4 divisions for track?

3

305NoTomato

Well-known member
I apologize for repeating this topic. But when do we think we will see 4 divisions in track? If this has been updated recently, please direct me to the proper thread.

I am growing frustrated with the 3 division setup, given the participation numbers in track being as high as they are.
 
 
Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but the general sentiment I've heard recently is it is dead in the water again.
 
3 is fine. Track is basically a individual sport except relays and then you only need 4. I know the points... but basically one athlete can win state for the team.
Top level athletes will get a medal at state no matter how many divisions, you can not say that about team sports.
 
Do you make state a three-day event, with semifinals on the first two days for all four divisions (actually eight, since its boys and girls), or just start earlier and end later under the lights on both days? And if you go three days, is it Thursday through Saturday, or Friday through Sunday?
Also, if you go four divisions, do you still take the 18 qualifiers for each event (top 4 from each regional, plus 2 at-large bids statewide) and nine to the finals, or go 16 qualifiers per event and only eight to finals?
Then there's the money aspect. Sure, the OHSAA could hope to get more money (tickets, merchandise, etc.), but they'd also have to pay for more officials and buy more medals — eight medals for each of the 13 individual events, plus 32 medals for each of the four relays, and all that times two because you'd add a division for both boys and girls.
 
I have heard that there is still some momentum. We should keep pushing. Track is the sport with the most athletes participating for girls, the second most for boys, as well as the most total athletes. A fourth division is easily warranted. Several people, as well as the coaches association, have proposed workable schedules. The state meet is already a money maker, adding a division, with all the extra fans, would most likely increase that.
 
How many schools have fewer than 9 athletes on their track & field team and thus are not counted by the OHSAA as having a team. In 2015 Warren JFK had only 7 boys on their team yet won the Division III track & field title.
 
gneiss rocks said:
3 is fine. Track is basically a individual sport except relays and then you only need 4. I know the points... but basically one athlete can win state for the team.
Top level athletes will get a medal at state no matter how many divisions, you can not say that about team sports.
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So you'd be in favor of not having any divisions? Just let all individuals fight it out? There's a TON of DI athletes that didn't make it out of Regionals but would have won Regionals at DIII sites. So YES, there is a need to break up DI into another Division.
 
NWO XCTF said:
So you'd be in favor of not having any divisions? Just let all individuals fight it out? There's a TON of DI athletes that didn't make it out of Regionals but would have won Regionals at DIII sites. So YES, there is a need to break up DI into another Division.
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No, I said 3 is fine, due to team relays and some team competition. I would be for making it top heavy also, top 100 enrolment next 300, then the rest... something like that
 
gneiss rocks said:
3 is fine. Track is basically a individual sport except relays and then you only need 4. I know the points... but basically one athlete can win state for the team.
Top level athletes will get a medal at state no matter how many divisions, you can not say that about team sports.
Click to expand...
I actually agree with this to an extent; if you look at the combined results on Milesplit D2 girls would have won the 100, 200, 800, 1600, shot, discus, long jump, and a D3 girl would have won the pole vault. That’s almost every individual event…

BUT…where you need divisions isn’t for the team points, it’s for the relays. A D2 or D3 school can have a star individual athlete, but to expect them to have 4 per event to compete with D1 schools is not realistic.
 
FossyWriter8 said:
Do you make state a three-day event, with semifinals on the first two days for all four divisions (actually eight, since its boys and girls), or just start earlier and end later under the lights on both days? And if you go three days, is it Thursday through Saturday, or Friday through Sunday?
Also, if you go four divisions, do you still take the 18 qualifiers for each event (top 4 from each regional, plus 2 at-large bids statewide) and nine to the finals, or go 16 qualifiers per event and only eight to finals?
Then there's the money aspect. Sure, the OHSAA could hope to get more money (tickets, merchandise, etc.), but they'd also have to pay for more officials and buy more medals — eight medals for each of the 13 individual events, plus 32 medals for each of the four relays, and all that times two because you'd add a division for both boys and girls.
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I don't think logistics should play into a decision. You have many high-ups with logistical backgrounds that could make this thing work. I'm sure the coaches association has tried several times with a doable schedule. Doesn't wrestling finish on Sunday? How was the feedback from that? Perhaps rotate 1 division every 4 years to finish on Sunday? Just throwing some spaghetti at the wall here...?

