As we approach the South Carolina Track & Field State Championship, I wanted to give some insight into what has been done to assure that the athletes are treated fairly and that the meet runs as smoothly as possible. I first want to congratulate each and every athlete for advancing to their classification championship and wish everyone good luck in the competition.
The South Carolina High School is Sponsoring the Track & Field State Championships at Spring Valley this Friday and Saturday. The South Carolina Track & Cross Country Coaches Association is responsible for the running of the meet and Spring Valley is responsible for the setup of the facility. As association president, I have tried to make this a meet that has top notch officials as much as possible. We have certified officials in the following jobs for this weekend:
Meet Referee is NFHS and USATF certified
Head Track Referee is USATF certified
Head Field Referee is USATF certified
Six Track Judges are USATF certified (Turns, lanes, exchange zones, hurdles)
Starter and Assistant Starter are USATF certified
Field event head officials are coaches from S.C. and have been asked to review their event rules prior to officiating their event. This is one of those positions that we have to use our own coaches to run off the event and we have coaches assigned that know the event and will ask for help from the certified officials if a question does arise.
We have an FAT timing system along with a back-up FAT timing system. Multiple computers to capture and read the results. The athletes will be clerked in at the clerk tent and then rechecked for uniforms, jewelry, etc… prior to being put onto the track. We have the best eight athletes/teams in each event and we want to do some preventive officiating to ensure a great competition. This does however come back on the coaches of the athletes to be sure they meet all rules.
I want to thank the SCHSL, Spring Valley High School, and all the coaches in S.C. for their work to help make this event a great event. Best of luck and safe travel to all!
Eric J. Cummings
SCTCCCA President