HISTORY
· It was the Greeks during the Golden Age who developed the pattern for the modern events. They held many different track
and field games but the most famous were the Olympic Festivals.
· They began 776 B.C. and continued to be held every four (4) years until A.D. 394.
· The modern Olympic games were revived 1898 at Athens.
· Modern track and field traces its origins to the Olympic games of ancient Greece.
· While the rules of the 20th century competition are quite different from those of ancient times, the spirit of the sport remains true to
its early Greet roots.
· The modern Olympic motto citius, altius, fortius (faster, higher, stronger) best captures track and field competition.
Each event determines who can run the fastest, who can jump the highest or the longest, or who can throw the farthest.
· The metric system is used to measure track and field’s many distances and heights (The United States and Britain English system of
inches, feet, yards, and miles ended only in 1976). One meter is about 3 feet 3 inches or about 39 inches.
TRACK AND FIELD VENUES
· Indoor 200 meter (218 yards) These tracks are shorter and have banked turns that allow runners to reach top speed without running off the track
· Outdoor 400 meter (437 yards) Most tracks have eight lanes and all races go in a counter clockwise direction
OFFICIALS
· In top level track and field a team of impartial officials supervises events.
· Officials assign athletes to compete in the proper order or proper lane.
· They make sure athletes stay in their designated lanes during the race
· They also start races to ensure that no illegal conduct occurs and time and judge the finish.
· In the field events, officials measure each athlete’s efforts and watch closely for fouls.
TIMING AND MEASURE · Timing and measurements are crucial to track and field.
· During some competition only a few hundredths of a second or a few centimeters separate first, second, and third place finishers.
(tape measure, stop watch, videotapes, and photo finishes)
RUNNING EVENTS
· Running events are competitions that test athletes quickness, speed, and endurance.
· Athletes win running meets by completing the distance or cause in the least amount of time.
· Sprints Indoors - 50 meter, 60 meter, 200 meter, 400 meter
Outdoors – 100 meter, 200 meter, 400 meter
· Middle Distances Indoor or Outdoor any race between 400 to 1500 meters
· Long Distances Indoors 2 miles, 3000 meter, 5000 meter races
Outdoor 3000 meter, 3000 meter steeplechase men
5000 meter, 10,000 meter, and marathon
· Steeplechase participants run a set distance and jump several hurdles as well as a water jump
· Relays Teams consist of four members.
JUMPING EVENTS
· Long jump Each participant sprints to a line, jumps and lands in a sand pit
· Triple Jump Run hop skip jump is the pattern
· High Jump Jump using only your feet over a bar
· Pole Vaulting Using a pole, a participant vaults themself over a bar
THROWING EVENTS
· Shot put a field event in which contestants attempt to throw a shot as far as possible (solid metal ball five inches
in diameter high school 12 pound.
· Discus a field event in which a disk usually wood with a metal rim about eight inches in diameter weighing four and half
pounds is thrown
· Hammer field event in which the hammer is thrown for distance standing in a seven feet circle grasping the grip in the both hands.
· Javelin a metal-tipped wooden or metal speak eight and half to nine feet in length used in the javelin throw
· Decathlon Only open to men who compete in 10 events. Long jump, high jump, discuss, shot put, javelin, pole vault, 100-meter sprint,
110 meter hurdles, 400 meter and 1500 meter race
· Heptathlon Only open to women who compete in 7 events. Long jump, high jump, shot put, javelin, 100, 200 and 400 sprints
VOCABULARY
Sprint - a race run at top speed from beginning to end (also called dash)
Ex. 50, 60, 100, 220, 300, 400, 500 meter
Splits - the recorded times of a distance runner at various intervals as at
Every eight of a mile in a race
Spikes - the sharp metal place or nail-like projection fixed to the sole of a
Shoe for traction
Relay - a race between two or more teams in which each team member runs only a set part of the race (called a leg) and
then is relieved by another member of the team
Record - the best performance known; also in information or data that is collected concerning an individual, team, league, country
Pit - the landing area for such events as the long jump, triple, and high jump and pole vault
Hurdles - a race in which a series of hurdles must be jumped
low - a race over hurdles 30 inches / outdoors 200 meters
10 hurdles (220 yards 10 hurdles)
intermediate race over hurdles that are 36 inches in height
high - a race over hurdles (high school 39 inches high 42 inches college, international)
Indoor 50 yard, 4 hurdles
60 yards, 5 hurdles
outdoor 120 yards / 110 meters, ten hurdles
400 meters (ten hurdles)
Terms
Baton - hollow stick of wood metal or plastic approximately 12 inches in length that is carried by each runner in a relay race.
baton is passed to the runner who is next for the team.
Amateur - an athlete who has never competed for money
Anchor - the last runner on a relay team
Course - path of the runner
Dead Heat - a race in which two or more runners cross the finish line at exactly the same moment
False start - an area width of one lane 22 yards long, used in relay races. The Baton must be passed from one runner to a teammate
while they are in this zone. Also called the “passing zone”
Finish Line - a line drawn on the track, the edge nearest the runner marking the legal completion of the distance raced
Lane - the path marked on the track for a race or that part of a race during which a runner must stay in a prescribed path
Lap - one complete circuit of the track
Leg of relay - the distance over which one member of a relay team must run
Scratch line - curved or straight line behind which throws must be made
Sector lines - boundary lines within which a throw must land to be a fair throw
Starting block - a device against which runners may place their feet in order to get a faster start at the beginning of a race
Staggered start - the start of a race in which runners do not start on a straight line. Used in races run around a curve up to and including
800 meters
Straightaway - straight area of the track between one curve and the next
· It was the Greeks during the Golden Age who developed the pattern for the modern events. They held many different track
and field games but the most famous were the Olympic Festivals.