2023 - D1 Sunday
2024 - D2 Sunday
2025 - D3 Sunday
2026 - D4 Sunday

The fact that someone's grandkid or family member is a "state qualifier" would have droves of people migrating to Columbus. I know I certainly would be buying all session passes and booking my hotel immediately for my family and friends' kids.
 
gneiss rocks said:
No, I said 3 is fine, due to team relays and some team competition. I would be for making it top heavy also, top 100 enrolment next 300, then the rest... something like that
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I agree. Make the Division I a smaller # of schools with much higher enrollments. Too much disparity between lower D1s and the upper D1s. Enlarge both D2 & D3.
 
JAVMAN83 said:
I agree. Make the Division I a smaller # of schools with much higher enrollments. Too much disparity between lower D1s and the upper D1s. Enlarge both D2 & D3.
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This is the exact reason why there should be 4 divisions. Essentially, D1 creates the new D1 and D2. The old D2 now becomes D3 and the old D3 now becomes D4.

But what you two are saying is to create even bigger divisions in division 2 and division 3, which would be cutting one end of the blanket off and sewing it on the other.
 
Ideally, if we go to 4 divisions, it should be …. DI- top 10%, DII- next 30%, DIII- next 30%, and DIV- smallest 30%. Essentially, this would keep the smallest 2 divisions the same because of the schools that don’t field 9 athletes at districts. Keep in mind, there are at about 100 schools that may have 9+ kids, but do not enter 9 at district. Many are presently DI schools. The process should maybe start by changing the number to count as a team from 9 to 4 or use a roster count instead of district entries….or both
 
All surrounding States high school athletic associations count a school as having a team as one athlete can score and the team has a team score.
 
runs4funs said:
I actually agree with this to an extent; if you look at the combined results on Milesplit D2 girls would have won the 100, 200, 800, 1600, shot, discus, long jump, and a D3 girl would have won the pole vault. That’s almost every individual event…

BUT…where you need divisions isn’t for the team points, it’s for the relays. A D2 or D3 school can have a star individual athlete, but to expect them to have 4 per event to compete with D1 schools is not realistic.
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Agree, Jack Knapke from Marion Local placed 6th in the discus in D - 3 , with a throw of 168 ft. that would have won D - 1. Sam Hoelscher from ML (2nd place finish - girls) ran a 43.72 in the D 3 300 hurdles which would have won D 2 and finished 2nd in D 1. Big difference is in relays and sprints ( boys ).
 
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305NoTomato said:
I apologize for repeating this topic. But when do we think we will see 4 divisions in track? If this has been updated recently, please direct me to the proper thread.

I am growing frustrated with the 3 division setup, given the participation numbers in track being as high as they are.
Click to expand...
You do realize if D3 Norwayne was in D1 they would have won D1 boys state championship.
 
JAVMAN83 said:
I agree. Make the Division I a smaller # of schools with much higher enrollments. Too much disparity between lower D1s and the upper D1s. Enlarge both D2 &
runohio said:
All surrounding States high school athletic associations count a school as having a team as one athlete can score and the team has a team score.
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has this been brought up to the coaches association or OHSAA. That in itself would change the landscape significantly. Curious how in a basketball you can have a team with fewer people than a track team. Rare I know, but odd still.
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Nosono said:
This is a colossally bad take. In one year, one school has a pair of brothers that are throwing prodigies. There will always be outlying situations like this, but it is hardly justification to keep the setup as it currently is.
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I agree. The two brothers would have scored 36 points in DI (2022) in a year where there was no dominant team with the winning total 31. To get a more realistic look, let's go back ten years to see the winning totals in DI beginning with 2012: 48, 62, 40, 52, 52, 36, 58, 87, no meet, 43
 
Supertramp said:
Agreed. What’s the explanation for this?
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Isn't one that I have heard of. 3 people have told me roughly the same thing, but who knows. The people that typically organize it from OATCCC/Ohio were sort of forced out and the ball was dropped and nothing was done for Ohio. No Sign ups at the state meet like they usually do. Ohio will not be participating as far as I know. This is a case of I hope I'm wrong and will be glad if I am.
JAVMAN83 said:
I'm sorry, but what happened?
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Ohio is not participating.

No Ohio Entries!!! My 110H probably would have liked to go.

I did not know we did not go last year. Am I mistaken and we are going this year and it was last year I was told about or are we just not going anymore?
 
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I heard a higher up at OHSAA at the regional meet say the 4 divisions is not going to happen. He said there is good points they are making to have 4 but it is not happening.
 
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