Philosophy of Track and Field Officiating



Revised 2/11/2015 [pic]

IHSAA 2015 TRACK AND FIELD

CERTIFICATION CLINIC

AGENDA

Philosophy of Track and Field Officiating/Preventative Officiating

Pre-Meet Duties

Officials Equipment

Mechanics of Starting

Administration of Field Events

Responsibilities of Referee

Post Meet Duties

Demonstrations Using Athletes

2015 Points of Emphasis

Review of 2015 Certification Test

Philosophy of Track and Field Officiating

Track and Field officials shall provide each athlete with an opportunity for safe and equitable standards of competition. They shall maintain standards of officiating that protects the validity of performance as measured against existing records.

Track and Field officials shall provide a level playing field for all athletes. It is the responsibility of every official that each and every athlete has a fair and equal chance to complete within the rules of track and field.

Preventive Officiating

A goal of interscholastic sports is to provide a further educational experience beyond the classroom. Such things as good sportsmanship, playing by the rules and constructive competition are learned in a practical, experiential way. Good preventive officiating contributes to this learning experience. More is gained by the athlete in actually competing than by being disqualified due to an infraction that could easily have been corrected. The official who sees a potential infraction but does nothing until he/she can swoop in and disqualify serves neither the athlete nor the sport. Correcting improper uniforms, illegal taping and the like before they require a ruling contributes to the experience of the athlete and does not detract from the sanctity of the sport.

Importantly, preventive officiating is not a license to set aside a rule or ignore any infraction. It is instead an opportunity to correct a situation before it becomes one

Official’s Equipment

Each official should have a list of equipment that is necessary for them to conduct a track meet. You should equip yourself so you feel comfortable when you go to work. The following is a list of equipment that is common to have when you go to any school to officiate:

1. Rule Book, Case Book, and Official’s Manual

2. Starter’s closed barrel pistol - 22 or 32 caliber. (Note: unless FAT is used, records can only be valid when using a 32 caliber pistol).

3. Holster for pistol

4. Sufficient black powder blank shells.

5. Ear plugs for ear protection and safety.

6. Starter’s sleeve–(yellow, red or orange) with IHSAA insignia attached

7. Whistle.

8. Lap calling cards.

9. Bell for sounding final lap in races.

10. Several cones or half tennis balls for marking break lines & curves.

11. Voice amplification device (megaphone, speaker, microphone, etc).

12. Flags – minimum 3 yellow/white flags for inspectors, 1 red/white flag for finish line officials.

13. Legal batons - in the event a relay team needs one.

14. String (you might need to lay out a landing arc, etc).

15. Non-stretching measuring tape.

16. Tape or chalk for marking standards.

17. Colored tape and/or permanent marker for marking pole vault poles.

18. Knife for removing stubborn shells or invalid tape on poles.

19. Tool kit equipped with pliers, knife, scissors, screwdriver, WD-40 oil

You should also be properly dressed. Recommended uniform for IHSAA track officials is a red or yellow shirt, jacket, or pullover, solid colored trousers, and cap with IHSAA insignia. Also have foul weather gear on hand – rain suit, heavier jacket, gloves.

Pre-Meet Duties

When you are scheduled to be a starter for a large meet or a small meet, there are several procedures you should follow to protect yourself and make sure the meet will run smoothly. Many times you are the scheduled starter but will end up being the referee, the clerk, a hurdle setter and head field judge. It should be a given that you have already checked your own equipment and supplies and already know they are in order.

1. Arrive early enough to handle all pre-meet duties.

2. When you arrive at the site, make yourself known to the personnel managing the meet so they do not have to worry about a starter. Many times your financial business will also be completed at this time so being paid will not be a concern.

3. Check with the meet director to see if there are any peculiar circumstances about the track, venues, or any of the equipment being used. If such peculiarities exist, make sure all participating schools are aware of the variations before the meet starts.

4. Walk around the track and familiarize yourself with the layout of the track, including the start/finish lines, and what obstacles you might have to overcome to position yourself in the proper places for races.

5. Check out the field event facilities to make sure they are in compliance with the rules. This is not only for your benefit but for the safety of the participants.

6. Conduct a pre-meet meeting with the coaches. Key points to cover are legal uniforms & equipment, sportsmanship, order of events, events to be run together, and lane assignments if applicable.

7. Conduct pre-meet meetings with all meet officials to cover responsibilities – clerk, umpires, finish timers & judges, field event judges, announcer, appeals committee, and any other pertinent meet workers.

Reference NFHS Pre-Meet Duties Brochure at:



Mechanics of Starting

Study Official’s Manual pages 50 – 51 and Appendix XII, page 63 and the 2015 Rules Book pp 34-35.

Tips to Remember:

1. Be cordial to athletes at the start line. Be even tempered. Do not be a screamer or barker. Exude confidence and maintain control.

