HIGH JUMP

As a coordinator or helper in the high jump event, you will take age/groups in a specified order through their jumps, measure and record their efforts, determine final finish places, and report the results to the Awards table.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED -
-High jump cross bar. One is a minimum and two are recommended in case the first is broken or damaged. A round fiberglass bar with Noftziger triangle end pieces is recommended. The triangular steel cross bar is not to be used.
-Two (2) adjustable high jump standards.
-Landing mats. Must include cover if designed to use one.
- A non-stretching measuring tape, at least 6'/2 meters long. Must show metric measure--ments and can be steel or fiberglass.
-Clipboard
-Pen/pencils
-Field Event results forms. You will need at least 16 but bring extras.
-A radio or a runner to maintain contact with the Announcer.
-Extra blank stickers.
-A colored "see-thru" marker. Used to mark stickers as J.V.
-Broom
-Duct tape. Used to cover exposed buckles or clasps on mats.

PREPARING THE AREA-
1. Set up the landing pads and standards at the back of the apron. The standards are to be centered on the pad and are separated by 13'1.5" to 13'3". If the standards are the type which have a ledge for the cross bar (instead of placing the bar on top of the standard), the ledges should be turned so that they face each other. This will allow the bar to fall to the front or back (toward the pit).
   If, when you place the bar on the standards, the standards are further than 13'3" apart, you are probably using a pole vault cross bar.
   Once you have placed the standards and measured them, put the cross bar up on the standards. Turn the bar on each of the three sides of the triangular end (called a Noftziger ring) and observe which placement provides the most even bar that doesn't sag or bow upward. Place a mark on the side of the end piece which faces toward you and place the bar up this way throughout the competition. Use your marker or a piece of tape to mark the end piece.
2. Sweep the apron, paying particular attention to the areas where the athletes run up to the bar and where they plant for the jump. Be sure to consider both right and left side approaches. Sweeping the apron of loose matter prevents slipping, particularly for the Bantams or others who do not wear spikes.
3. Check the buckles and straps on the landing mats to make sure nothing is exposed that will cut or scrape the athletes. Duct tape can be used to cover anything that needs it.
4. Set up your clip board for the first group by filling out an Event Results form and assigning your helpers to each side of the pit, adjacent to the standards, to replace the bar when knocked down.

RUNNING THE EVENT-
1. All field events begin at 8:30am. The order of competition at the high jump is Bantam Girls, Bantam Boys, Midget Girls, Midget Boys, Youth Girls, Youth Boys, Intermediate Girls and Intermediate Boys. THIS ORDER ASSUMES A ONE PIT FACILITY. If your club uses two pits, you will probably compete Girls at one pit and Boys at the other, but you should check with the Meet director or Referee before the meet.
   If you do use two pits, the preferred order is BG, MG, YG, IG at the Girls pit and BB, MB, YB, and IB at the boys pit.
   Depending on the number of competitors, the judge can combine boys and girls but usually does not combine age groups. Particular attention should be paid to the correct starting height if groups are combined.
2. In dual meet and J.V. finals, the following starting heights are used (heights shown in meters):

