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The National Prep Schools Athletics Championships relies quite heavily on volunteer staff, who may have little or no experience of assisting at a meeting. The following pages attempt to give them some guidance. They are not a definitive guide to the rules of an event.
They must be read in conjunction with the Health & Safety section, above.
Track Events - General
Track officials may be allocated a number of tasks, such as marshalling the start, monitoring races in progress, judging take-overs in relays or acting as position judge. Officials are under the command of the Track Referee, who will tell them what to do. Before each event, check that you know exactly which it is - Sex, Age Group, Distance, which Heat or Graded Final, or if it is a Final. In 800m or 1500m. where the advertised field is split into two races, but only 12 or fewer runners actually turn up for the event, they may be combine into a single race.
Track Marshalling
Marshalling the start. Before they are called forward, ensure that the athletes know exactly what race they are about to begin, and that you, or they, know their lanes. Check that they all have the correct numbers, properly fastened on both front and back. Carry supplies of spare safety pins. Instruct all runners what to do at the finish of the race - to remain in their lanes, and turn to face the position judges. When they are called forward, show them their start lines, and instruct them to stand a couple of metres behind them until the starter calls “On your marks.” On the command “Set,” ensure that no part of any athlete is touching the ground on or beyond the white line.
If marshalling a relay change-over, instruct the athletes clearly where the change-over boxes begin and end. If asked, show them the acceleration zone start. Athletes may stand wherever they like (within the acceleration zone and change-over box), but if they have no instructions and ask for advice, stand them just inside the beginning of the change-over box.
Hurdle Marshalling
Ensure that every hurdle is in the correct place, at the correct height, and that the weights on the legs are in the correct position.
Race Monitoring
Observe that athletes do not run out of lane, or obstruct any other athlete. It is against the rules to tread on the white line marking the inside of the track or a lane, and infringements should be reported to the track marshal.
Relay Change-Overs
Stand where you can see the lines at the ends of the boxes as clearly as possible. This may best be done by standing some distance away. You may have to judge just the beginning of the box, just the end, or both. The outgoing runner may not touch the baton until it is within the change-over zone, and the incoming runner must have ceased to touch it before it leaves the zone. If you see an infringement, make sure you know which team has committed it. It is also an infringement for any athlete, at any stage of the race, to obstruct another of a different team - such as by leaving lane, so watch for that also. Signal a clear or reportable change-over with a white or red flag.
Position Judging
This is easy in long-distance races, but hard in sprints. Concentrate on your own specific responsibility and don’t try to remember every position. Record your decision on paper, in such a way that you can confidently refer to it much later on, in the event of a query about positions being made to the control box possibly many minutes afterwards.
Field Events - General
Before the competition start check that the equipment is secure and safe, and that you know how to use it and measure the performances. You should have a list of registered athletes and a results pad of dry-copy sheets. Try to keep the separate sheets of the results pad together, and write in biro, so that the bottom sheet receives the results as clearly as possible. The rules for valid and invalid attempts are quite complex, so you should try to acquaint yourself with them beforehand.
In general athletes have 60 seconds to make their attempt, rising to 90 seconds when fewer than four competitors are left in the High Jump, and 2 minutes when one athlete is jumping alone.
If an athlete has to go off to a track event during the course of the competition, the judge may vary the order of competition within a round, for example arranging that they take one attempt at the beginning of a round and their subsequent attempt at the end of the next, but if the athlete does not return before the beginning of the next one, they forfeit their attempt at that round or rounds. If there is some expectation that a missing athlete may return, the last round of an event could, at the discretion of the judge, be kept open longer than usual. The other athletes must be informed if this is undertaken.
High Jump
Before the competition start check that the bar supports face inwards and are directly above the line on the ground, and that you know how to raise, lower and measure the height of the bar.
Set the bar at the start height. Inform the athletes of the start height and begin to call their names out. Each height consists of a maximum of three separate rounds, so that athletes may have up to three attempts to clear the bar. They may elect to forgo a height or an attempt, but three successive failures, at any height or heights, eliminate the athlete. Athletes who have cleared the bar may not have another attempt at the same height. Winning athletes may continue to jump until three successive failures have been recorded, if they wish, in which case they may direct the height to which the bar is raised, in not less than 2cm increments.
Athletes must take off one foot only. This usually means they jump using some form of Scissors or Fosbury Flop (near foot takes off first and they cross the bar on their backs) or Straddle (far foot takes off first and they cross face down). Some athletes try what is essentially a two-footed forward, backward or sideways dive or somersault, just managing (and vociferously claiming) to lift one foot ahead of the other. This is technically not forbidden, although unlikely to lead to much height. It should, however, be pointed out and discouraged. Any touching of the ground or landing area beyond the ‘plane of the bar’ (the rectangle of space between the front of the bar and the line on the ground) counts as a failure, but an athlete may abort a jump and go back for another try provided they have not crossed the plane of the bar or exceeded the time limit.
