Place: NJSIAA Headquarters
Time: 9:30 am
Members Present: Robert Byrnes (Tournament Head Clerk, Allan Stumpf (Athletic Directors' Representative), Louis Fraulo (Assistant tournament director), Carl Rickershauser (State Rules Interpreter), Martin Holleran (Coach), and guests Ed Colona, Kyle Austin (Toms River Bennett Center Manager), and Robert Kellert (Milesplit), Don Danser (NJSIAA staff).
I. First order of business was the committee's sincerest thanks to the Toms River School District for their great efforts in making this a very successful season NJSIAA would also like to thank the trainers and emt's that worked the meets. Again thanks for being there.
Secondly, I would like to thank Milesplit and all the coaches who participated in entering their relay entries and individual entries on Milesplit so that we could preprint the cards for these entry level meets. We will continue to use this system next year as well as for this spring season. Now coaches understand that they do no lose any flexibility by pre-entering, and as a result, most were highly in favor of continuing the system.
II. As is the norm, we dealt with correspondence first:
1. The first was a letter filing a "formal grievance" for an incident that took place in at a Sectional Meet on February 1. A school arrived late and were allowed in three events: Shot, High Jump, and 400m Dash. The writer sites the tournament regulations FIRST EVENTS CLOSE 20 MINUTES BEFORE THE LISTED START TIME, and wants to know why we did not enforce this. Our practice concerning field events was and is to let late arrivals into the field events (with permission from the meet referee), at the point the events are. No warm-up throws or practice jumps allowed -- no bars lowered. In running events, the 400 runner should have been allowed to run only if there was time to reseed the event to add the late arrivals in the appropriate heat. However, this was not done in the 400, resulting in some of the scorers coming from heats other than the final heat. Our policy for the field events still stands, and the clerks were told again, not to enter late arrivals unless they can be placed in the heat appropriate to their seed.
2. Next correspondence dealt with starting blocks. Presently we allow their use in the Meet of Champions for the 400, 55, HH, and 4x400 trials and finals. The writer wanted them to be available in all of the meets. Committee expanded the blocks (provided by meet management) to be used in the finals only of the 55m dash ad 55m hurdles in the Group Meets only.
3. Next e-mail discussed asked for wildcards from the sectionals to groups. Committee discussed the issue but felt that is was not needed.
4. This writer thought the 200m was not necessary and should be removed from the meet. Also did not want us to consider using Super Bowl Sunday as a makup date. More on the 200 later. We cannot let something like the super bowl be the official reason for not using a date when we schedule meets on SAT dates.
5. This correspondent "loved the idea of the 200, but think I needs to be better promoted." Committee decided to treat it like any other event. If you are in the top 20 for the 200 meter Dash as listed on NJ.Milesplit.com, you are automatically in the meet. No need to wait for a special date or to tell anyone. If listed and you don't choose to run, is no different from qualifying in the 1600 and 3200, but running only in the 1600. The field that shows is the field that goes!
The second item from this writer dealt with the pole vault. He suggested we have a schedule like: 10:00 am warm-up; 10:45 Instructions from officials 11:00 start of competition, but with the top 12 on one pit and the next 12 on the other pit, start the girls on both pits at the conclusion of the boys. His reasoning was for the team "traveling from far has a girl in the 3200 and/or 4x400 and a pv that makes for a long day for the runners."
The problem with this proposal is the rules do not allow the event to be contested o two different venues at the same time.
III. General policy/procedure changes.
1. We have been reminded by the fire marshal that chairs and tables or other "furniture" are NOT permitted on the infield of the track. We must begin to enforce that and will do so next season. NO chairs, benches, etc will be allowed on the infield of the track.
1. The 200 will continue, with automatic qualification for the top 24 on NJ.Milesplit.com on the day after the last Group Meet (now scheduled for Feb 20, 2016)
2. On the sectional levels and the Group Meet for Non-Publics -- for time reasons -- the 400 and 4x400 will be run in three alleys with 3 per alley as has been done in the past. The clerk will attempt to keep the top two sections to seven participants, when number of entries allow it.
3. Reminder to Group 4 relays -- Since the events are single gendered events, we will again be using A and B venues for the three field events. Most coaches responded positively to this procedure.
4. Committee decided that we expand the use of blocks (provided by M-F Athletic) to the finals only in the 55 dash and Hurdles in the Group Meets.
5. It was also decided that the preferred lanes at the Bennett Center's flat trak should be 4-5-6-3-2-1 which we will begin using next season.
IV -- Changes in the regulations
Page 1 Note: 1. January 2, 2014 to January 4, 2016
7. January 24, 2015 to January 23, 2015
Rule 19 -- Tryouts/Practices may or may not be conducted on the Monday & Tuesday before last year. At this time that issue has not been decided.
