TRACK & FIELD 101

Track & Field 101- General Info and FAQs

Track and field at Waterville consists of one team broken into four separate categories.

EVENT GROUPS

Athletes are welcome to try any and all events to see what they enjoy and might excel at.  Coaches will help athletes in finding a good fit for them if they are new to track.  Each event category has its own set of coaches, though some overlap (sprints and jumps).  Once meets start, coaches will enter athletes into events based on a variety of factors. 

Do athletes have to try out for track and field?  Can they be cut from the team?

Track & Field at Waterville is a no-cut sport, which means everyone is welcome on the team, so long as behavior and attendance expectations are met.  Simply show up to practices Monday-Friday 2:45-4:45pm at the Track (with your athletic clearance already completed) and coaches will take it from there!

What is the athletic clearance and how do I complete it?

Waterville High School requires every athlete to be cleared to play each sport they offer each season.  If the athlete has already played a fall or winter sport this year, your athlete should be all set.  If the athlete has not played a sport yet this school year, click here and go to Waterville Senior High School sports registration and fill out the information. All athlets are required to have a physical on file with the Athletic Department.  Physicals are good for two years.  In order to participate the first day of practice, we recommend completing this clearance process no later than March 20th.  

When is practice?

Starting March 27, practice is every school day from 2:45-4:45 (or if inside from 2:30-4:30).  Check our team calendar on our home page regularly for when practices might be shifted or end early.  At times, practice for certain events may end before 4:45pm, but athletes should always plan for the full time frame. 

What are "time trials"?

Early in track season, we will dedicate one practice to "time trials".  This is where coaches will simulate race environments and athletes will get to try their best at various track AND field events.  This helps coaches determine which athletes should be competing in which events (though that can change throughout the season) and help them build out relay teams.  Time trials will be held on April 7th.  Warm Ups start promptly at 2:45pm.  

Who decides what event an athlete will do in a meet?

Coaches will work with an athlete to determine the best events to put an athlete in, based on interest, performance, and team needs (we do earn points for each event that goes towards winning as a team).  Often athletes will do different events in different meets.  Athletes cannot do more than four events in a single meet.

What do athletes wear to meets?

Athletes should show up to meets already dressed in your uniform and our team t-shirt and warm up sweats (tops and bottom), and with a full water bottle.  Shoes will be determined by the event; see below for more on shoes vs spikes.  

What shoes do athletes need?

Each event has special shoes that can be worn to enhance performance (and prevent slipping/injury) during competition.  Athletes will often bring "spikes" (athletic shoes with screw in metal spikes on the sole) to wear for actual races, but will warm up in running sneakers (no spikes).  Spike type and length are determined by the meet; most meets require 1/8" or 1/4" pyramid spikes.  There are specific spike shoes for the high jump, horizontal jumps, sprints, middle distance, throws, etc.  Typically the longer the run, the more cushioning and slightly heavier the shoe.  Jumps, vaults, and throws spikes have different spike placement on the soles, as well as more structure to the shoe to prevent heel/ankle injuries.  If athletes are beginners and not sure what events they might do, we'd suggest a middle distance spike or a multi event spike that can be found on most major sports retail websites.  

What happens if I have to miss a practice or a meet?

All athletes should check the schedule prior to the season starting and make sure when they make the commitment to join the track team that they are available for all team functions.  All planned trips and appointments need to reported to the head coach during the first week of the season via the Google Form for Planned Absences.  Any unexpected absences, will need to follow the same protocol and the coaching staff needs to be notified 24 hours in advance.  Any athlete who misses team practices or competitions will have consequences. 

Do athletes compete in ALL meets on the season calendar?

No.  Athletes are expected to compete at all regular season KVAC meets during the season as well as any championship meet they qualify for.  All athletes will compete in the regular season meets and the Community Cup Championships.  Athletes will need to qualify to compete at the Waterville Invitational, KVAC Class B Championship, Class B State Championship and the New England Championship.  Coaches will keep athletes updated throughout the season as they qualify for the championship meets.  All athletes on the team are expected to attend all meets through the KVAC Class B Championship (May 26th).  After the KVAC Championship, only athletes who have qualified for States and New Englands are expected to attend those meets. 


Typical League Meet Event Order

Start times and jumping start heights may vary at league meets, but event order usually doesn't.  Most league meets start at 3:30pm unless there are changes that arise during the season.  Events follow a rolling start; the next event begins right after the previous event ends.  

Track (top portion) and field (bottom portion) events begin simultaneously, and typically follow this order.  Sometimes meet hosts will delay the running events in order to get the field events started.  There are also sometimes delays in field events for a short while to try to accommodate an athlete who is competing in a track event close to the same time, so the athlete can do both track and field events.  Athletes are allowed a 10 minute time frame to check out of the field event in order to compete in a running event.  Also, if there aren't many runners for a particular event, they may combine genders to speed up the meet.  This is why it's always wise for athletes to stay alert and listen for their events to be called, as sometimes the order WILL change. 

Outdoor Order of Events POST

State Championship Meet Event Order

MEET RESULTS

All meet results (all-team and invitational) can be found on Milesplit.com.  Coaches will enter new athletes to the site, and then once entered, parents can "claim" their athlete to follow their results.  You can also follow Waterville Track & Field results on the main page.  In order to see league performance lists and State Meet performance lists, there is a cost to become a member.  This is not necessary as the coaches will have access to that information and will update the athletes during the season. 

Meets that Waterville competes in as a whole team will appear, and then you can select the event to see the meet results.  You can also search for a meet or athlete's name to find meet results.