The track season has barely started and we already have a number of qualifiers for the Class AA state meet. If this seems a bit odd to you, it’s because it is. We are currently in the first year of a two-year experiment in Class AA to implement qualifying standards for the state meet. In past years, only the top five finalists at the divisional tournament went to state, which gave us 10 total in each event – five from the west and five from the east for both boys and girls.
With the qualifying standards, the top five still go, but kids also can earn a spot at state by achieving certain times and distances at any meet throughout the season as long as fully automatic timing (FAT) is used. Those qualifying times and distances were established before the start of the season by averaging out top scores from past years.
For example, the standard for the boys’ 100-meter dash is 11.3. If a sprinter breaks the 11.3 barrier at any meet that is timed by an FAT device – such as Accutrak – he is automatically entered into the state tournament.
As would be expected, the experiment has its share of critics and fans alike. Coaches in favor argue that it’s an effective way to get more kids into the final meet. These coaches believe that kids who are among the best in their event but fail to get in the top five at divisionals shouldn’t be punished by one bad performance. Now they have multiple opportunities to get into the meet throughout the season. It spices up the regular season.
But there are also coaches who think the system should be left alone. They have several arguments. One is that not all schools have an automatic timing system. So the schools that do have it will have opportunities to qualify kids for state at every home meet. Schools that don’t have it may then end up with fewer qualifying chances during the season.
Another argument is that it waters down the divisional tournament. The late-season pressure of having only one chance at state now carries less weight. Yet another concern is that the excitement of having one single championship race at state, like in the 100-meter dash, no longer exists. With more kids qualifying, there will have to be a series of races to whittle the field down to the final 10. Then those 10 will race for the title.
Despite the concerns, I’m sure many kids are excited. It adds an extra element of intensity to regular-season meets. For kids who might not necessarily be top-five material at divisionals, it gives them a chance to get a taste of state glory. For kids who are clearly top five, or maybe the best, it helps take away that fear of their whole season coming down to one race where they might stumble, false start or simply perform poorly.
The idea of qualifying standards has been discussed for years and it will be interesting to see how this experiment pans out. It has surely changed the makeup of this track season in Class AA.
Class AA Qualifying Standards:
100 meters: Boys 11.3, Girls 13.0
200 meters: Boys 22.8, Girls 26.5
400 meters: Boys 51.2, Girls 59.6
800 meters: Boys 2:02, Girls 2:24
1,600 meters: Boys 4:32, Girls 5:30
3,200 meters: Boys 9:59, Girls 12:16
100/110 hurdles: Boys 15.5, Girls 16.4
300 hurdles: Boys 40.4, Girls 47.5
Shot put: Boys 49′, Girls 35′
Discus: Boys 148′, Girls 113′
Javelin: Boys 173′, Girls 118′
High jump: Boys 6’2″, Girls 5′
Long jump: Boys 20’6″, Girls 16’6″
Triple jump: Boys 42′, Girls 34’6″
Pole vault: Boys 13′, Girls 10′
400 meter relay: Boys 43.8, Girls 50.6
1,600 meter relay: Boys 3:30, Girls 4:09