Start of Regular Season: December 18, 2015
End of Season: February 29, 2016
Page 2 Rule 20 Section 4. Change February 28, 2015 to February 29, 2016
Section 5. Change January 24, 2015 to January 23, 2016
Page 3 Meet schedules
A. State Relay Championships: Entries close January 4, 2016 (postmarked)
Thursday, January 14, 2016 4:00 pm -- Group IV Boys
Friday, January 15, 2016 4:00 pm -- Group IV Girls
Saturday, January 16, 2016 9:00 am -- Non Public Boys and Girls
4:00 pm -- Groups II Boys and Girls
Sunday, January 17, 2016 9:00 am -- Groups I Boys and Girls
4:00 pm -- Groups III Boys and Girls
Snow date: Monday, Jan. 18, 2016
B. Sectionals
Friday, February 5, 2016 4:00 pm Central, Groups 2 & 3, Boys and Girls
Saturday, February 6, 2016 9:00 am South, Groups 2 & 3, Boys and Girls
Saturday, February 6, 2016 3:30 pm North 2, Groups 2 & 3, Boys and Girls
Sunday, February 7, 2016 9:00 am North 1, Groups 2 & 3, Boys and Girls
Friday, February 12, 2016 3:45 pm Central, Groups 1 & 4, Boys and Girls
Saturday, February 13, 2016 9:00 am South, Groups 1 & 4, Boys and Girls
Saturday, February 13, 2016 3:30 pm North 2, Groups 1 & 4Boys and Girls
Sunday, February 14, 2016 9:00 am North 1, Groups 1 & 4, Boys and Girls
Snow dates: Sunday Feb. 8 at 4:00 pm, Monday Feb. 9, at 4:00 pm
Sunday Feb. 14 at 4:00 pm, Monday Feb. 15, 4:00 pm
C. State Group Meets
Friday, February 19, 2016 4:00 pm Groups 1 & 4 Boys and Girls
Saturday, February 20, 2016 9:00 am Groups 2 & 3, Boys and Girls
Saturday, February 20 2016 3:30 pm Non-Public A & B, Boys and Girls
Snow Date: Sunday 21, 2016
D. State Championships (a.k.a. Meet of Champions)
Saturday, February 27, 2016 10:00 am Boys -- all events
10:00 am Girls Pole Vault (Boys PV will start at 10:00 am)
1:00 pm Girls Running events, HJ and Shot put
Page 4 2. Electronic Devices, radios, tape recorders and other electronic communicating devices are permitted in non-contestant areas for coaching purposes only. They cannot be used for any other purpose.
3. a. January 2, 2015 to Friday, January 4, 2016
B January 9, 2015 to January 8, 2016
c. Jan. 15, 2015 to Jan. 14, 2016
d. January 15, 2015 to January 14, 2016
Page 5 B.1.a.(2) 2014/2015 to 2015/2016
Page 6 3.e January 7 to January 6
January 29, 2015 to February 4, 2016
Feb. 11, 2015 to February 11, 2016
Page 13 B -- Change all girls PV starting heights to 7'0"
Starting Height for the Group Meets shall be no higher than the 12th seed from the sectionals
Page 14 Non-Public Winter Track Group Meet Classification
Will be determined In December 2015, based on current enrollments and past attendance to the relays and group meets -- Boys teams will compete in the same divisions as girls teams.
Page 15 - Relay Meets -- Dates, groups, times as established earlier
Girls will run first.
Page 16 -- Sectional Meets
Small schools will go first, as will the Girls
Shot Put Order: Group S Girls followed by Group L Girls
Group L Boys followed by Group S Boys
Pole Vault Order: Group S Girls followed by Group L Girls
Group L Boys followed by Group S Boys
High Jump Order: Group S Girls followed by Group L Girls
Group L Boys followed by Group S Boys
Events 10 - 13 would be mixed to breakup running 7 or 8 3200 meter sections in a row.
It would look like the following:
10. Group S Girls 3200 meter run
Group S Boys 3200 meter run
11. Group S Girls 4x400 meter Relay
Group S Boys 4x400 meter Relay
12. Group L Girls 3200 meter run
Group L Boys 3200 meter run
13. Group L Girls 4x400 meter relay
Group L Boys 4x400 meter relay
Starting Height for boys pole vault Groups 2, 3, and 4 -- 10' -- may be lowered at the discretion of meet management based on seeding information supplied by the coaches the day of the event.
400 and 4x400 will be run in 3 alleys (maximum of 9 participants per section)
Page 17 State Group Championships
Time Schedule same as on page 3
Order of events -- Girls before Boys -- small followed by Large -- stagger the field events
Add alleys for Non-Public Meet in 400 and 4x400
Page 18: State Championships (a.k.a Meet of Champions)
Time Schedule (same as changes on page 3) Boys will be in PM Girls in AM
Top 24 athletes as ranked on nj.milesplit.com will be automatically eligible to participate
Medals to the top 8
Only lanes 3, 4, 5, & 6 will be used.