USATF Montana Association
Track & Field State Championships
June 8-10, 2006

The USATF Montana Association gears up for another exciting outdoor track & field season with the 2006 USATF Track & Field State Championships returning to Bozeman on June 8-10 at Montana State University.

Hosted by the Bozeman Track Club, the state championships will be held on the Bobcat track & field complex of Montana State University, site of the 2003 Big Sky Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The venue is practically brand and was the site of the 2004 USATF Montana Association State Track & Field Meet. It has the latest all-weather track surface, metal curb, steeplechase facilities and a fast track for the "record breakers"!

Due to difficulties in Missoula with recruiting the needed officials and volunteers to host the state championships, the Youth Committee has elected to move the site of the state championships to Bozeman in order to ensure a well organized track & field meet. If a past record for hosting the track meet means anything, this should not be a problem for the host club.

This will force the Association to move the Region 11 Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships from Bozeman to Helena, but the good news is that both meets will still be in Montana in 2006! Todd Foster and the Montana Track Club of Helena will be hosting the regional meet at Vigilante Stadium, which is also the site of this year's State "AA/C" high school track & field meet.

Field event athletes get a special treat as they will have the rare opportunity to take front stage at the M.S.U. venue with all of the field events being contested on the infield of the 400-meter track. Throwers now have the opportunity to steal the attention of spectators during the championships with front row seats at the stadium instead of being isolated elsewhere in the venue. This will include all of the throwing events, as well as the jumping events.

The state championships will offer three age groups for participants: "Junior Olympic" (18-and-under) "Open" (19+), and "Master's" (40+) with the "Junior Olympic" age group offering six divisions. New this year is the "sub-bantam" division for athletes eight years old or younger. This is a big bonus for the younger athletes who no longer have to compete for medals against athletes 9 and 10 years old at the state level.

Medals will be awarded to the top three finalists in the "Open" and "Masters" age groups, and top five finalists in the Junior Olympic division. The top six finishers in each age division of the Junior Olympic group will automatically qualify for the Region 11 Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships in Helena, Montana on June 22-24, 2006. Those that do not finish in the top six may also compete in the Region 11 Championships by completing a declaration of competition with the Youth Athletics Chairman to participate in the regional meet.

Hats, T-shirts, USATF apparel, and prizes will be available at the venue. A special awards stand will be constructed by the Bozeman Track Club, similar to that used for the cross-country championships, for formal presentation of medals. Arrangements have also been made for a professional photograph to be present to take first-rate photos.

Keep in mind that the USA Track & Field format offers a variety of options to athletes that are not normally available during the outdoor season, including the weight throw, mini-javelin, steeplechase, 4 x 800 relay, 3000 and 5000 meter runs, race walk competition, and the multi-events.

A popular competition at the collegiate and world class levels, the multi-events (i.e., decathlon, heptathlon, pentathlon, and triathlon) tests the fortitude and ability of athletes. It involves an athlete competing in a number of events run close together on a very scheduled time frame. To score, you receive points for levels of performance in each event. The goal is to earn the most points versus going head-to-head in each individual competition. Multi-events will be held on Thursday and/or Friday, depending on the age group, with the majority of the track & field events held on Saturday.

A 2006 USATF membership ($17) is required to participate in the championships with the 10-digit membership number required on entry forms. On-line registration at www.usatf.org is recommended for 2006 membership and takes only five minutes to process.

Results and pictures from the 2005 USATF state championships in Missoula are available on the Association's website. For more information, schedule of events, guide book, and entry forms contact Dave Skelton, Meet Director, P.O. Box 651, Bozeman, MT 59771-0651, e-mail address at bztkclub@bresnan.net, or visit the Association's website at www.mtusatf.org.

(By Dave Skelton, April 15, 2006)