2023 New Hampshire
Middle School Track & Field
HIGHLIGHTED MEET RULES
Meet Eligibility
FIELD EVENTS - English units used for all events. Minimum distances may be determined for measurement. For Throws and Long Jump 3 attempts in Prelims with Top-8 to Finals.
RUNNING EVENTS - Seeded heats, the fastest runners are put in the last heats for Finals. Girl’s heats run first then boys. Memorial HS track is 8 lanes with an 8 lane straight. Preliminaries and single-heat (Top-8) Finals will be held in the 100m hurdles and 100m dash .
Competition
Awards
Individual events and Relays- medals for the top three, ribbons for places 4th-6th. No team scoring. Trophy for Boy and Girl Athlete of the Meet.
Meet Management
RELAYS
Batons will be provided or schools may bring their own. Passing zones will be clearly marked. An impartial official will be a zone judge. During the exchange the baton must be passed within the zone, the runner’s body may not be outside of the zone. If a baton falls it may be recovered and the team continues as long as no other teams are impeded.
SHOT PUT RULES
1. A 4K shot (Boys and Girls) will be used for this event. A current NFHS-required landing zone is used.
2. Shoes must be worn.
3. Throwers may enter the throwing circle from any direction.
4. The shot must be held against the neck/cheek area and it may not be allowed to drop below the shoulder level during the put.
5. After the thrower has put the shot and it has landed, the thrower must exit the circle from the rear half of the circle or the throw will be declared a fault. The shot must be on the ground before the athlete exits the circle.
6. What is a foul or fault?
a) Stepping outside the circle.
b) Stepping on top of the toe board.
c) Stepping on the metal or painted ring delineating the circle.
d) Exiting out the front half of the circle
e) The shot landing outside the zone (including the painted lines).
7. Each thrower is allowed three (3) puts. Top-8 athletes making finals will be allowed 3 additional attempts. Best mark of all attempts will be used for final placement.
8. Puts are measured from the inside curve of the toe board to the closest mark of the put. In measuring the official will make sure that the tape measure extends through the center of the circle so that the angles of measurement are the same. Measurements are rounded down to the nearest quarter inch. Laser measurements may be used in place of tape measurements.
9. Ties are broken by looking at the next best put.
DISCUS RULES
1. The discus must be 1 kilo in weight (Boys and Girls) and composed of rubber, wood or metal. Indoor practice discuses are not allowed. The discus must be intact in all specifications. The official will disqualify anyone using a discus that has not passed implement inspection.
2. Shoes must be worn.
3. Throwers may enter the throwing circle from any direction.
4. Once the thrower is inside the circle they cannot touch anything outside the circle or it will result in a fault. The discus must be on the ground before the athlete exits the circle.
5. Once the throw has been made and landed the thrower must exit out the back half of the circle
6. A current NFHS-required landing zone is used
7. What is a foul/fault?
a. Stepping outside the circle
b. Stepping on the painted or on top of the metal ring delineating the circle
c. Exiting out the front of the circle
d. The discus landing outside the NFHS-required landing zone
8. All measurements will be made from the point where the discus first contacts the ground to the inside of the curve of the circle. In measuring the official will make sure that the tape measure extends through the center of the circle so that the angles of measurement are the same. Distance is measured down to the closest inch. Fractions of an inch are not used. Laser measurements may be used in place of tape measurements.
9. Each thrower is allowed three (3) throws. Top-8 athletes making finals will be allowed 3 additional attempts. Best mark of all attempts will be used for final placement.
10. Ties are broken by looking at the next best throw.
LONG JUMP RULES
1. Each jumper shall have three (3) attempts. Top-8 athletes making finals will be allowed 3 additional attempts. Best mark of all attempts will be used for final placement.
2. Shoes must be worn by the jumper during the actual competition.
3. Run-backs are not allowed during warmups.
4. What is a foul/fault?
a. Any part of the shoe extends over the toe board.
b. Any part of the shoe or body lands before first reaching the sand.
c. Exiting the sand through the end of the runway
5. The distance is measured from the edge of the take-off board closest to the pit to the mark made by any part of the body closest to the board in the pit.
5. Distance is measured down to the closest one quarter inch.
HIGH JUMP RULES
Middle School Track & Field
HIGHLIGHTED MEET RULES
Meet Eligibility
- Athletes must attend a New Hampshire middle/junior high school and be in grades 5-8
- Athletes must be on the daily attendance log and physically attend that school.
- Home schooled students are allowed to represent a school as long as they have met all school requirements of participating on the team and have competed for the school during the current season.
- Athletes must finish top-6 in their championship meet. Only 2 of the top-6 may be entered. Coaches are responsible for the accuracy of their entries to the MOC meet. Coaches must use real and verifiable marks from their league meet for qualifying and seeding.
