scrunners: What made you decide to want to host an indoor high school meet?
stephens: I am good friends with Brad Herbster at Clemson and I approached him and Coach Johnson about reviving an indoor meet. They were very excited about the possibility. We are working together to make the event happen and give athletes in the southeast the opportunity to experience indoor competition and potentially hit qualifying marks for some of the national indoor high school events.
Photo left: File from 2007 indoor meet
Previous coverage: 2007 indoor high school meet
My primary goal is to provide opportunity. I have always tried to give back to the sport and I was involved in USATF for 23 years. When my sons were born I stepped back from USATF but I still wanted to do some things to give back and provide opportunity. I saw this as a way to still be involved and give athletes an opportunity that I never had.
scrunners: What are you hoping to see at the meet?
stephens: Honestly, I am just trying to get the event off the ground. We have only had about a month of planning and organizing so that has been a big challenge. Again, my main goal is to just give kids an opportunity to compete and show college programs what they can do as well as experience indoor track and field.
scrunners: Where you have received interest from?
stephens: Most interest has been from the southeast but we have several kids coming from as far away as Minnesota. With more promotion next year we hope to make it a national event. I do suspect that most of our interest will always come from the southeast.
scrunners: How many competitors would you like to say?
stephens: We currently have a little over 200 competitors registered. I was shooting for 500, but with the short promotional time frame, I am happy with what we have. Registration is still open until Jan. 19. Typically there is a run on registration in the last couple of days.
scrunners: Have you encountered any challenges with hosting the meet?
stephens: Oh yes! The biggest challenge has been our time frame. We have only been planning this event for about a month. It is tough to put together any track and field event in a month. The short time frame effects promotion, officials, sponsors, volunteers and athletes' travel.
Also, there have been financial issues. I am funding this entire event out of my pocket. It is a gamble to decide to put up money for an event and not knowing if you are going to be able to breakeven. When you sign that contract to rent the facility, you are committed and there is no turning back… I may have to take a loss this year, but to get things going, it will be worth it.
Another of the challenges is the variation of rules in High School from state to state. There are many different rules and an athlete’s eligibility could be affected if they do not follow their rules to the letter. I am not familiar with all the different rules from state to state so I am referring all athletes who ask to speak with their High School coach to get a clear understanding of what they can and cannot do. This has led us to treat it like a youth age group event rather than a High School specific meet.
scrunners: Do you see yourself hosting this meet each year?
stephens: Yes! I am already looking toward next year and looking at other potential dates to put on at least 2 events next year. I have been working with Clemson to potentially do a youth/college combined event with one of their current meets. At a minimum the plan is to put on this same event next year on January 21, 2012.
Photo right: File from 2007 indoor meet
scrunners: Is there any information you need to pass on to spectators and those that would like to compete?
stephens: Again, one of the biggest challenges is navigating the High School rules from state to state. If there is any question about any rule, I would advise an athlete to just register as an unattached athlete, do not wear any of their school gear, & do not let their High School coach attend the event. If they follow this procedure they should not have any problem. Registration is open until Jan. 19 and all registration is done on www.directathletics.com.
Spectators and coaches, there is a $5 admission fee to the event. Only registered athletes are admitted without cost. We hope you will come enjoy a great day of track & field and help us move our sport forward.
scrunners: How are you finding officials to help with each event?
stephens: We have approached the officials that currently work with Clemson and Valerie Beesley has sent a request for help to all S.C. officials.
scrunners: Are you looking for more help?
stephens: YES!! You can never have too many officials. They can contact me directly at jstephens@uscupstate.edu.