As the track season kicks off and the weather beckons us to run, I’m here to guide those who are new to the world of track. It’s a sport where your ultimate rival is yourself. Yes, there are others competing against you, but your goal is to set a PR (personal record), measured by fractions of an inch or time. The thrill of track is something I cherish, and I believe that if you attend a track meet, you’ll understand and enjoy it too. I’ll also share the top 10 results from the track meets and any personal bests they have, adding to the excitement.
Track has two different areas: (1) Field Events and (2) Running events. Field events include your throwing and jumping events. And the running events, they are your, well…running events. The track has lines in a circular pattern around the track called lanes. In most of your running events, you must stay in your lane the whole way around the track (besides some longer running events and a relay).
Here are the breakdown and description of events:
The field events are Shot Put: Throwing a round heavy ball as far as you can without going out of a designated area; otherwise, you “scratch,” which means that throw won’t count. The weight of the ball is different for girls and boys.
Discus: Throwing a flat disc-like object about the size of your hand, as far as you can, in a designated area without scratching.
Javelin: This is also a throwing event in which you throw a spear-type object as far as you can. You can get a little bit of a run at this throw, but you also need to release the javelin in a designated area; otherwise, it is also a scratch.
High Jump: This consists of two standards that hold a long bar, with a mat behind and below; as you take a running jump towards the bar, you rotate your body and jump over the bar with your back. If the bar falls, that jump doesn’t count. You also can’t cross the plane of the bar before, during, and after the jump, or the jump won’t count.
Long Jump: This is a jumping event in which you run down a runway and jump into a pit off of one leg as far as you can. There is a line on the runway that you cannot cross; otherwise, the jump doesn’t count.
Triple Jump: This is also a jumping event, just like a long jump, but instead of jumping off of one leg, after one jump, you jump two times on the same leg, then one time on the opposite leg as you jump as far as you can into the pit.
Pole Vault: Although Big Sandy does not have a pole vault pit, it is fun to watch. This event also has standards and a pole across them with a mat. You have a long pole that you run towards the mat with, and when you reach a certain point, you poke the pole in the area before the mat, and the pole flings you into the air toward the other pole that you need to clear with your body. If the pole you cleared falls to the ground, that attempt doesn’t count.
Here is the breakdown of running events: You have your sprints, mid-distance, and long-distance running, as well as some relays. One lap around the track is considered 400 meters (for reference).
100 meters: This is a sprint down the straightaway to the finish line.
200 meters: This is half a lap, also a sprint.
400 meters: This is one lap around the track.
800 meters: This is two laps around the track.
1600 meters (also known as the mile): is 4 laps around the track.
3200 meters (also known as the two mile): 8 laps around the track.
Then you have your hurdle events, which include running and jumping over a hurdle: 100-meter hurdles: This is the distance for the girls’ event; 110-meter hurdles: This is the distance for the boys’ event; 300-meter hurdles: This is the distance for both girls’ and boys’ events.
Your relay events contain four athletes with a baton that they hand off to one another, there are two types of relays: 400 meter relay (also called the 4 by 100 or 4 by 1), which includes each athlete running 100 meters; 1600 meter relay (also called the 4 by 400 or 4 by 4) which consists of each athlete running 400 meters
Hopefully, after reading this, you will feel like you have more knowledge about track. When you attend a meet to cheer on your Pioneer track team, you will know what events mean while you’re watching. Cheer loud! GO PIONEERS! As always, fans are important to the athletes. If it’s a nice day, watching a track team can be inspiring.