AGE GROUP	GIRLS	BOYS
BANTAM	1.10 m	1.15 m
MIDGET	1.20 m	1.30 m
JUNIOR	1.35 m	1.50 m

At varsity finals, the starting height is five(5) cm below varsity standard for that age/group - OR - five(5) cm lower than the lowest petitioned entry whichever is lower.
3. When initially setting the cross bar and, at any new height, the bar should be placed on the standards and measured/remeasured with the measuring tape. The marks on the standards should be used only as a guideline. Measurements are taken from the apron to the lowest point of the top of the bar in a perpendicular line.
4. Athletes should report on third call to the event already warmed up and stretched. Warm up jumps slow this event and should be minimized. Rules allow for two warm up jumps.
5. The order in which the athletes jump is determined by the judge. Generally, this is the order in which they sign-in for the event. All jumpers in an age group may compete as one large group but results must be maintained separately as flights.
6. A competitor may attempt to clear the bar in any manner provided he/she jumps from one foot and, provided no weight or artificial aids are used.
7. The cross bar is moved up in five (5) centimeter increments until there are four or less athletes remaining. The bar is then moved up in two (2) cm increments until only one competitor remains. When only one jumper is left, the bar may be raised in any increment desired by the jumper but not less than one(1) centimeter.
8. An athlete is eliminated from competition upon the third consecutive miss (failure to clear a height or a foul).
   An athlete can pass to a greater height even after a miss at a lower height and the passing does NOT constitute a miss. However, after the third consecutive miss at any height(s), the competitor is eliminated.
   The judge keeps track of the result of all trials at all heights, recording both successes and failures since the number of failures may be used to break ties.
9. A jumper has two (2) minutes to complete his/her jump after their name is called. Failure to complete the jump within the 2 minutes constitutes a miss.
   The judge should use common sense when applying the two minute rule and attempt to steady and encourage the jumper, especially with the younger age groups and early in the season. An element of discipline does need to be maintained in order to keep the competition moving.
   An athlete may request to remeasure his/her steps at any time provided they are not stalling.
   If a jumper, in making an abortive attempt, breaks the vertical plane of the bar either under the bar or the bar extended to either side of the standards with any part of their body, it shall be counted as a miss.
   If a jumper leaves the ground in an abortive attempt, it shall count as a miss.
10. The high jump takes precedence over all other field events, but running events take precedence over the high jump.
   The High Jump Judge should try to hold all high jumpers at the pit until third call for a running event. The judge should then release the athlete to check in at staging and, if the wait at staging is lengthy, return to the high jump for competition until needed back at the running event. Often, a team mate can be used to hold the athlete's place in staging until necessary. This will reduce the delay in raising the bar until the athlete returns. Ideally, the bar should never have to stay at a height more than five (5) minutes waiting for a competitor.
11. Athletes must "check out" with the High Jump Judge before going to a running event. The remaining competitors may then complete their jumps at the current bar height. Competition must then stop and allow the excused competitor(s) five (5) minutes to recuperate after the completion of their running event.
   If an excused athlete returns late and after the bar has been raised, he/she can continue at the increased height as if the current height had been "passed". No miss will be charged, but the athlete is still subject to the three miss elimination rule.
   To accommodate late returning athletes and allow competition to continue for those jumpers who do not leave for another event, league rules now permit lowering the bar. The jumper who returns late (i.e., after the bar has been raised) can elect to join the competition in progress as indicated above -OR - may elect to wait until the bar has been lowered to resume at the height he/she was at when checked out. The officials are not required to lower the bar until the competition for the present age group has been otherwise concluded. The bar should be lowered only once. It should be lowered to the minimum height of all of those who properly checked out, raised in the 5cm required increments, and the results integrated with all jumpers for the age/group. Jumpers must re-enter the competition at the height they checked out at or higher. The three consecutive miss rule still applies, whether the misses were made prior to checking out, after their return, or both. The bar may not be lowered a second time, regardless of the reason. No new jumpers may join the competition when the bar is lowered; they must have been entered at the start of the event AND checked out with the judge.
12. Ties between competitors are broken according to the following rules:
   1) The competitor with the lowest number of trials at the greatest height cleared is the winner.
   2) If still tied, the competitor with the lowest total number of misses at all heights is the winner.
   3) If still tied, the competitor with the lowest number of trials at all heights wins. Passes do not count as trials.
   4) If still tied, the competition is declared to be a tie, EXCEPT if it is for first place. First place ties are resolved as follows: Each competitor gets one (1) more trial at the height they failed at, then the bar is lowered by one (1) inch increments until a single competitor remains. If more than one clears the height, the bar is then raised in one (1) inch increments until one competitor remains. This process continues until a winner is determined since first place ties MUST be resolved.

TIPS -
- When measuring, use a stiff bladed measuring tape placing the tip on the apron and the extended tape blade behind the bar. With your eye level with the bar, read across the bar to the tape. Make sure the tape is perpendicular to the ground.
- After the last competitor in the current age/group has completed his/her jumps and before you begin the determination of the finish places, ask for third call on the next group.
- Before the competition arrives, make out a varsity AND a junior varsity Event Results Sheet even if no jumpers enter one of the classes. The Awards table keeps track of which events have been ribboned and sending a sheet marked "NO ENTRIES" will help them reduce confusion.
- No matter how the jumpers were combined for the competition, make sure the Event results Sheets you send to Awards contain only one age/group class on a form. For example, don't mix the BG varsity and J.V. on one sheet.
- Before the meet begins, mark the ground and bar at the points you will make the measure-ments. This will help give consistent perpendicular measure-ments. Since bars can be slightly bent during the competition, a check for the lowest point should always be made prior to any measurements that will be recorded. The marks can be made by the "see-thru" marker or by a small piece of tape, whichever works best on the surfaces of the bar and apron.