- If a school does not have an official T&F team an athlete may still be eligible if they have the proper support and backing of their school.
- Athletes may compete in any number of events that they have qualified in. They can also participate in up to 2 relays as long as both relays have qualified.
- Meet Director may include near-qualifiers to fill events- please contact [email protected] with considerations.
FIELD EVENTS - English units used for all events. Minimum distances may be determined for measurement. For Throws and Long Jump 3 attempts in Prelims with Top-8 to Finals.
- Shot Put (*NEW-as-of-2022 standard* 4K shot for boys and girls)
- Discus (1 kilo discus for boys and girls)
- High Jump (starting heights TBD)
- Long Jump
RUNNING EVENTS - Seeded heats, the fastest runners are put in the last heats for Finals. Girl’s heats run first then boys. Memorial HS track is 8 lanes with an 8 lane straight. Preliminaries and single-heat (Top-8) Finals will be held in the 100m hurdles and 100m dash .
- 4x400 Relay **NEW-as-of-2022 order*
- 100 Meter Hurdles -* NEW-as-of-2022 standard* 10 hurdles, 30" height, High School Girls markings used to space the hurdles.
- 100 Meter Dash
- 1600 Meter Run* NEW-as-of-2022 order*
- 4x100 Relay* NEW-as-of-2022 order*
- 400 Meter Run
- 200 Meter Dash
- 800 Meter Run
- 4X200 Relay * NEW-as-of-2022 event*
Competition
- The meet will provide at least one 4K shot and at least one 1K discus to be used by all throwers; this will make it fair for all throwers, and eliminate the chance of an incorrect piece of equipment being used by one team for advantage. The event official will return these items to the scoring table at the conclusion of the event. Batons will also be provided for relays. Schools may bring their own implements subject to certification.
- Maximum of ¼” pyramid spikes are allowed at all venues.
- All officials for all events will be provided by the meet.
- No runbacks will be allowed during long jump warmups. Runbacks may be done during the athlete’s 1 min allowed time to execute the event once called.
- Athletes get 1 minute to start the execution of their attempt once called.
- There is no enforced uniform rule, but it is suggested that athletes wear a school-issued top or top with the school name on it. All athletes in relays must have same/similar top on.
- Scratches are encouraged to keep heats competitive. Coaches should make scratches through Direct Athletics and then manually anytime up to and including arrival at the meet. Payment is due on how many entries were accepted and not how many kids/events are competed.
Awards
Individual events and Relays- medals for the top three, ribbons for places 4th-6th. No team scoring. Trophy for Boy and Girl Athlete of the Meet.
Meet Management
- All entries to be made through Direct Athletics by the deadline.
- Meet management will attempt to minimize impact of running and field event conflicts, but running events take precedence over field events. All running events will be preceded by First Call and Final Call. Athletes must check out of their field event with the official by the FINAL CALL and report directly to their running event. Therefore, field event participants may want to have their position in a flight altered to accommodate the running event. Following the running events, athletes must check back in to their field event and be ready to compete within 5 minutes. It is suggested that, once seeded in a track event, athletes try to use that time to complete field events prior to their race. Teammates and coaches can help faciliate this.
- Girl’s heats go first in all running events.
- Heats will not be held up waiting for runners to report.
- If an athlete misses their heat or flight they will not be assigned to another heat or flight.
- After races are over runners should wait in their lanes until release by the Finish Line official.
- Lane violations are cause for a runner to be disqualified (following the official's judgment):
- Crossing into another lane during the sprints.
- During exchanges in the relay.
- Distance races, running to the inside of lane 1
- At the start of the distance events runners may cut to the inside lanes as long as they do not break the stride of another runner.
- During the distance events when one runner attempts to pass another runner they must not interfere with the stride of the other runner.
- In the 4x100 and 4x200 relay once a runner has handed off the baton he/she must stay in their lane until all other runners have passed by.
- In the 4x400 relay the number two (2) runner may cut into lane 1 as directed by the Starter. However, they must not interfere with the stride of another runner.
- An official cannot disqualify a runner because of a facility problem, i.e. grass tracks, worn out lane lines, take off boards made from tape.
- Tie-breaking: 100ths will be used to determine order. Field events will use standard tie-breaking rules- misses for HJ and next best mark for LJ and throws.
- The field event ends after the last competitor present has finished competing. If someone comes after that time they will not be able to make up any missing throws or jumps
RELAYS
Batons will be provided or schools may bring their own. Passing zones will be clearly marked. An impartial official will be a zone judge. During the exchange the baton must be passed within the zone, the runner’s body may not be outside of the zone. If a baton falls it may be recovered and the team continues as long as no other teams are impeded.
