Thoughts on Increased Number of State Track Meet Qualifiers

[mcpapa]

My own opinion, for what it's worth - the state meet is now WAY too watered down.

[The Cerebral Assassin]

My own opinion, for what it's worth - the state meet is now WAY too watered down.

 

To a point I agree, but some events are way too hard to qualify for than others. I do like the old format better.

[mcpapa]

To a point I agree, but some events are way too hard to qualify for than others. I do like the old format better.

 

As long as there are two automatic qualifiers from each region (a premise with which I agree), that shouldn't ba a problem. That guarantees 14 state qualifiers.

 

I think it borders on the ridiculous that EVERY SINGLE Class A girl pole vaulter that participated in the regionals also qualified for the state meet.

[getalife]

I'm out of touch with track. How does one qualify for the state meet now?

[mcpapa]

I'm out of touch with track. How does one qualify for the state meet now?

 

 

7 regions, top two finishers in each event are automatic state qualifiers, then the next 10 best times/distances/heights statewide (without regard to region) also qualify.

 

It used to be that the top two finishers in each event from each region (and there may have been 6 regions as opposed to 7), plus the next 4 statewide finishers qualified.

[Beechwoodfan]

I have to agree that it is watered down. I liked it the way it was before.

 

Lets face it, track meets are very long and the state meet takes an entire day. Tough when your event "barely qualifies". As a parent and student it is tough to be ranked 12th or worse, spend the entire day to likely finish 12th, or worse.

[Jim Schue]

As long as there are two automatic qualifiers from each region (a premise with which I agree), that shouldn't ba a problem. That guarantees 14 state qualifiers.

 

I think it borders on the ridiculous that EVERY SINGLE Class A girl pole vaulter that participated in the regionals also qualified for the state meet.

 

I see what you mean regarding the pole vaulters. However, isn't the larger problem that there are so few schools that offer it and/or so few kids who want to try it?

[MountainThunder]

I see what you mean regarding the pole vaulters. However, isn't the larger problem that there are so few schools that offer it and/or so few kids who want to try it?

 

Yep. Even many of your better high school track coaches are not really that familiar with how to coach the pole vault. Track was one of my two sports, even competed in college on scholarship, but I wouldn't know the first thing about how to teach a kid to pole vault.

[scout]

Watered down in terms of talent? Seems to me by giving the 'at large' you get the good kids who might not have done well in the Regions (injury, illness, too many events...)

 

Watered down in terms of too many kids? There you have a point. On the track you can run them eight at a time, but in the field events, everyone gets their jumps & throws. THat is going to take some time.

[justsaying]

It is an issue that cuts both ways. Yes there are people qualified to compete that do not belong but in this format, you will not have anyone left out due to bad weather or just bad luck. We will truely get the 16 best competitors out of the field of 24 which we did not always get before. There are negatives in every circumstance but i believe the positives outway the negatives. The one day format with no preliminary races is another topic all together.

[HOPKINSVILLE TIGER]

Kids qualify with very slow times in sprints and distance and short heights and distances. There should probably be a state standard that a kid has to achieved just to make it to staet similar to how we do it here in Indiana. 10.93 in the 100, 22.19 in the 200, 48.93 in the 400, 6'51/4" in the high jump, 21'9" long jump, 14.75 high hurdles, 39.13 in the lows, 42.66 400 relay, and these are the standards that have to be met prior to participating in the state meet. Standards are set by using the 9th place finishers times, heights, and distances the past three years as an average. So these times probably will be the times of the 9th place male at this year's state meet. My son jumped 6'7" and was 8th in the high jump

[MountainThunder]

Kids qualify with very slow times in sprints and distance and short heights and distances. There should probably be a state standard that a kid has to achieved just to make it to staet similar to how we do it here in Indiana. 10.93 in the 100, 22.19 in the 200, 48.93 in the 400, 6'51/4" in the high jump, 21'9" long jump, 14.75 high hurdles, 39.13 in the lows, 42.66 400 relay, and these are the standards that have to be met prior to participating in the state meet. Standards are set by using the 9th place finishers times, heights, and distances the past three years as an average. So these times probably will be the times of the 9th place male at this year's state meet. My son jumped 6'7" and was 8th in the high jump

 

Personally, I like the idea of having a state standard to qualify. But, in many states where this occurs, where hand timing is used in most meets, I have been told of coaches fudging times a little to make sure kids have the qualifying time. I do think that Indiana has the right idea.

 

However, looking at the times in Kentucky, they haven't improved over the years. In fact, I saw times that some participants had that won their meets and qualified them for the state that would not have have made it out of many of the regionals, much less the sectionals at that time. The format then was 1. regionals, 2. sectionals, then 3. state. There were kids running in the 11's in the 100 meter dash and winning their meets and qualifying for state. I can't believe it.

 

Here are a few records that I looked at:

 

Boys 100m record set in 1990. That is 19 years.

 

Boys 4 x 100 meter record is Lafayette in 1985, ... 24 years.

Girls 4 x 100 meter record is Bryan Station, 1982, 27 years

 

Boys & Girls 400 meter records were set in 1983, ... 26 years

 

Boys 110 m hurdles, 1975

 

Boys 200 meter record is very recent, ... 8 years by Ben Kittleson

Girls 200 meter record, 1986, ... 23 years

 

State long jump record: 1985 for the boys, .. 1975 for the girls

 

I know it isn't just about when the records were set, .. but the times that get some to the state level are simply not what they used to be. I think it is ashame, but often this is due to many of the better athletes, not participating in track and field like they used to and focusing on 1 maybe 2 sports. Personally, I always liked Tom Larkey's philosophy that if his football players weren't playing another sport, he really 'encouraged' them to run track. Now, too many coaches want the better athletes all to themselves instead of letting them be kids. What Coach Larkey did for me was to encourage me to participate in another sport, and that other sport is where I got my scholarship.

[woodyccrr]

I agree with MT.. Track used to be considered a sport the winter and fall athletes would participate in to maintain or improve speed/endurance. But many, such as MT, find a home and sometimes ends up being their best or favorite sport. If you look at most state qualifying athletes in sprinting and jumping events, many of them play football in the fall. But how many basketball players do you see? How many soccer players do you see? These are the sports which ask them to "specialize". They are playing club soccer and AAU or open gym basketball. The only sport track should be losing athletes to is baseball, not club leagues...

[mcpapa]

While we're on the subject of Kentucky HS track, what do folks think about the "one false start and you're done" rule? Seems to me that this as much as anything keeps elite sprinters out of the state meet. What;s wrong with charging the first FS in a race to the field?

[mcpapa]

Watered down in terms of talent? Seems to me by giving the 'at large' you get the good kids who might not have done well in the Regions (injury, illness, too many events...)

 

Watered down in terms of too many kids? There you have a point. On the track you can run them eight at a time, but in the field events, everyone gets their jumps & throws. THat is going to take some time.

 

I believe that the talent is watered down by virtue of including too many participants. I think that something like 30% of all individual regional participants and 50% of all regional relay teams qualified for the state meet. Seems to me that the state meet is no longer a "best of the best" showcase.