Following each competition, all teams should complete the meet report above.
NJSIAA Season Dates:
- March 9 – First practice
- March 16 – Competition may begin
- May 28 – NJSIAA Unified Track & Field Championship Meet @ Franklin High School, Somerset. This meet is divisioned by group.
NJSIAA Post-Season
- Teams must compete in and report three regular-season meets by May 18 to be eligible for the post season.
- Post-season roster may contain up to 9 athletes (students with IDD) and 9 Unified Partners. There should be similar numbers of athletes and Unified partners.
- Rosters may also include up to two alternates.
- The only Championship Meet roster changes eligible after May 19 will be to replace a competitor with an appropriately-registered alternate.
- Post-Season Event Requirements
General Information
- Teams should be coed and may consist of 6-20 participants, with approximately half the participants having intellectual disabilities (athletes) and half not having intellectual disabilities (Unified partners). A 1:1 ration is ideal.
- NJSIAA Events: 100M, 200M, 400M, Shot put (6-pound), Long Jump, 4x100M Relay, 4x400M Relay
- Relays consist of 2 athletes and 2 Unified partners in any order
- We encourage you to work with your athletic directors and county coaches association to include Unified Track & Field in County Championship opportunities
- NJSIAA Unified Track & Field is a strenuous sport. Participants may not participate in any other in-season NJSIAA sport except for Golf.
- Teams participating in the NJSIAA post-season may not have participants who compete in any other NJSIAA Spring sport with the exception of Golf.
Official Rules
All track and field events will follow National Federation of State High School Association rules, except where there are rules modifications set forth in the Official Special Olympics rules for track and field.
Highlighted track event rules appearing in the Special Olympics rule book include:
- A runner who is charged with two false starts in the same race will be disqualified from that race
- All runners should run within their lanes. However, if a runner runs outside of his/her lane in the straight or runs outside the outer land on the bend, with no material advantage being gained, and if no other runner is obstructed, the competitor should not be disqualified.
Highlighted field event rules appearing in the Special Olympics rule book:
- All distances must be marked using feet and inches
- In the shot put and running log jump events, each athlete shall be allowed four non-consecutive attempts. All four legal attempts shall be measured and recorded for breaking ties. The longest measurement of the four attempts shall be used for scoring.
- Shot Put: all competitors will use a 6-pound shot put
- Long Jump: A competitor must be able to jump at least 1 meter, which is usually the minimum distance between the take-off board and sand pit, to participate in this event. All competitors will jump from the same 1-meter takeoff point.
Uniforms
- It is expected that Unified Sports teams will wear the same or similar uniforms – with the addition of a Unified logo – as other student-athletes who are participating on the high school track and field team
Regular Season Events & Entry Requirements
- Participants may enter up to four events (any combination of track, field, and relays) in the regular season.
- Unified Track & Field teams are not required to enter participants in every event
- Unified Track & Field teams may enter a maximum of five participants in each individual event during regular season dual meets
- Relay teams must consist of two athlete runners (with disabilities) and two Unified partner runners (without disabilities). Coach may place runners in any otder.
- A Unified Track & Field team may enter a maximum of two 4×100 meter relay teams and two 4×400 meter relay teams during the regular season
Rule Modifications
Participants Using Wheelchairs
- Students using manual wheelchairs or power wheelchairs are eligible to participate and should always be divisioned by time, like all other Unified Track & Field participants.
- Students must propel their own chairs. No one may push them or operate the power controls on their behalf.
- All points earned by a student using either a manual or power wheelchair will count toward the team’s point total.
- A competitor using a wheelchair finishes the race when all front wheels of the wheelchair reach the finish line.
- A competitor using a wheelchair should be assigned two lanes, preferably on the inside
- For Track Events:
- Manual wheelchairs: Participants may compete in the same heat against students with and without disabilities.
- Power wheelchairs: Participants compete in a division which is only composed of power wheelchair competitors. Because the chair is propelled by the engine and not a person, the type of competition is different. If there is only one competitor in a division, he/she tries to exceed their personal best for the season. If successful, he/she receives the point total for 1st place or 5 points. If not, he/she receives the point total for 2nd place or 3 points.
- Lane assignments: Assign two lanes for a wheelchair competitor during a race, preferably an inside lane.
- Relays: Only participants using a manual wheelchair are eligible to be selected as a possible member of the 4×100 or 4×400 meter relays.
- For Field Events:
- Manual and power wheelchair participants compete against students with and without disabilities
Participants with Visual Impairments
- Participants with visual impairments (defined as blind or with severely restricted vision) may use a guide runner to assist them. The guide runner is given one adjoining lane.
- Another acceptable option is for the participant to use a guide rope held by volunteers with a relay baton attached to it. The runner grabs the baton and slides it along the rope while running or walking during the race.
Participants with Hearing Impairments
- The competitor should be placed in the lane closest to the positioning of the official starter.
- An assistant standing next to the starter should drop a brightly colored (red or yellow) flag/cloth when the gun sounds.
- Another allowable option is to have the assistant stand behind the competitor with the hearing impairment and tap him/her on the shoulder when the gun sounds.