2. Use the proper starting commands:

a. For races and relays of less than 800 meters outdoors/600 meters indoors - use “On Your Marks” (not “On Your Mark”), Set, and fire the starting device. Note: Wait 1-2 seconds between Set command and start of race. Make sure all competitors are set and motionless – locked into their final starting position. If necessary, abort start by calling athletes to stand up, then re-start race.

b. For races and relays of 800 meters outdoors/600 meters indoors or longer – use the step-up command “On Your Marks” and fire the starting device when all competitors have stepped up into position and are motionless and ready.

Administration of Field Events

When you accept a contract to be the starter at a track meet, you may find yourself involved in several duties that are not described in the starter’s portion of the rules book. In larger meets with several schools involved, there are usually competent personnel to handle the various field events but you still have a responsibility.

Field events that are part of an IHSAA track meet include shot put, discus, long jump, high jump, and pole vault. Competing schools should have been given prior notification if the pole vault is not being contested. In larger meets, you will have a head field judge to make some of the decisions. In the smaller meets, you will be that head field judge.

Shot Put – Discus – Pole Vault

Check to make sure equipment is legal. You may have implements to weigh and measure. In larger meets there will be persons responsible for this task, but you may still be required to make rulings.

Examine the throwing venues to insure that they are legal and marked properly, with proper sector widths, and that the safety of the participants and the spectators is not an issue. Make sure spectator areas are clearly marked and cordoned off.

Check the pole vault venue for its compliance with safety standards required by the rules book. Make sure any hard surfaces are properly covered and protected. Make sure plant box has required collars and padding.

Check to make sure the pole vault standards can be moved from the 18.0 to 31.5 inch marks beyond the “zero point” line running through the top of the stopboard. Examine all poles to insure they are legal. Each coach should certify his/her vaulter’s weight to match the pole(s) being used.

High Jump – Long Jump

Check the venues to insure they conform to the standards set forth in the rules book.

Mark the location of the high jump standards with tape or chalk. This is done so that the standards can be re-positioned if they are moved by a competitor.

Make sure the bar supports are parallel to the bar and not perpendicular to it. Mark the bar so it is always set on the supports in the same position.

Responsibilities of a Referee

The referee is directly in charge of all activities during competition. The referee shall answer questions which are not specifically placed under the jurisdiction of other officials.

The referee’s authority begins upon arrival at the meet site and concludes 30 minutes after the last event results have been announced or made official.

Responsibilities include:

1. Pre-Meet Duties

a. Meet with coaches.

b. Inspect all track and field event competition areas and equipment.

c. Meet with the meet director, running and field event referee(s), clerk (s) of course, head finish judge and the head umpire.

d. Define areas of responsibilities during the meet for appropriate officials.

e. Review with games committee any particular information pertaining to that meet...

2. Duties During the Meet

a. Directly responsible for ensuring fair competition.

b. May suspend a meet due to any emergency such as hazardous weather conditions in collaboration with the meet director/games committee.

1) Have a preliminary discussion with the director/games committee if there is impending hazardous weather.

2) The host school administrator should be consulted regarding any school policy that should be followed.

3) Any visual witnessing of lightning or the hearing of thunder calls for immediate removal of the athletes from the field to an appropriate shelter.

4) Once play has been suspended, wait at least 30-minutes after the last flash of lightning is witnessed or thunder is heard prior to resuming play.

c. Must check and certify record performances in all track and field events.

d. Make decisions that are final except for any appeal procedure established prior to the meet (i.e. – decisions by games committee or jury of appeals).

e. When a competitor is warned or disqualified, the referee shall notify or cause to be notified the competitor or the competitor’s coach of the disqualification or warning.

f. Authority to disqualify a runner who commits an infraction personally observed by the referee but not reported because of the absence of an umpire.

g. Must approve the official scorer’s final results and record the time the meet was officially concluded.

General note: An official’s responsibilities often change from meet to meet, depending on the available personnel for each meet. As a licensed official, you may be asked to assume multiple roles such as referee, starter, clerk, umpire, jury of appeals, marshal, inspector of implements, hurdle chief, etc.

Post Meet Duties

At the conclusion of a meet, there are post-meet responsibilities you should fulfill before leaving the site. As referee, your responsibility extends to 30 minutes after the meet is over. Make sure you have completed the following:

1. Make sure all events have been completed and fully scored. If any meet discrepancies remain, make sure they are resolved according to the rules and good judgment.

2. Check with the scorekeeper and verify the official score.

3. Sign the scorebook and enter the time the meet was completed. This starts a clock for the correction of errors that may be discovered at a later time.

a. Corrections that must take place within 30 minutes - appeals involving misapplication of the rules.

b. Corrections that must take place within 48 hours – clerical errors or team scoring errors.

c. Corrections that can be made at any time – situations involving an ineligible participant.

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