· They began 776 B.C. and continued to be held every four (4) years until A.D. 394.
· The modern Olympic games were revived 1898 at Athens.
· Modern track and field traces its origins to the Olympic games of ancient Greece.
· While the rules of the 20th century competition are quite different from those of ancient times, the spirit of the sport remains true to
its early Greet roots.
· The modern Olympic motto citius, altius, fortius (faster, higher, stronger) best captures track and field competition.
Each event determines who can run the fastest, who can jump the highest or the longest, or who can throw the farthest.
· The metric system is used to measure track and field’s many distances and heights (The United States and Britain English system of
inches, feet, yards, and miles ended only in 1976). One meter is about 3 feet 3 inches or about 39 inches.
TRACK AND FIELD VENUES
· Indoor 200 meter (218 yards) These tracks are shorter and have banked turns that allow runners to reach top speed without running off the track
· Outdoor 400 meter (437 yards) Most tracks have eight lanes and all races go in a counter clockwise direction
OFFICIALS
· In top level track and field a team of impartial officials supervises events.
· Officials assign athletes to compete in the proper order or proper lane.
· They make sure athletes stay in their designated lanes during the race
· They also start races to ensure that no illegal conduct occurs and time and judge the finish.
· In the field events, officials measure each athlete’s efforts and watch closely for fouls.
TIMING AND MEASURE · Timing and measurements are crucial to track and field.
· During some competition only a few hundredths of a second or a few centimeters separate first, second, and third place finishers.
(tape measure, stop watch, videotapes, and photo finishes)
RUNNING EVENTS
· Running events are competitions that test athletes quickness, speed, and endurance.
· Athletes win running meets by completing the distance or cause in the least amount of time.
· Sprints Indoors - 50 meter, 60 meter, 200 meter, 400 meter
Outdoors – 100 meter, 200 meter, 400 meter
· Middle Distances Indoor or Outdoor any race between 400 to 1500 meters
· Long Distances Indoors 2 miles, 3000 meter, 5000 meter races
Outdoor 3000 meter, 3000 meter steeplechase men
5000 meter, 10,000 meter, and marathon
· Steeplechase participants run a set distance and jump several hurdles as well as a water jump
· Relays Teams consist of four members.
JUMPING EVENTS
· Long jump Each participant sprints to a line, jumps and lands in a sand pit
· Triple Jump Run hop skip jump is the pattern
· High Jump Jump using only your feet over a bar
· Pole Vaulting Using a pole, a participant vaults themself over a bar
THROWING EVENTS
· Shot put a field event in which contestants attempt to throw a shot as far as possible (solid metal ball five inches
in diameter high school 12 pound.
· Discus a field event in which a disk usually wood with a metal rim about eight inches in diameter weighing four and half
pounds is thrown
· Hammer field event in which the hammer is thrown for distance standing in a seven feet circle grasping the grip in the both hands.
· Javelin a metal-tipped wooden or metal speak eight and half to nine feet in length used in the javelin throw
· Decathlon Only open to men who compete in 10 events. Long jump, high jump, discuss, shot put, javelin, pole vault, 100-meter sprint,
110 meter hurdles, 400 meter and 1500 meter race
· Heptathlon Only open to women who compete in 7 events. Long jump, high jump, shot put, javelin, 100, 200 and 400 sprints
VOCABULARY
Sprint - a race run at top speed from beginning to end (also called dash)
Ex. 50, 60, 100, 220, 300, 400, 500 meter
Splits - the recorded times of a distance runner at various intervals as at
Every eight of a mile in a race
Spikes - the sharp metal place or nail-like projection fixed to the sole of a
Shoe for traction
Relay - a race between two or more teams in which each team member runs only a set part of the race (called a leg) and
then is relieved by another member of the team
Record - the best performance known; also in information or data that is collected concerning an individual, team, league, country
Pit - the landing area for such events as the long jump, triple, and high jump and pole vault
Hurdles - a race in which a series of hurdles must be jumped
low - a race over hurdles 30 inches / outdoors 200 meters
10 hurdles (220 yards 10 hurdles)
intermediate race over hurdles that are 36 inches in height
high - a race over hurdles (high school 39 inches high 42 inches college, international)
Indoor 50 yard, 4 hurdles
60 yards, 5 hurdles
outdoor 120 yards / 110 meters, ten hurdles
400 meters (ten hurdles)
Terms
Baton - hollow stick of wood metal or plastic approximately 12 inches in length that is carried by each runner in a relay race.
baton is passed to the runner who is next for the team.
Amateur - an athlete who has never competed for money
Anchor - the last runner on a relay team
Course - path of the runner
Dead Heat - a race in which two or more runners cross the finish line at exactly the same moment
False start - an area width of one lane 22 yards long, used in relay races. The Baton must be passed from one runner to a teammate
while they are in this zone. Also called the “passing zone”
Finish Line - a line drawn on the track, the edge nearest the runner marking the legal completion of the distance raced
Lane - the path marked on the track for a race or that part of a race during which a runner must stay in a prescribed path
Lap - one complete circuit of the track
Leg of relay - the distance over which one member of a relay team must run
Scratch line - curved or straight line behind which throws must be made
Sector lines - boundary lines within which a throw must land to be a fair throw
Starting block - a device against which runners may place their feet in order to get a faster start at the beginning of a race
Staggered start - the start of a race in which runners do not start on a straight line. Used in races run around a curve up to and including
800 meters
Straightaway - straight area of the track between one curve and the next