2013 ACI Rules & Procedures

Revised Dec. 19, 2012

1. Rules of Competition

Competition will be governed by the active editions of:

Colleges — The NCAA Track and Field/Cross Country Men’s and Women’s Rules, with exception as needed by meet management

Open and Junior Divisions — The USA Track and Field Competition Rules

High School — The Official National Federation Track & Field and Cross Country Rules Book

The meet referee is Anne Rothenberg, of Exeter, R.I.

Appeals must be made within 15 minutes of the posting of a result and should be filed at the protest table. A fee of $50 must accompany an appeal.

2. Competition Sites

The Armory track is a 200-meter banked 6-lane Mondo track. The lanes are 36” wide. The horizontal jumps are contested in two parallel pits. The women’s runway is 53 meters, or 174 feet, in length. The men’s runway is 54 meters, or 177 feet, in length. The pole vault runway is 45 meters, or 148 feet, in length. The runways are Mondo. The high jump is contested at both ends of the infield; two high jumps can be conducted simultaneously. The Mondo straightaway is 8 lanes/60 meters. The lanes are 48” wide.

In the weight throw, only bag weights can be used. A wooden throwing circle is used.

There is warm-up space on the second and third floors. Spikes must be 1/4”. Only starting blocks supplied by the Armory may be used.

Vaulting poles can be shipped c/o Mr. Bassett Thompson, Director of Track & Field, New Balance T&F Center, 216 Fort Washington Ave., NYC 10032. Please notify Mr. Thompson in advance (212-923-1803 x7011, cell 516-668-3234). Poles will be stored securely until your arrival.

3. Lanes

For seeding purposes, lane priorities are:

In the 200, 400, 500, 4x200 and 4x400, lane priority is 5-6-4-3-2-1. On the straightaway, 4-5-3-6-2-7-1-8.

In the 200 meters, all lanes will be used in the College preliminaries and Final, lanes 3 through 6 in the Championship preliminaries and Final. The Championship final will be 3 sections of 4 runners each; the fastest section will run last.

In the 400 meters, lanes 2 through 6 will be used in the Championship preliminaries and Final; all lanes will be used in the College preliminaries and Final. The Championship final will be 2 sections of 5 runners each, the faster section last.

4. Entries

College entries are submitted exclusively online, via DirectAthletics.com. Entries open Dec. 3, 2012. Entries close at 5 p.m. EST Monday, Jan. 21, 2013. Include the names of all relay team members.

The 2013 Meet Entry Standards are posted on the Armory website www.ArmoryTrack.com. Satisfaction of an entry standard does not guarantee acceptance to the meet; all possible efforts are made to admit as many athletes as the time schedule will permit. The limit on the number of positions available in each event is listed on the Entry Standards form.

Teams are limited to four athletes per event. Coaches should submit an athlete’s estimated performance on the day of competition. Preference for acceptance and seeding is given to, in order, (1) performances from the current indoor season, (2) from the 2012 indoor season, (3) from the 2012 outdoor season, and (4) from previous seasons.

The names of all accepted athletes and division assignments will be posted on the Armory website by 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 23.

Please submit scratches and performance updates by fax (212-923-1645) no later than Monday, Jan. 28.

Open athletes enter via DirectAthletics.com. Entries open Dec. 3, 2012, and close at 5 p.m. EST Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. Open athletes must pay their entry fee online prior to the close of entries in order to be accepted into the meet. Athletes who wish to be considered for inclusion in the Open events must contact the event coordinator, Mr. Bob Rothenberg, ph. 401-294-9946, no later than 6 p.m. EST Monday, Jan. 21. A password is needed to enter.

High school and Juniors entries will be done on DirectAthletics. These entries will close at 5 p.m. EST Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013. To secure the password for entry, contact the event director, Mr. Dan Doherty. Juniors entry fees must be paid online by the close of entry. High schools are strongly encouraged to pay their entry fees online. School purchase orders are not accepted.

5. Entry fees

College teams – Maximum $475 per sex, or $40 per athlete per event and/or $50 per relay team

High school, Juniors -- $30 per relay team, $25 per individual event

Open athletes -- $40 per individual event, $50 per relay team

Examples

A. One athlete in 2 events = $80

B. Four athletes on one relay team, one of those athletes in an individual event = $90

C. 27 female athletes in 45 individual events and 4 relay races = $475

Checks should be made out to The Armory Foundation. If mailed, they should be sent to Jack Pfeifer, Meet Director, Armory Foundation, 216 Fort Washington Ave., NY, NY 10032. Entry fees may be paid on arrival by cash or check.

Entry fees are based on entry, not competition, in the meet. Entry fees will be calculated on the number of entries at the time of the official close of entries. Team packets and competitor numbers will be issued only to teams that have paid their entry fee in full. Entries will not be accepted from schools that have an outstanding balance from previous years.

