GHCAA TRACK & FIELD RULES 2023
General Rules
THESE
RULES MAY CHANGE.
For up-to-date information, visit the GHCAA track website at: www.ghcaa-track.org
1. COMPETITION RULES. Unless stated otherwise in the following
rules, all competition shall be conducted in accordance with the National
Federation of State High School Associations Rules Book for Track and Field,
2023 edition.
2.
ACCESS TO TRACK.
The only persons allowed on the track or on the infield during
competition are the following: (1) meet
officials, (2) up to 2 coaches from each team, and (3) athletes that are
preparing to compete in the event currently contested. No coaches shall be allowed on the infield
during the Championship Meet. Failure to
follow this rule may result in disqualification from the ongoing event.
3. SEASON START.
Formal track practice can begin no earlier than February 1, 2023.
4. GRADE LEVELS
FOR CONTESTANTS. There are 3 grade levels, 2 genders for competition: Boys
and Girls at 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade Levels.
5. GRADE LEVELS.
No athlete can compete at a grade level below his/her current grade, as established by GHCAA Bylaws. Competition at a
higher level, however, is allowed. If an athlete competes at a higher
level, he/she must compete at that level for that entire track meet. A Preliminary Qualification meet will be held
for entry into the Championships,
6. INDIVIDUAL
PARTICIPATION. Any individual participating in the
7. REGISTRATION DEADLINES. Teams must submit
their initial rosters no later than February 26th. In the week prior to any
meet, an athlete must be registered no later than midnight Sunday in order to
compete on the upcoming Saturday. No athletes
may be added after March 26, 2023. In addition, no athlete may be added to the roster unless they have trained with the
team for at least ONE WEEK prior to the meet. For this reason, the Athlete Registration
form on the website is CLOSED one week prior to each meet.
8. MANDATORY
MEETINGS. In order to compete in
9. DECLARATION OF
COACHES. Prior to the season, all teams must register coaches with the
league. This list will be limited to four (4) persons per school, one of which
shall be designated as the Head Coach. Only the HEAD Coach can submit a
protest. Only the 4 designated coaches shall be allowed on the field of
competition.
10. MAXIMUM NUMBER IN EACH EVENT. Each school shall be allowed a maximum
of three contestants in each individual event per Division. This rule applies for all meets including the Championship Meet.
11. EVENT LIMITATIONS.
Athletes may compete in no more than four (4) events. No more than three (3) of these can be
running events. Relays count as one of the three events if the athlete runs on
the relay.
12. SEEDING.
Heats will be seeded based on coaches nominating their 1st, 2nd,
and 3rd seed on the entry form.
Seeds will be random among a ranking, i.e. all #1 seeds are random but
ahead of all #2 seeds, etc. *A weaker
athlete may be entered as a #2 or #3 seed even if there is nobody from the
school entered above them.
13. POINTS. Individual
events score10-8-6-4-2-1, relay events score 20-16-12-8-4-2.
14. FEES. Fees must
be paid in full by April 7th. The fee for 2021 is $25.00 per athlete entered,
for the entire season. If an athlete joins the team at any point in the season,
the fee remains at $25.00. Fees are not transferable between athletes.
15. ROLLING SCHEDULE.
All meets follow a rolling schedule. This means that as one event concludes,
the next one on the schedule begins. All schedules posted prior to the meet are
to be taken as approximate start times.
16.
NUMBER OF RELAY TEAMS. Except
for the Championships, schools may enter up to 3 relay teams per division. Each team is eligible to win an award;
however, only one team may score points in that grade/gender.
17. RELAY DECLARATIONS.
For entry purposes, relay teams are allowed to enter up to two alternates, for
a maximum of 6 runners on a relay team.
Meet Entries
1. DEADLINES FOR ENTRIES.
7:00 PM on the Wednesday prior to the meet
2. SCRATCHES OR ADDS. Revised meet entries may be submitted up until noon on the Friday prior
to the meet. No further changes will be
allowed after that.
Events
FIELD EVENTS: rotation system
shot put – boys 8-pound and girls 6-pound
discus – 1 kg boys and girls
long jump
RUNNING EVENTS:
ORDER: G6 - B6 - G7 - B7 - G8 - B8 (except
hurdles)
1. 4X100
m relay run in lanes
2. 800
m run
3. 100
m hurdles (30" Girls & 6th grade Boys, 33-inch/110 m Boys 7 and 8
grades)
4. 100
m dash, run in lanes
5. 4x200
m relay run in lanes
6. 400
m dash, run in lanes
7. 200
m dash, run in lane
8. 1600m
run
9. 1600
m relay run