First of all, appreciate everyone’s patience. Getting organized for our first-ever USATF meet has been a learning experience. Below is some important info for everyone going into the weekend…
Schedule/Arrival
From what I recall last year, I don’t expect race by race schedule to be released. They have provided a start time (running events start at 3pm on Friday and Noon Saturday/Sunday), and races take place on a rolling schedule (one right after the other). There are quite a few age divisions, but they keep it rolling pretty well. Just a reminder, you can view the order of events with what times they have provided here.
When you arrive, the best parking area is the Grass parking next to the Soccer Field (if weather permits parking there). You’ll have to walk around the soccer field to get to the gate/entry area for the track.
I will be arriving early on Friday and picking up our team packet, which will have our kid’s BIB numbers, etc. They’ll need those to get in without paying. Parents/family, etc. will be charged $10 to get in. Text or call me at 618-204-2622, and either myself or Coach Short will meet you at the gate to give you your athlete’s BIB. Just an FYI, concessions and t-shirts are sold at the facility.
Prepping for your Event
Once running events begin for the day, the track will be closed. So athletes essentially have to find a location outside the facility to get warmed up (much like the IHSA state meet). Unfortunately, there aren’t a ton of great locations. A few decent grassy areas, some wide sidewalks, etc.
Extremely important that you and your athlete listen for announcements and calls. They will announce when athletes need to report. There is a check-in tent for all races, and athletes are walked from the tent to the start of their race. If the athlete isn’t in the tent when they need to be, they won’t be allowed to run, and they cannot leave the check-in area once they arrive. So any warmups need to be done before it’s time to check in. Field event competitors simply check in at their field event.
Seeding, Medals, Qualifying, etc.
As of yet, no true heat sheets have been provided, but you can find a seeding list of all entries here. Locate your athlete’s race and age group to see a full seed list. Just a reminder, the age groups are decided by birth year, not your athlete’s actual age.
There are prelims in the 100, 200, and Short Hurdle Races. The top 9 in these races move on to the finals.
Top 3 places in each event medal.
The top twelve (12) finishers in each event of each age division will advance to the USATF Region 7 Championships to be held July 6-9, 2023, also at U of I.
Other Questions
It’s our first rodeo, so I am sure that I am leaving things out. If you have any questions at all, feel free to email me at rdenton81@icloud.com or shoot me a text at 618-204-2622. I’ll try to get to the bottom of whatever questions you might have. Looking forward to watching our kids compete!