Track & Field Rules and Regulations

Thanks for considering sending a team from your church to the SoFlo Adventist Sports Game. The pointers below will help you to know what you can and cannot do when it comes to entering a group from your church. Please read it carefully as it will help you to avoid making mistakes and potentially letting people down.

If you are having difficulty filling out the form, please contact one of our coordinators. We look forward to seeing you and a group from your church at this year’s events.

Kenton D. O’Connor
SoFlo Executive Director

 

 

SPORTS DAY NOTES FOR PARTICIPANTS

AY Leaders/Coaches must meet at registration by 8:00am so please be sure to arrive early. Be mindful of the event times and be sure to have your athletes in the athlete zone at the designated announcement. Please read the notes on each event before you complete the registration form as this will give you important information about numbers of competitors in each event, the rules of each event, etc.

NOTES HIGHTLIGHTED

Entering on the day: The 4x400m relay and the open mile are the only events which can be entered on the day, but a competitor’s first priority is the event they are registered for. They should therefore only compete in the 4x400m and the mile if their event time permits. All other events, including the 4x100m relay need to be pre-registered before the deadline of 27th of June.

Entrants for one age-range only: Competitors are only allowed to compete in one age range in the event of their choice. It is not possible to register for a junior and senior event, or for more than one age range, as it can give unfair advantage. Time restrictions on the events mean that competitions run concurrently and cannot be delayed for a competitor trying to compete in a different age range or event.

Questions on the day: Any general questions on the day can be directed to the administration team. Please direct your questions to your AY Leader/ Coach and they will relay your question to administration.

POINT-SCORING SYSTEM

Medals are given to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place competitors (apart from the open mile), competitors in 1st – 8th place do earn points towards their church’s overall ranking in the results table.  The position your church receives per event will determine how many points your church will receive for that event. For example, if your church places first in an event, your church will receive 10 points, second place 8 points, third place seven points, etc. Once the points for individual events have been totaled, points are awarded to churches depending on what position they finished in each event.

The overall winner will be the church with the most points gained across all the events. Church placements will be post on our website following the competition – www.sofloadventistsports.org

Awards:

  • Championship Trophy
  • 1st Runner-Up Trophy
  • 2nd Runner-Up Trophy
  • In SoFlo tradition, gold, silver, and bronze medals will be awarded to the top three finishers in each event at the finals.

 

 

GENERAL

One event rule: Due to the nature of sports day and the events running simultaneously, competitors may only take part in one event at time. For example, if you are part of the field team, you cannot also represent your church in athletics as they may be going on at the same time.                                                                                                                                                                Changes sheets:  All changes/withdrawals of competitors/teams should be notified to the admin team at Registration to enable them to update competitor lists. It is important that you fill the changes sheets in correctly so that we can provide coordinators of events with up-to-date lists of competitors to enable them to keep the competition on schedule.                                                                                                                                               ‘No shows’: The SoFlo Adventist Sports organizers, reserve the right to penalize any team who do not notify team changes correctly and/or persistently waste time by failing to arrive promptly for their event. This may mean competitors will lose the chance to take part in their event and they could lose points for their team in the overall competition.

Date for reckoning ages: In order to decide which age range a competitor can compete in, their age should be reckoned as at 31st of May. Leader for each event: We are asking that one person from your group is designated as the ‘leader’ for each event your group is competing in. For instance if you have soccer competitors entered, you must give us the name of the person (this can be a competitor in the event) who should be available to officials throughout the competition. All queries to officials should be directed through this spokesperson.

Wristbands: All spectators and competitors will be expected to wear their colored wrist bands throughout the day as a means of identifying you as part of the event.

These will be sent out to you after the 18th May along with details of the scheduling for the day.

EVENT NOTES ATHLETICS (held at the Athletics track) Please complete the registration form with the name of a leader who will be available to officials during the athletics competition. This can be someone who is competing in the event.

(i)  Each church can enter a MAXIMUM of 2 competitors in each individual event, and a squad of 4-6 in the relays. In the three-legged race a maximum of 2 pairs can be entered.

(ii)  Each competitor may enter a maximum of three events out of the four offered. This must be two track and one field event. (For example: A competitor can enter the 100m and 200m and a choice of either High Jump OR Long Jump.)

(iii) 4x100m RELAY: This event can only be entered on the registration form prior to the event, and not on the day itself. Only one squad per church is allowed in this event.

(iv) 4x400m RELAY: 4x400m relay teams can be entered on the day, and you can enter two teams per church. Listen for the announcement from the Registration Tent around 1pm to register your 4x400m relay team(s).

(v) THE MILE: Anyone can enter the mile on the day. Listen for the PA announcement and report to the athletics track.

(vi) LONG JUMP: No part of your body is allowed to touch the ground between the take-off line and the sand. You must take off from within the lane. You must not walk back through the sand after the jump. The jump is measured from the nearest break in the landing area made by any part of your body.

(vii) HIGH JUMP: You must take off from one foot. You must not touch the ground or landing area beyond the uprights without first clearing the bar. If the bar falls off before you leave the mat it is a failure. You are eliminated after three consecutive failures. All events are subject to slight changes at the Co-coordinator’s discretion to accommodate constraints of time and competitors.

 

USEFUL TIPS FOR SPORTS DAY

Registration for Sports Day is done prior to event day so make sure you arrive early in the event of any changes. While some churches have been participating in sports day for a number of years, others may be attending for the first time. Below are a few ideas of things that may be useful for you to think about as you plan your trip to Joseph C. Carter Park.

CLOTHING & EQUIPMENT: You will need to bring appropriate clothing and footwear for events entered, and any appropriate equipment e.g., track-shorts, proper fitting shirts, towel etc.

EATING ARRANGEMENTS: You are strongly advised NOT to bring any packed lunch and refreshments with you, only water is allowed.

SNACKS and REFRESHMENTS will be ON-SALE to off-set some of our expenses. Joseph C Carter Park is not near any shopping areas. There will be a couple of authorized vendors on site for your convenience.

WEATHER: We are always hopeful for a warm sunny day and would, therefore, advise you to bring sun-block and a hat to put on, and plenty of water to drink. On the other hand we cannot guarantee the good weather and it may be wise to pack something waterproof in the event of rain. Remember that the weather could be different from what you wake up to. Seating for the day is only permitted on the stands, so you may want to think about bringing a blanket, umbrella or small tent. Smoking, alcohol or illegal drug-taking is not permitted.