If the bar falls off because the athlete touches it or its supports, a failure is recorded. The length of time between the attempt and the fall, or whether the athlete has left the landing area is immaterial. If it falls because of the wind, or as a result of the landing area disturbing a support, that is not a failure. Occasionally the judge may have to make a subjective decision. Successful attempts are recorded with a O, unsuccessful ones with an X.
In the event of a tie, the number of failures at the height the tying athletes last achieved is considered. If the tie persists, the total number of failures is considered. If the tie still persists, it is accepted, except if it is for first place. In this case, the tying athletes shall have one jump at the height at which they failed, and if no decision is reached the bar is raised by 2cm if they jump it and lowered by 2cm if they fail, the athletes continuing to have one jump at each height, until the tie is resolved.
Long & Triple Jump
Measure all jumps
FROM the edge of the mark in the pit nearest to the take-off board,
PERPENDICULARLY to the edge of the board nearest the pit,
TO the nearest centimetre BELOW the actual distance jumped.
If an athlete touches the ground beyond the front edge of the take-off board, or an imaginary line extending it to both sides, before take-off, that is a no jump. Athletes who have not crossed that line may abort their attempt and have another provided they do so within 60 seconds. Marks in the pit include marks made by hands, bottoms etc. falling backwards, and feet if the athlete does not walk forward out of the pit. If the athlete touches the ground outside the pit before making a mark in the sand, or falls out of the pit in the course of landing, that is a no-jump.
Rake the pit from the outside into the middle, not scraping a trench in the fall-line.
Make sure the sand is soft enough, and don’t leave rakes lying dangerously.
Shot
Measure all puts
FROM the edge of the mark in the grit nearest to the circle,
PERPENDICULARLY to the rear edge of the rim of the front of the circle,
TO the nearest centimetre BELOW the actual distance put.
The shot must be put correctly, with one hand. It must be placed close to the chin (essentially touching the cheek or chin), and not withdrawn from that position until being thrust forwards, with one hand only.
The entire put, including preparatory movements, must take place within the circle.
An athlete may touch the inside of, but not the top of, the metal frame and the white wooden stop-board.
The athlete must enter and leave the circle from behind the white lines marking the diameter, and not tread on or over them, or on or over the front half of the circle at any time before, during, or after their put.
If the shot lands on or outside the sector lines, it is a no-put.
Under 14 boys use a 3.25kg shot. All other events use a 2.72kg shot.
Never a throw a shot from one to another or hand to hand, or try to stop a rolling one with your foot. They are heavy.
Discus
Measure all throws
FROM the mark in the landing sector nearest to the circle,
PERPENDICULARLY to the rear edge of the rim of the front of the circle,
TO the nearest centimetre BELOW the actual distance thrown.
On hard ground, a good throw may not leave a mark. You must then decide where the nearest point of touch-down to the circle occurred.
Any one-handed throwing style is legitimate.
The entire throw, including preparatory movements, must take place within the circle.
An athlete may touch the inside of, but not the top of, the metal frame.
The athlete must enter and leave the circle from behind the white lines marking the diameter, and not tread on or over them, or on or over the front half of the circle at any time before, during, or after their throw.
If the discus lands on or outside the sector lines, it is a no-throw.
Hitting the cage does not, in itself, constitute a no-throw.
The discus circle is the larger of the two inside the protective cage.
Keep well clear of a spinning discus thrower - the discus can fly off at any direction.
Javelin
Measure all throws
FROM the mark in the landing sector nearest to the throwing arc,
PERPENDICULARLY to the rear edge of the arc,
TO the nearest centimetre BELOW the actual distance thrown.
The javelin must land with “the tip of the metal head” first, in which case it is almost certain to leave a mark. On very hard ground it may not. You must then decide where the point of touch-down occurred.
The javelin must be thrown correctly, overarm. In practice this means that during the throwing stride, the throwing hand must be above the elbow or upper arm of the athlete, and the elbow must be as high or higher than the shoulder. Any falling away from these positions constitutes a ‘sling’ or ‘hurl’, not a throw.
The athlete must leave the throwing area from behind the white line marking the front edge of the arc, including the side-extensions, and not tread on or over it at any time before, during, or after their throw.
If the javelin lands on or outside the sector lines, it is a no-throw.
Never run up to a javelin sticking in the ground; walk up to it from the side.
Remember the most dangerous end of the javelin is the one you’re not looking at.
Pull it out of the ground by holding it at the end, and hold it vertical when carrying it.
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