SHOT PUT RULES
1. A 4K shot (Boys and Girls) will be used for this event. A current NFHS-required landing zone is used.
2. Shoes must be worn.
3. Throwers may enter the throwing circle from any direction.
4. The shot must be held against the neck/cheek area and it may not be allowed to drop below the shoulder level during the put.
5. After the thrower has put the shot and it has landed, the thrower must exit the circle from the rear half of the circle or the throw will be declared a fault. The shot must be on the ground before the athlete exits the circle.
6. What is a foul or fault?
a) Stepping outside the circle.
b) Stepping on top of the toe board.
c) Stepping on the metal or painted ring delineating the circle.
d) Exiting out the front half of the circle
e) The shot landing outside the zone (including the painted lines).
7. Each thrower is allowed three (3) puts. Top-8 athletes making finals will be allowed 3 additional attempts. Best mark of all attempts will be used for final placement.
8. Puts are measured from the inside curve of the toe board to the closest mark of the put. In measuring the official will make sure that the tape measure extends through the center of the circle so that the angles of measurement are the same. Measurements are rounded down to the nearest quarter inch. Laser measurements may be used in place of tape measurements.
9. Ties are broken by looking at the next best put.
DISCUS RULES
1. The discus must be 1 kilo in weight (Boys and Girls) and composed of rubber, wood or metal. Indoor practice discuses are not allowed. The discus must be intact in all specifications. The official will disqualify anyone using a discus that has not passed implement inspection.
2. Shoes must be worn.
3. Throwers may enter the throwing circle from any direction.
4. Once the thrower is inside the circle they cannot touch anything outside the circle or it will result in a fault. The discus must be on the ground before the athlete exits the circle.
5. Once the throw has been made and landed the thrower must exit out the back half of the circle
6. A current NFHS-required landing zone is used
7. What is a foul/fault?
a. Stepping outside the circle
b. Stepping on the painted or on top of the metal ring delineating the circle
c. Exiting out the front of the circle
d. The discus landing outside the NFHS-required landing zone
8. All measurements will be made from the point where the discus first contacts the ground to the inside of the curve of the circle. In measuring the official will make sure that the tape measure extends through the center of the circle so that the angles of measurement are the same. Distance is measured down to the closest inch. Fractions of an inch are not used. Laser measurements may be used in place of tape measurements.
9. Each thrower is allowed three (3) throws. Top-8 athletes making finals will be allowed 3 additional attempts. Best mark of all attempts will be used for final placement.
10. Ties are broken by looking at the next best throw.
LONG JUMP RULES
1. Each jumper shall have three (3) attempts. Top-8 athletes making finals will be allowed 3 additional attempts. Best mark of all attempts will be used for final placement.
2. Shoes must be worn by the jumper during the actual competition.
3. Run-backs are not allowed during warmups.
4. What is a foul/fault?
a. Any part of the shoe extends over the toe board.
b. Any part of the shoe or body lands before first reaching the sand.
c. Exiting the sand through the end of the runway
5. The distance is measured from the edge of the take-off board closest to the pit to the mark made by any part of the body closest to the board in the pit.
5. Distance is measured down to the closest one quarter inch.
HIGH JUMP RULES
- Each jumper may determine the height they want to begin at in accordance with starting heights.
- Athletes are allowed three (3) attempts to make a height. An athlete is out once they have 3 misses in a row regardless of any change in bar height.
- The bar will be raised two (2) inches at a time.
- Officials should use Five Alive when calling jumpers.
- Fouls
- The bar must be on the standards after the jump is complete. If the bar falls off due to the athlete, even after the jumper has left the pit, it is a foul.
- The jumper must take off on one (1) foot only. Taking off with two feet is a foul.
- The plane of the bar extends from the bar to the ground. During an official jump, if the jumper touches anything on the other side of the plane it is a foul.
- If the bar is knocked down during the jump it is a foul.
- The jumper may exit the pit in any direction. If they knock down the bar by exiting the jump it is a foul (judgement of the official).
- Places
- Successful jumps are marked on the score sheet with an O and a miss is marked with an X. if a jumper passes at a height it is marked with a “-”.
- The Official will determine and enforce any tie-breaks required.
- Misc.
- Once the bar has been raised it cannot be lowered. If a jumper does need to check out for a running event, the official should try to make a reasonable accommodation to hold the bar height but explain that the event will not wait for them and that they must return as soon as possible. If the bar has moved up when they return they must jump at the new height.
- During competition no one will be allowed to sit on the mat, to stand in an area, or act in any manner that may interfere or distract the jumper.