The entirety of Texas competing at one state meet would make for one hell of a race.
Albeit, would probably be ridiculously hard to even qualify for.
NJ has a great solution. A state meet with groups, divisions, classes. Followed 1 week later by a 'meet of champions' with only the best.
This MOC has become a classic, with small public, big public, Catholic, prep all under one tent - producing amazing times, great competition and True State Champions.
Every state should have one champ in every event divisions are just watered down crap.
it sounds fun but it's exhausting. There are 8 qualifying rounds in California. You couldn't get past the 4th round unless you ran a 4:10. If you ran a 4:11, you are out.
Just 1 bad day you can't move on. Just 1 sick day or slight injury and your season is over. When it's all done and over, you will probably be too burnt out to do any other meets after the state meet.
it sounds fun but it's exhausting. There are 8 qualifying rounds in California. You couldn't get past the 4th round unless you ran a 4:10. If you ran a 4:11, you are out.
Just 1 bad day you can't move on. Just 1 sick day or slight injury and your season is over. When it's all done and over, you will probably be too burnt out to do any other meets after the state meet.
I've made this point before, that although Cal has a grueling process, kids in the Northeast are still running meets all these weekends in a row anyway.
Each state is a bit different but it basically goes Penn Relays, league meet, county meet, regional meet, state meet, meet of champions. Then on to national meets.
They are not all qualifiers for the next round, but you still have to compete in them. So it's a similar gauntlet of races 6-8 straight weekends.
We are exploring every state meet qualifying process (including Cali and Texas) on the Gill Connections podcast. Every day in April and May we feature one HS coach from each state. For example today is Oregon.
If you want to know more about how Cali and Texas are doing it, or any other state, you might check out this cool State Meet series going on. Enjoy!
Oregon state meet is completely watered down. Six divisions!!
These kids going to state wouldn't make it out of most leagues. Tack on the silliness of 1500m and 3000m. It's all for these small private schools to claim state champ trophies.
Oregon should move to league, region, then a single state meet. No divisions. For a state that claims to be the epicenter of running, you're not. You crown a 225 800m gal as a champion.
Oregon state meet is completely watered down. Six divisions!!
These kids going to state wouldn't make it out of most leagues. Tack on the silliness of 1500m and 3000m. It's all for these small private schools to claim state champ trophies.
Oregon should move to league, region, then a single state meet. No divisions. For a state that claims to be the epicenter of running, you're not. You crown a 225 800m gal as a champion.
Yeah, it's ridiculous. Cali is really the only state that does it right... like what the hell is the point of a state meet if it's not even the entire state? Makes no sense at all. A 2:25 800M wouldn't even get you to a sectional final in Cali
We are exploring every state meet qualifying process (including Cali and Texas) on the Gill Connections podcast. Every day in April and May we feature one HS coach from each state. For example today is Oregon.
If you want to know more about how Cali and Texas are doing it, or any other state, you might check out this cool State Meet series going on. Enjoy!
Well I live in California so I know exactly how their state meet works lol.
Can't say the same for states that do their "division 1A state champ" or whatever the hell they call it though lmao
Massachusetts went from a scored state meet to an MOC a few years back and it’s been great. The Division (by school size) is still scored but at the MOC everyone runs their best event.
The entirety of Texas competing at one state meet would make for one hell of a race.
Albeit, would probably be ridiculously hard to even qualify for.
The first weekend of May, Sioux Falls, SD hosts the Howard Wood Dakota Relays. It used to include colleges and universities, but is now a middle-school/high-school meet with participation from surrounding states. While the relays are run in three classes (AA-A-B), a high-light are the all-class events, which include all the field events, and individual non-relay running events. Always a thrill when someone from a "B" school out runs, out throws, and out jumps the higher class schools.
Also, years ago, after the State Meet, the AAU would host an all-class track and field meet. Of course, in masters T&F it's all one class (but with different age-groups). Doesn't matter if you went to UCLA or didn't graduate from high school. Or if you medaled at the Olympics, or never got a rally-day ribbon in grade school.
We are exploring every state meet qualifying process (including Cali and Texas) on the Gill Connections podcast. Every day in April and May we feature one HS coach from each state. For example today is Oregon.
If you want to know more about how Cali and Texas are doing it, or any other state, you might check out this cool State Meet series going on. Enjoy!
Well I live in California so I know exactly how their state meet works lol.
Can't say the same for states that do their "division 1A state champ" or whatever the hell they call it though lmao
I think it's funny when I see NEVADA has separate divisions at State. They for sure can make ONE champion (like CA) because it's not deep.
Massachusetts went from a scored state meet to an MOC a few years back and it’s been great. The Division (by school size) is still scored but at the MOC everyone runs their best event.
I went to HS in NJ and College in Mass, always thought it was weird they didn't have an MOC. Glad that it has changed now!
More racing is tiring, but it was really fun going from Sectionals to Groups and then MOC in high school.
The entirety of Texas competing at one state meet would make for one hell of a race.
Albeit, would probably be ridiculously hard to even qualify for.
NJ has a great solution. A state meet with groups, divisions, classes. Followed 1 week later by a 'meet of champions' with only the best.
This MOC has become a classic, with small public, big public, Catholic, prep all under one tent - producing amazing times, great competition and True State Champions.
As a California coach I would love to see this but the CIF meet is already difficult to make on it's own. I can't even imagine how hard it would be for a Texas team to make it through the rounds we currently have.
Plus, how do you set up the qualifying system? Each region already has vastly different weather during mid spring when areas and regionals are - how do you ensure that you are getting the best of the best to the state meet, while making the qualification process fair? The only way to measure how much better one athlete is than another if they aren't literally racing each other is through times, and times can be affected by a number of things.
As a California coach I would love to see this but the CIF meet is already difficult to make on it's own. I can't even imagine how hard it would be for a Texas team to make it through the rounds we currently have.
Plus, how do you set up the qualifying system? Each region already has vastly different weather during mid spring when areas and regionals are - how do you ensure that you are getting the best of the best to the state meet, while making the qualification process fair? The only way to measure how much better one athlete is than another if they aren't literally racing each other is through times, and times can be affected by a number of things.
For the sake of HS Track and Field Athletes, these bigger states must get broken up into smaller states so there can be state champions
As a California coach I would love to see this but the CIF meet is already difficult to make on it's own. I can't even imagine how hard it would be for a Texas team to make it through the rounds we currently have.
Plus, how do you set up the qualifying system? Each region already has vastly different weather during mid spring when areas and regionals are - how do you ensure that you are getting the best of the best to the state meet, while making the qualification process fair? The only way to measure how much better one athlete is than another if they aren't literally racing each other is through times, and times can be affected by a number of things.
Actually, on second thought here are 2 possible solutions:
1. Teams are allowed to chase marks at verified invitationals during the season. At the end of the season, the top 9 or however many for distance events and field events are given a spot at the state meet. Gives people an entire season to get marks, it gets rid of rounds, and it keeps the one day state meet in Texas. Obviously the downside is that running rounds is one of the most important parts of the postseason in this sport, in my opinion. It REALLY shows who is the best.
2. Make a similar league/section/state system to California, or keep the current district/area/regional system in Texas, but with one major difference: add at-large marks to each level of qualification, and add a preliminary day at the state meet. The preliminary day could even be the week before states so that it wouldn't effect the quality of the meet - obviously the downside here is that it adds an extra meet of high level competition.