PIAA has released the preseason Bulletin for the 2024 season. Every member should have received the document in an email from PIAA. If you need to download another copy or just look up something in its contents, you can go here.

If you don’t remember getting the email from PIAA, you can click HERE to go to the file with information and reminders about the upcoming season – as well as the timetable for paying your 2024-5 dues.

The 2023 PIAA Preseason Bulletin for Cross Country is now available and can be viewed here. In addition to rule changes that affect cross country, there is a series of reminders and a check list of duties for all officials working cross country meets.

The Mid-Penn Conference has adopted the use of modified scoring for meets where either or both teams do not have the full five members at the start of the race. The PIAA guidelines for scoring meets with various combinations of fewer than five runners are found here.

The National Federation of High Schools (NFHS) has published their changes to the 2024 rule book for track and field and cross country. The reference to rule changes can be read at the Federations website at www.nfhs.org/track-and-field-rules-changes-2024/. One of the rule changes clarifies when false starts should and should not be called. Others include hurdling infractions, clarification of warm-up time for competitors entering HJ/PV events and allowing throwers to tape individual fingers.

One other change involves making adjustments to the rules regarding jump-offs for first place in the high jump and pole vault. Following the rule change instituted in the NCAA rules last year, the NFHS is now providing guidance for how to handle situations when one or all competitors decline to continue jumping after establishing a tie.

Additionally, the NFHS rules group for track and field also published a more detailed explanation of their revised rule guidance on what constitutes a false start. That can be read here. 

A link to the fall PIAA Fall Officials Bulletin was sent out to all registered officials. If you lost track of that or didn’t read it, the information is available to view or download here. That also has reminders about registering for the convention. Remember, you can register together (and get a discount) by following the instructions our secretary, Ginger Zimmerman, sent out. See her email from June 1. 

To see PIAA state Championship entries, go to https://www.piaa.org/sports/championship_details.aspx?sport=track and scroll down to “Live Results” and heat sheets – when they become available. (ed. – Now that the meet is concluded, all results are available by clicking on “Live Results.”)

One of the greatest innovators in the sport has passed away. Dick Fosbury, who won Olympic gold in the 1968 Mexico City games with his backward style of high jumping, was 76. He was one of the truly great sensations of the last century in track and field.

Prior to Fosbury, jumpers had leaped over the bar in a straddle or “roll” style that had been dominant after decades of “scissors” take-offs in the event. Fosbury, as a high school athlete, worked out the physics of an approach that took him over the bar in manner that allowed him to go over with a bent back followed by a kick upward at the hips.

More information can be found here.

The NCAA has approved several changes for its new rule book that will be effective as of the spring 2023 season. The first eliminates the use of the “five alive” procedure in the vertical jumping events (pole vault and high jump) with the rationale that “officials are unable to properly administer the procedure.”

Other changes involve reverting back to 60 second time limits for the jumping and throwing events that had been reduced to 30 seconds, and allowing ties in the PV and HJ for first place.

The summary of the changes can be seen here.

At its most recent July meeting, two significant actions were taken by the PIAA Board relative to Track and Field.

First, the Board received a recommendation from the Track and Field Steering Committee to increase the number of classifications in Track and Field to three from its current two classes (eg. AA and AAA). That recommendation was referred to the Strategic Planning Committee for further study.

The Board also rejected a recommendation that a second official be hired for all track meets at both the high school and JH/MS level.

The summary of that meeting can be read here.