Track & FIeld 101

Click the dropdown arrow on the "Meet Info, Lineups & Results" tab above. Find the specific meet and/or date you are looking for, and click. You will be directed to a page that contains the following information:

BUs Time

This is the time the bus will depart St. Louis Park High School. 7th and 8th graders will be notified separately what time the bus will pick them up from the St. Louis Park Middle School. Student-athletes are typically dismissed ten minutes before the scheduled departure time.

Meet Location

Where the meet is to take place. The track & field facility is typically the largest construction at any given school, so it should be very easy to find once you arrive. Meets will always take place outdoors unless otherwise indicated. If you would like to see exactly where the track is located before you arrive, click on the link to go to google maps, change the map settings to "Satellite", and find the big oval. The quickest way to find the field areas of competition is to go the front gate of the track and find a meet worker. They will be able to direct you to a specific event.

Comprehensive Meet Details and Schedule

The order of events listed to the right is typical for MOST track meets. Each event will usually proceed with girls first and boys second, before moving on to the next event.

Field events vary by meet, so it is important to check the provided meet information carefully. Meets with adequate facilities will typically stagger the following events with opposite genders competing simultaneously, and then switching at a predetermined time: Long Jump/Triple Jump, Shot Put/Discus, High Jump/Pole Vault.

At varsity invitationals and meets, there is oftentimes a set schedule that officials will make concerted effort to adhere to.

At non-varsity meets, there may be a schedule released for the meet, but typically the meet will be conducted on a rolling schedule, meaning the next event will begin immediately after the preceding event has ended.

Order of Events

4 x 800 meter relay
100 & 110 meter hurdles
100 meter dash
4 x 200 meter relay
1600 meter run
4 x 100 meter relay
400 meter dash
300 meter hurdles
800 meter run
200 meter dash
3200 meter run
4 x 400 meter relay

St. Louis Park Orioles Lineup

Student-athletes are only eligible to compete in four events. A student-athlete competing in four events may compete in a maximum of three track events or three field events. Student-athletes may only compete in two events that are 800 meters or longer. A student-athlete may be placed as an alternate on any relay, but cannot violate any of the conditions indicated above. The only exception is that a student-athlete may be placed as an alternate on multiple relays that would exceed three track events, but will become ineligible for further track events immediately upon starting their third track event.

At varsity invitationals and meets, each team is usually allocated three individual spots per event, and one relay. Each relay lineup consists of four competitors and potentially two alternates. Student-athletes and coaches are constantly communicating on meet days regarding these spots, so it is best to ask what your student-athlete was told the day before the meet. Typically, we have a plan that follows the order listed on the lineup sheet. However, things change given certain scenarios, so, it is best to assume your student-athlete is competing regardless of who the four names in bold are. You will never miss a race that way.

At non-varsity meets, each team is usually allocated unlimited entries in each event. We still honor the meet restrictions as written, regardless of the level of competition.

Heat Sheets

At varsity invitationals and meets, heat sheets provide an official list of all teams' competitors and their seeds (the score in the respective event provided by their coach upon their entry in the meet). Heat sheets serve three purposes:

For all parties concerned to know exactly which heat, lane, or flight a student-athlete is competing in.
For all parties concerned to get a preview of the level of competition for each event.
Accountability for entry/competition violations and mistakes.

At non-varsity meets, heat sheets are almost never compiled or released for public review.

Meet Results

At varsity invitationals and meets, results are usually calculated and scored by a professional meet management business. Some meet managers are even able to provide "live" results, meaning accurate results can be viewed immediately after each heat on the track. Providing real-time digital print-outs for field events at the high school level is currently extremely rare. A web address indicating where to find "live" results is usually provided on the meet information document, if applicable.

At non-varsity meets, results may be provided by a professional management business, may be provided by the hosting team and emailed to coaches after the meet, or may tracked by hand and the responsibility to compile results will be on one coach or several coaches. We will post results to this website as soon as they are available.

FAQ's

Can't you just post what time my student-athlete is competing?

Some meet programs may be extensive enough as to tell you exactly what time a given heat is firing the gun, but those are few and far between. We coaches do a ton of clerical work already. Your first step should be to ask your student-athlete. If they can't give you an answer, then please use the combined information from the meet schedule, team lineup, and (if applicable) heat sheets to make plans to see your student-athlete compete. We thank you, sincerely, for using the resources we have provided.

What time can I expect my student-athlete to be done with practice/this meet?

We hope to have every practice done by 5:30pm. 6:00pm is our absolute latest end time for practice. Some special team bonding events may go later on a few select days of the season. Meets are unpredictable. If there is a set schedule posted, use your best judgement to determine when to expect the bus to return to St. Louis Park High School. If there is not, it is on your student-athlete to communicate with you how the meet/bus ride is progressing.

How do I know if my student-athlete is on the varsity or junior varsity team?

In our program, we do not have separate teams or coaches designated as varsity or junior varisty. At each meet, student-athletes will compete in whichever event may benefit them or the team on a given day, or may not compete at all. Ask your student-athlete about what they have discussed with coaches, and make sure to check the lineup for each meet. We will post meet lineups at the latest the night before the meet is scheduled to take place.

"Conference", "True Team", "Sections", and "State"- what do these terms mean?

St. Louis Park competes in the Metro West Conference. There are nine other schools (Chanhassen, Chaska, Bloomington Kennedy, Bloomington Jefferson, Benilde-St. Margaret's, Orono, Waconia, New Prague and Robbinsdale Cooper) in the conference. Each year, our track & field schedule is set with this league with the requirement of competing in the conference championships meet in May and the JV conference championships in May. Student-athletes who do not make the varsity roster for sections will have their last meet of the season at the JV conference championships. At the conference championships meet, individuals may earn All-Conference, Honorable Mention, or Academic All-Conference honors, and a team championship is awarded for both gender divisions.

St. Louis Park competes in True Team Section 6AAA. This meet is held before the conference championships. In short, this league was formed by the MN State High School Coaches' Association to test the depth of all of the teams in the state. There is a True Team state meet that teams may qualify for as a whole.

Sections and State are the two officially sanctioned MN State High School League championships each year. Sections is usually the last meet of the year for most varsity student-athletes. St. Louis Park competes in Section 6AAA. This meet takes place over a period of three days at the end of May and/or the beginning of June. At sections, athletes may qualify for the state meet as an individual or with a relay.

How does my student-athlete earn a varsity letter?

See team policies.

My student-athlete's name does not appear on the lineup. What's up with that?

Ask your student athlete if they've spoken to their coach about their absence on the list before reaching out to us. It's possible that a) a mistake was made b) they're resting in accordance with their training or due to injury or c) they are ineligible due to academics/attendance. For information on the latter, see team policies.

What is F.A.T.?

Fully Automatic Timing is an electronic timing system that is used to post precise results for track races.

I want to see how my student-athlete measures up to other competitors across the state/country. Where do I find that information?

Useful resources are: mn.milesplit.com (paid membership required to view full rankings) and athletic.net (free account required to view full rankings).

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