Late entries After the official close of entries, additional College and Open entries may be accepted, on a limited basis. The entry fee for such late entries is $60 per athlete per event and/or $75 per relay team. This is a required fee, regardless of the number of entries per team.

6. Divisions

In some events, the college competition is conducted in separate Championship and College divisions.

7. Team scoring

Events are scored 10 points for 1st place, 8 for 2nd, 6 for 3rd, 5 for 4th, 4 for 5th, 3 for 6th, 2 for 7th and 1 for 8th. There is separate scoring for each sex. Trophies are awarded to the top four teams for each sex. All events are scored.

In those events with various heats or flights, all competitors are eligible to place and score, with the exception of the 60 dash, 60 hurdles, high jump and pole vault, where only the Championship sections will be scored. In the 200 and 400, an athlete must qualify for the Championship final to score.

Teams are limited to four scorers per event. Open athletes are omitted from the scoring.

8. Open Events

The women’s 800- and 1,500-meter runs and the men’s 1,000 meters and mile will be contested. Participation is by invitation only. In addition, elite-level Open competitors will be accepted in field events only on a limited basis, upon request. The chairman for these events is Mr. Bob Rothenberg, of Exeter, R.I. (ph. 401-294-9946, email arothenberg2@cox.net). To be considered for any of these events and to secure an invitation, contact Mr. Rothenberg no later than 6 p.m. EST Monday, Jan. 21, 2013.

If an Open athlete qualifies for a field-event final, sufficient collegians will be advanced to assure nine college athletes in that final.

9. High school & Junior events

In the high school 4x200 and 4x400, there will be 6 teams per sex. In the 4x800, the fields will be limited to 12 teams.

The Junior boys’ and girls’ 1,000-meter runs will be limited to eight competitors each. The Junior boys’ and girls’ 600-meter runs will be limited to six competitors each, the Junior girls’ 300-meter dash to six competitors and the Junior boys’ weight throw to eight competitors. In the Junior boys’ weight throw, competitors will use the 25-pound implement. These events will be administered under USATF rules. Athletes in these events will not be permitted to wear school uniforms.

The director of these events is Mr. Dan Doherty, of Pearl River, N.Y., ph. 845-596-3625, email dohertyd@optonline.net. Participation in these events is by invitation only.

The lists of accepted teams and individuals will be posted on the Armory website (www.armorytrack.com) no later than Friday morning, Jan. 25, 2013.

10. College events

60 meters and 60-meter hurdles — All 8 lanes will be used in the preliminaries. The dash fields will be limited to 64 men and 64 women in the Championship division, 96 men and 128 women in the College division. The hurdle fields will be limited to 64 men and 64 women in the Championship division, 48 men and 96 women in the College division. Lane assignments in the preliminary round will be random. Heat assignments will be seeded. The fastest 8 finishers in the Championship preliminaries will advance to the Championship final. The next-fastest 8 Championship finishers will advance to the Championship Consolation final. The College finals will consist of the fastest 8 finishers in the College preliminaries. For the purposes of team scoring, only those competitors in the Championship final can score. Athletes who withdraw from finals will not be replaced.

200 meters — All lanes will be used in the College preliminary round and Final. Lanes 3 through 6 only will be used in the Championship preliminaries and Final. Blocks will be permitted throughout. The fastest 12 finishers in the Championship preliminaries will advance to the Championship final, which will be conducted in 3 sections of 4 runners each. Heat I of the final will be comprised of the slowest 4 qualifiers, Heat II the next 4 fastest and Heat III the fastest 4. Final places will be determined by comparing times. The fastest six finishers from the College qualifying heats will advance to the College Final. Only those competitors in the Championship final can score. Assignments and lanes in the heats and finals will be seeded. The fields will be limited to 48 men and 60 women in the Championship division, 72 men and 102 women in the College division. Athletes who withdraw from finals will not be replaced.

400 meters — The fastest 10 finishers in the preliminaries will advance to the Championship final, which will be conducted in 2 sections of 5 runners each. Heat I of the final will be comprised of the slowest 5 qualifiers, Heat II the fastest 5. Final places will be determined by comparing times. Lane 1 will not be used in the Championship finals. Assignments and lanes in the heats and finals will be seeded. The fields will be limited to 40 men and 45 women in the Championship division, 114 men and 126 women in the College division. Blocks will be permitted in the finals, not in the preliminaries. All competitors are eligible for the Championship final. The next-fastest six finishers from the College qualifying heats will advance to the College Final. Only those competitors in the Championship final can score. Athletes who withdraw from finals will not be replaced.

500 meters — Fields will be limited to 82 men and 82 women. Blocks will be permitted in the Championship division. In the Championship division, three sections will be run using a three-turn stagger. In the College division, runners will use a scratch start.

