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Track & Field Points of Emphasis - 2025
By NFHS on September 06, 2024 track & field/cross country PrintMANAGING VERTICAL JUMP LANDING SYSTEMS: A GUIDE FOR TRACK AND FIELD OFFICIALS
The high jump and pole vault events demand attention to their landing systems to promote athlete safety and event integrity. Officials overseeing these events must be knowledgeable about the setup, maintenance and management of landing areas.
Landing systems are composed of landing pit with multiple layers of foam cushions, while the pole vault’s landing system also includes a plant box at the take-off point surrounded by a box collar pad, front bumpers which cover the surface outside of the plant box, base pads for standards and a cover for the entire system. Occasionally, there will be additional padding to cover surfaces outside of the landing systems in both the high jump and pole vault.
Prior to any meet, officials should check the landing mats for wear and tear, ensuring the mats are in good condition, free of rips, and have adequate cushioning. Officials also need to verify that the landing system is on a level surface and all padding around the uprights and other hard surfaces is securely attached and sufficient to prevent injuries. The mats need to be secured and properly aligned to cover the designated landing area. The surrounding area within the event needs to be clear of obstacles and other hazards.
During the event, monitoring the landing system is critical. Regularly checking the landing mats between attempts for any displacement or damage and making immediate adjustments if the mats do shift or if any padding becomes dislodged provides a safe environment for all competitors.
By following best practices, officials can ensure that the vertical jump landing systems are managed effectively, while promoting safety and fairness in track and field competitions.
EXCUSED ATHLETES
Current NFHS rules allow an athlete to be excused to compete in another event. Time limits for competitors excused to compete in another event shall be determined by the games committee for each meet. Due to the various locations of field event venues across the country, those time limits will vary from site to site. While excused to compete in another event, a competitor will not be called for a trial during that time, and in the vertical jumps, the games committee needs to decide whether or not they will raise the crossbar to a succeeding height until the time limit expires. The games committee also needs to determine the protocol to use if an athlete does not report back to the event prior to the expiration of the excused time limit.
The head event judge may change the order of competition in the preliminary or final rounds to accommodate an athlete competing in another event. Successive trials are also an option to consider for those athletes. If a competitor must be excused during the final round of competition, the competitor with the best mark in the preliminaries has earned the right to make the last attempt of the competition and may choose to wait until after any excused competitors have taken all their trials.
Ultimately, coaches need to know the event schedule and what possible conflicts could arise within the meet prior to submitting meet entries. The athlete is responsible for going to the head event judge to inform the official of the event conflict and to receive permission to be excused from the event. If the athlete fails to notify the head event judge, the athlete is not afforded the same excused protocol and is subject to being called up to compete in the event and being timed out of one or multiple trials. See the NFHS Case Book for NFHS Guidelines for Competitors Being Excused to Compete in Another Event. [6.2.3 SITUATION D]
TIME LIMITS IN VERTICAL JUMPS
In field events, all competitors must initiate their attempts within a standard time limit. The event time timetable within the rules book has been updated to help officials navigate these different times.
In the vertical jumps, specific variations can occur. For example, competitors may choose to wait until the bar is set at a higher height before entering the competition. Regardless of when a competitor enters the competition or the number of competitors left in the competition, those entering for their first time have one minute to begin their attempt. If the competitor misses on the first attempt and will take consecutive attempts, the competitor is granted two minutes in high jump and three minutes in pole vault for the subsequent attempt. If the athlete becomes the final competitor after clearing the bar, that individual has won the competition. If the competitor wishes to continue jumping for a record or personal best, the competitor is granted five minutes for attempts at subsequent heights.
FALSE STARTS
Fair starts are crucial to the success of any track event. It is the ultimate responsibility of the starter to provide fair starts and enforce the rules governing the start. Inevitably false starts will happen, and the penalty for false starts is immediate disqualification. Because of this severe penalty, in 2024 the NFHS revised the definition of a false start to eliminate many false start disqualifications that were made because of incidental/extraneous motions that did not result in anyone leaving their marks.
Nothing else changed with this revision of the rule. Any forward motion noted before the start signal that is not attempted to be halted that inevitably results in the competitor leaving their mark as the signal happens (frequently referred to as a “rolling start”) has always been a false start and is still a false start.
Ensuring fair starts involves an active and positive approach to the task accompanied by an attitude of preventive officiating. Starters and assistant starters should never be reluctant to utilize the command of “Stand up” to halt the starting process to ensure fair starts. They should also not be reluctant to warn those competitors responsible for delays in the start process.
