NATIONAL FEDERATION OF STATE
HIGH SCHOOL ASSOCIATIONS
NEWS RELEASE
High School Track and Field/Cross Country Rules Changes Include School Issued and Approved Uniforms
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Becky Oakes
INDIANAPOLIS, IN (June 30, 2017) — All uniforms worn in high school track and field/cross country must be either issued or approved by the school.
The uniform revision in Rule 4-3-1 was one of the four revisions recommended by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Track and Field Rules Committee at its June 12-14 meeting in Indianapolis. All rules changes were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.
In other changes, a new penalty was added to Rule 6-2-14. Several prohibitions regarding competitors’ actions were included in the rule but had no associated penalty if the rule was not followed, which created confusion for enforcement. The appropriate penalty of disqualification from the event has been added.
The committee also revised Rule 6-5-11, establishing that the nonmetal crossbar in the pole vault shall not be less than 14 feet, 8 inches or more than 14 feet, 10 inches in length. This revision provides consistency in establishing a range for the length of the crossbar in pole vault, similar to high jump.
Language in Rule 8-6-1 (cross country) regarding track and field uniforms was eliminated and replaced with: “Each competitor’s uniform shall meet all requirements and restrictions as presented in Rules 4-3-1 and 4-3-2, Competitor’s Uniform in Track and Field and Cross Country.” The change was made by the committee in order to eliminate duplicate language within the two separate sections.
A complete listing of the track and field rules changes will be available on the NFHS website at
www.nfhs.org. Click on “Activities & Sports” at the top of the home page, and select “track and field.”
According to the 2015-16 NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, there are 591,133 boys participating in outdoor Track and Field at 16,547 schools and 485,969 girls at 16,508 schools.
This press release was written by Marisa Miller, a 2017 summer intern in the NFHS Publications/Communications Department. She is a junior journalism and English major at Butler University.
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About the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS)
The NFHS, based in Indianapolis, Indiana, is the national leadership organization for high school sports and performing arts activities. Since 1920, the NFHS has led the development of education-based interscholastic sports and performing arts activities that help students succeed in their lives. The NFHS sets direction for the future by building awareness and support, improving the participation experience, establishing consistent standards and rules for competition, and helping those who oversee high school sports and activities. The NFHS writes playing rules for 16 sports for boys and girls at the high school level. Through its 50 member state associations and the District of Columbia, the NFHS reaches more than 19,000 high schools and 11 million participants in high school activity programs, including more than 7.7 million in high school sports. As the recognized national authority on interscholastic activity programs, the NFHS conducts national meetings; sanctions interstate events; offers online publications and services for high school coaches and officials; sponsors professional organizations for high school coaches, officials, speech and debate coaches, and music adjudicators; serves as the national source for interscholastic coach training; and serves as a national information resource of interscholastic athletics and activities. For more information, visit the NFHS website at
www.nfhs.org.
MEDIA CONTACTS: Bruce Howard, 317-972-6900
Director of Publications and Communications
National Federation of State High School Associations
Chris Boone, 317-972-6900
Assistant Director of Publications and Communications
National Federation of State High School Associations