As the state track and field meet draws near, what's likely running through your head coach's head?
Disclaimer: I'm not a head track and field coach, so take what follows with a grain of salt.
There's one weekend of track and field qualifying remaining. You can't accomplish everything in one weekend, but if you strategize carefully, you can accomplish a lot. Whether you're a parent, a fan, an athlete, or maybe even an assistant coach, here's a rather lengthy glimpse into what may be going on inside your head coach's head from now until entries are done for the league meet.
1. Is anyone posting heat sheets for this weekend? Perhaps I can sneak a clue about what events other coaches are abandoning by looking at heat sheets for the weekend! (Sidebar: I'm going to guess that heat sheets will be late arriving this weekend. Most will eventually arrive, but not with much advance notice.)
2. Technical events--how do I keep athletes who need a better mark from self-destructing? In events like the pole vault, high jump, and discus, it's really easy for athletes to try too hard. These events are a whole lot more about hitting your progressions that about gritting your teeth and trying harder. Trouble is, gritting your teeth and "trying harder" is what most of us humans naturally do under these circumstances.
3. What place in the rankings is safe? Suppose I have a boy sitting at #13 in the 400. Do I race him in the 400 this weekend, or do I let him rest up a little? Conceivably, a #13 could score at State if well rested, but it's also entirely possible a #13 going into this week gets bumped this weekend. It's time for nerves of steel with respect to making decisions.
4. Relay or individual event for [name the athlete]? If you're thinking a 400 or distance type really doesn't have a great shot of making it to State, or scoring if he/she gets there, you may be looking long and hard at throwing the kitchen sink at the 4x800 this weekend. Similarly for a sprinter or two and the 4x100, 4x200, or 4x400. Typically, it's difficult to squeeze much more out of the 4x100 and 4x200 on the final weekend than you've already gotten out of those relays, but the 4x400s and 4x800s do tend to show some serious time drops on the final weekend of qualifying. You tend to save the open 400s, 800s, 1600s, and 3200s for kids who are right on the cusp of qualifying/scoring, and/or kids who aren't bottom-line crucial to your 4x400 or 4x800 relay picture.
5. Relay alternates. Do I honor the contributions of a senior who's been around and working for four years or do I go with the freshman who I want to absorb the state meet experience and bank it away for coming years? The truth of the matter is that most coaches hold out hope the athletes in question make this decision lot easier by pulling out a big performance this weekend and qualifying as an individual.
6. What events in our classification are likely to see the most scratches this weekend when coaches have to declare state meet athletes? As a rule, you almost never see a scratch in any of the following events: 1600, relays, high jump, pole vault, shot put, and discus. Let's discuss each of those for a moment. In the 1600, it's the last and most prestigious distance event. There's nothing left to save up for after the 1600. Everyone wants to run the 1600. Pretty much nobody scratches; if you're not in the top 18, you're not going to see the starting line at State. Relays. Schools typically don't scratch relays even if they know they're not going to be especially competitive. It's a state meet experience for four kids, and no coach wants to throw that away, regardless of whether or not the school can fully load all their qualified relays. With the high jump and pole vault, you get a lot of athletes who do one event and one event only (or at least they're only a threat to qualify for State in only one event). In that case, there is absolutely no reason to scratch. You show up, jump or vault, and hope for the best. It's similar with the shot put and discus, except now that you are dealing with folks who are typically proficient in two events. But, two throwing events at State can easily be handled by most athletes. Throwers don't scratch, unless you're talking about the case of an exceptional athlete--a decathlon type of individual--who might be qualified in five or six events. Historically, the highest-scratching events tend to be the 100, 200, and 3200. There are plenty of relays for sprint types and a lot of sprinters have a lot better shot of putting up points at State as part of a relay than as individuals. Hence, you will typically see some 100 and 200 scratches. The 3200 is the one distance event that even a lot of distance runners don't really like to run. And, it's early in the state meet, meaning you'll carry those eight laps on your legs for the entire rest of the meet. With those considerations in mind, a relatively high number of coaches and athletes opt out of the 3200.
7. Technical events versus high-burn events. Coaches tend to want their technical event athletes competing this weekend. The more reps the better. Coaches tend to be a lot more judicious with their distance and 300 hurdle kids on the last weekend of qualifying. You can burn up a whole lot of energy this weekend and find you don't have much left for next weekend if you aren't careful.
8. Injuries. Do I declare an injured athlete for State or not? Does it make sense to try to work an injured athlete back into an event or two this weekend, or does it make more sense to wait another week and go into State with a big question mark? What will other coaches do with their injured athletes? Who has been missing the last several weeks of the season and what does it mean?