Commissioner Que Tucker of the NCHSAA revealed their plan for high school sports in 2020-21 on August 12, 2020. The change in scheduling is due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Under this plan, no sports will be played in the Fall of 2020. This plan postponed the high school sports season for all sports except Indoor Track and Field. Indoor Track and Field has been eliminated.  Commissioner Tucker stated, “You probably noticed that indoor track season for this school year was not included. As we discussed and deliberated a schedule, we wanted every student to have the opportunity to participate in their sport. Because Indoor Track is a similar sport to Outdoor Track & Field, we felt that being able to provide an outdoor track season still provides a participation opportunity for these students. Indoor facility constraints and the difficulty in conducting large meets indoors, while needing to social distance, also factored into the decision.”

We are grateful for the NCHSAA coming up with an alternative plan, communicating that plan clearly to the public, and preserving all other sports.  However, we feel that eliminating indoor track and field is not warranted and we are requesting that the sport be re-instated.

Reasons to re-instate Indoor Track and Field

1. Athletics promote the physiological, psychological and moral development and well-being of all student-athletes.
2.  In 2016, the NCHSAA revised its skill development session guidelines to not be restricted in the number of participants on a daily basis. The rationale was that it was in the best interest of the student-athletes to be under the supervision of their school’s staff and coaches who are trained instead of club coaches and lay-people. Not having a season would be counterproductive to the well-being of the student athlete. 

3. Data and numerous studies support that when athletes are in season under daily guidance of their coach, the following occur:
·       Higher grades

·       Increased school attendance

·       Decreased discipline referrals

·       Lower suspension rates

·       Structure of the student-athletes

4. Track and field is the number one participation sport for girls in the nation and in North Carolina. It is the number two sport for boys behind football in the nation and North Carolina. The charts below indicate the number of NC student-athletes that participated in the 2020 and 2019 Indoor State Championships. These numbers represent only the elite athletes in the state as not all who participate in the sport will compete in the State Championships. This number only represents less than 5% of those who competed during those indoor seasons.

2020 NCHSAA Indoor State Meet Participation Numbers
Classification     Boys    Girls    Total 
1A/2A                 306      353      659 
3A                       340      322     662 
4A                       297      237     534 
Totals                  943      912   1855 
 
2019 NCHSAA Indoor State Meet Participation Numbers
Classification     Boys     Girls     Total 
1A/2A                 251        248      499 
3A                      288         253      541 
4A                      283         250      533
Totals                 822         751     1573

Those elite student-athletes who have an interest in pursuing athletics after high school need the opportunity to continue to build their athletic resume. As juniors, current high school senior athletes lost their 2020 outdoor season. The current plan also eliminates their senior year indoor season. The shutting down of the indoor season is comparable to schools shutting down the in-person academic
learning opportunities that have and are occurring. Many students have lost and will lose scholarship and college opportunities because they were not able to take the SAT/ACT prep classes and the SAT/ACT in the spring and this coming fall. Those who were fortunate to take it before schools shut down, have missed out on academic tutorials and summer enrichment camps that can improve their academic resume and success. For the track and field athlete, it is a double whammy. Will every student athlete receive an athletic scholarship and compete in college? The answer is “No.” Will every student attend college after high school? The answer is “No.” Will every student attending college after high school receive an academic scholarship? The answer once again is “No.” Should ALL students be given the best opportunity and every chance? That answer is “Yes!” 

How to have a safe Indoor Track and Field Season

1. Commissioner Que Tucker stated “…Indoor facility constraints and the difficulty in conducting large meets indoors, while needing to social distance, also factored into the decision.” The sport does not have to occur at an indoor facility.

2. No high school in North Carolina has an indoor facility for training or meets. Everyone trains outdoors.

3. Polar Bear Meets: The vast majority of schools are participating in weekly Polar Bear Meets that are held outdoors in November through February. An even larger percentage of schools only compete at an indoor facility for the State Championship Meet, which is held at JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem. Most high schools are not attending JDL week night and large weekend invitational meets. Some high schools do not attend due to invitational meet registration expenses, and many do not attend due to the distance from their school. Polar Bear Meets are their norm.

4. JDL Fast Track has hosted the NCHSAA Indoor Championships since 2013. Prior to JDL being built, the Eddie Smith Field House and the “Tin Can” at UNC-Chapel Hill hosted the Indoor Championships (1987-2012). 

5. The NCHSAA State Indoor Championships were replaced in 2011 by the State Winter Championships. This change was caused by the usual indoor facility, the Eddie Smith Field House at UNC being unavailable due to renovation at Kenan Stadium. Indoor facilities in Virginia were considered, but the NCHSAA decided to hold the 2011 Championships on a
400-meter outdoor track. The meet was held at Reid Ross Classical School in Fayetteville, NC on February 12, 2011. The weather conditions were sunny and temperature in the 50s.

6. “Adapt, Improvise, Overcome!”  2011 was an unusual situation just as 2021 will be an unusual situation. When considering the alternatives for the 2011 situation, one option the NCHSAA considered was not having a championship.  Many were adamant about the long-term impact on the sport of not having a championship. The 2011 season was not cancelled even though all parties involved knew in advance that UNC would not be available for the State Championship meet. UNC didn’t host any high school meets that year. Indoor Track and Field “Survived” 2011 until it was able to “Thrive” again in 2012. The sport has continued to Thrive as the number of athletes and schools participating grow each year.

7. Qualifying: There will be qualifying standards established by the NCHSAA. The procedure would accept all competitors who meet the qualifying standard and fill in the rest of the field with non-qualifiers up to the limit (see below). A tie for the last non-qualifying position is not broken. (This procedure is similar to what is currently done at the outdoor regional championships.)

       1A/2A: 24 entries (8-1A competitors; 16-2A competitors)

·       3A: 16 entries  

·       4A: 16 entries  

8.  Season Dates: The 2021 Indoor (Winter) Track and Field regular season would be held from February 8-April 9, 2021. The Winter Championship Meets would be held the following week. This keeps the schedule in line with the other sports championships occurring the week after the regular season ends.

9. Indoor (Winter) Track and Field Championships would be held at an outdoor facility (TBA) on three separate days. For example:

·       1A-2A Championship on Thursday, April 15, 2021.  

·       3A Championship on Friday, April 16, 2021.  

·       4A Championship on Saturday, April 17, 2021.  

Tentative meet schedule:
·       Sprint Trials: 10:00 am

·       Field Events: 10:30 am

·       4 x 800 Relay: 11:00 am

·       Running Event Finals: 1:00 pm (schedule would be designed with minimum 15 minutes between events. This will decrease the number of athletes in clerking.)

10. CDC Guidelines: The same guidelines that the NCHSAA will develop for the Outdoor season will be implemented at Winter Championships. In both championship, there is a limited number of athletes per event. (see Qualifying section below.) Clerking will be positioned outside of the track. There will be separate check in tables for male and female athletes stationed a minimum of six feet apart. There will be staggered check-in marks for the running events.  There is ample space for social distancing in the field events as the venues are spaced out in the stadium. Sanitation stations would be positioned at each venue.

The 2020-2021 Indoor Track and Field season does not have to be cancelled. With the above proposal, the 2021 Indoor Track and Field season will be able to “Survive” the pandemic until it is able to “Thrive” once again in 2022.

Thank you for your consideration and support.

DePaul Mittman, Executive Director

NC Track & Cross Country Coaches Association

NCHSAA State Meet Director

August 17, 2020