifying Standard.
…… Spike Check: Athletes spikes are inspected for conformance with 1/4″ spike rules.
…… Check-In: Athletes check in and receive Hip Numbers here. Relays report in as a team.
…… Clerking: Athletes report in for Event Start here; may be Start Line if Polar Bear.
…… Season Best: Athlete’s Best Mark of the Season (aka SB).
…… Personal Record: Athlete’s Best career Mark (aka PR).
…… The Rail: Inside line of Lane 1, sometimes marked by an aluminum “rail”.
This is not everything, and we will continue adding content as needs arise. If you have questions, please feel free to reach out to coach.gamble@icloud.com