800 meters, 1,000, mile, 3,000, 5,000 — The competition will be conducted using timed sections. Where there are consecutive heats, the fastest runners will run last. The size of the fields will be limited to: 800 – 100 men, 110 women; 1,000 – 40 men, 48 women; mile – 75 women, 73 men; 3,000 – 60 men, 75 women; 5000 – 60 women, 40 men.

2,000-meter steeplechase — The competition will be limited to one section for each sex, with a ceiling of 12 competitors per race. There will be two barriers per lap, but just one for the first and last laps.

4 x 200 — No qualifying times are necessary. A limited number of timed sections will be contested.

4 x 400 — No qualifying times are necessary. Teams from Pennsylvania and New York will be placed in the appropriate state races. If a team from one of those states is among the leading entrants, they will be entered in the Championship division if that is their desire. Two sections of five teams each will run in the Championship division. All remaining 4x4 teams will run in the College races. All teams can score.

4 x 800 — The fields will be limited to 14 men’s teams and 14 women’s.

Distance medley — The fields will be limited to 32 teams per sex. No B relay teams are permitted in any relay event. The championship heats will be limited to 12 teams. Club teams will not be permitted in the Championship division.

Field events — The order of competition will be seeded, with the best entrants competing in the final flight. Finalists will compete in reverse order of their standing after the preliminaries. Nine collegians will advance to each final. All attempts will be measured. Distances will be measured and recorded in meters but will be announced in feet and inches. The limits of the fields are:

11. Check-in

Athletes in running events must check in at the clerks’ table no less than 20 minutes prior to the scheduled start of their event. Hip numbers will be issued at that time. Athletes in field events should check in to the head official of their specific event at the competition site, no less than 20 minutes prior to the scheduled start of their event. Athletes must display their competitor number and wrist band at check-in. It is the prerogative of meet management to scratch a competitor who does not meet these deadlines. No public-address check-in calls will be made. The meet will not be allowed to run more than 5 minutes ahead of schedule.

12. Awards

Trophies are awarded to the top four teams for each sex. These awards will be made on the infield immediately following the final event. Coaches and team members are asked to stay for the ceremonies. Trophies will be awarded to the Outstanding Competitors, one chosen for each sex, in the college competition. The Dr. Philip Edwards Award is presented to the outstanding male competitor, the Evelyn Lawler Award to the outstanding female competitor. The Louise Tricard Spirit Award is presented annually to a school that has shown outstanding enthusiasm for the competition in previous years.

Medals are awarded to all four members of the first three finishers of the High School relay races and to the first three finishers of the individual Juniors events.

13. Passes

College teams will be issued two coaches’ passes per sex. A team with 14 or more competitors, for either sex, will be issued a third coach’s pass upon request, per sex. An additional trainer’s pass will be issued upon request, per sex, if so requested. If additional passes are needed, they may be purchased for one-half of the Adult general-admission price. A team with a single relay team or one or two individuals will receive one coach’s pass. Athletes must be wearing their meet-issued wrist band to be admitted.

For the high school and Junior divisions, one coach’s pass will be issued to each Junior competitor and one coach’s pass will be issued to each high school team per sex. A coach’s pass will be issued to Open competitors so long as a request is made to Mr. Bob Rothenberg, coordinator of the Open division, no later than 10 pm. Thursday, Jan. 31. High school, Junior and Open athletes must be wearing their meet-issued athlete wrist band to be admitted.

Coaches may sit in the stands along the backstretch of the track. Athletes can be in that area for consultation with their coaches but should not use that area as permanent seating.

The northeast corner of the third floor of the Armory is reserved for team training tables. Trainers may not set up in any other area.

Team packets may be picked up at the headquarters hotel, the New York Hilton, 6th Avenue and 53rd Street, on Thursday, Jan. 31, from 2 to 10 p.m., or at the Armory beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 1, and Saturday, Feb. 2.

14. Tickets

Tickets will be available in advance online, and at the gate.

Reserved—$30 per day

General Admission—$20 for Adults, $10 for Students

Student-athletes and coaches may sit in the General Admission sections with the exception of those that are set aside for ticketholders only.

15. Implement weigh-in

Friday, Feb. 1, beginning at 8 a.m. for women and at 1 p.m. for men, and on Saturday, Feb. 2, beginning at 7:30 a.m.

16. Practice

The Armory will be open for practice on Thursday, Jan. 31, from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. The Armory will open at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 1, and Saturday, Feb. 2.

17. Housing

The New York Hilton, located at 53rd Street and 6th Avenue, is the official host hotel. A limited number of rooms have been set aside at the Hilton for participating teams. To arrange housing and to secure the special meet room rates, contact our housing agent, Total Travel, c/o Ellie Dayton or Arnie Ginsberg (516-222-9229, 800-353-5550). These rooms and rates are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

18. Food

It is against Armory policy to bring food or beverages into the building. A full-service concession stand on the fourth floor and the Armory Café on the third floor will be open throughout the meet.